Tonka Trucks to Get Animated Film Treatment
Tonka, the toy line best known for its trucks, is heading to the big screen.
PHOTOS: Toy Wars: Battle of the Blockbuster Summer
Sony Pictures Animation, Hasbro and Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions will produce the silver-screen take, which is being written by Fred Wolf.
The project is the latest Hasbro brand to be developed at Sony. World-domination board game Risk and the board game Candy Land are other properties being worked on.
“In its 65 years, Tonka has become more than a toy or a brand; Tonka trucks are a rite of passage for kids all around the world," Sony Pictures Digital Productions president Bob Osher said. "Time spent with these toys creates memories that last a lifetime as kids are inspired to play using the boundaries of their imagination. We look forward to creating a family-friendly motion picture that brings the Tonka experience to life.”
The studio described as the take by Wolf, Happy Madison and Hasbro as “inventive” while stressing the “multi-generational” appeal of not only the toys but of the intended movie.
Hasbro president and CEO Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir, senior vp and managing director of motion pictures, also will produce with Happy Madison. The Tonka toys were created in 1947 and became popular for the long-lasting durability of the many trucks. Hasbro bought the company in 1991.
Wolf has a longtime relationship with Sandler and Happy Madison, having worked on Saturday Night Live in the 1990s and on such movies as Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2 and Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.
