Nordling here.
Just from the premise alone, this sounds right in Disney's or Pixar's wheelhouse (from Amazon)::
The year is 1944. As Allied forces fight the enemy on Europe’s war-torn beaches, another battle begins in a child’s bedroom in Brooklyn. When the nightmarish Boogeyman snatches a boy and takes him to the realm of the Dark, the child’s playthings, led by the toy soldier known as the Colonel, band together to stage a daring rescue. On their perilous mission they will confront the boy’s bitter and forgotten toys, as well as betrayal in their own ranks. Can they save the boy from the forces of evil, or will they all perish in the process? THE STUFF OF LEGEND is a haunting and ultimately redemptive tale of loyalty, camaraderie, and perseverance.
THE STUFF OF LEGEND is a graphic novel, written by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith, and illustrated by Charles Paul Wilson III. It's also, apparently, going to be a movie. Disney has made a pitch deal with director Pete Candeland (director of Gorillaz "Stylo" and video designer for BEATLES: ROCK BAND) and scripted by Shawn Christensen (ABDUCTION), according to Deadline.
This sounds like the flip side of TOY STORY (although the TOY STORY films can go dark when they need to), and it is planned to be a live-action film with a CGI setting. After the stunning set work of PROMETHEUS, I think sets would be preferential in this kind of project, especially since we know that it will likely be 3D, but the premise sounds terrific.
I could see why Disney would be all over this. Candeland has a great eye, and according to Deadline this is a passion project: he and Christensen spent over a year formulating to pitch to Disney in hopes of getting the movie. I love stories like this and I'll have to pick up the graphic novel as soon as I can.
