Weinstein’s Animated Leap! Pushed Back to Labor Day Weekend

The Weinstein Company announced today plans to move their upcoming animated feature Leap!, featuring the voices of Elle Fanning, Nat Wolff, Maddie Ziegler, with Carly Rae Jepsen, Kate McKinnon, and Mel Brooks. Having previously been scheduled for April 21, the film is now set to open nationwide Labor Day Weekend. TWC acquired U.S. rights to the film back in May of last year. The film also features original music by Carly Rae Jepsen, Demi Lovato and Sia.

Produced in partnership with Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou of Quad Productions, Laurent Zeitoun of Main Journey, and Andre Rouleau and Valerie D’Auteuil, Leap! marks the latest addition to a long-standing relationship between TWC and Adassaovsky, Zenou, Zeitoun. Previously they teamed up on the acclaimed French film The Intouchables, starring Omar Sy and François Cluzet. TWC is currently in production on the English-language adaptation of the film.

TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein commented, “I can’t tell you about how much I love ‘Leap!’ and that’s why I’m moving it. The producers made a fantastic family film when they created the French Version of the film. Our team has done an incredible job building on their vision with the American version. Just last week we had Kate McKinnon add her genius voice to three characters, and the cast including Elle Fanning, Maddie Ziegler and Nat Wolff capture the heart and humor of the story so well. We have made the decision to move back to Labor Day and build the awareness and excitement within our audience. As always, I want to do what is best for the film, which I think is the best animated film I’ve ever made, and test audiences have agreed. I screened the film just last weekend for Trevor Drinkwater and Geena Davis and they absolutely loved it. They will host the film’s premiere on the Saturday during the Bentonville Film Festival.”

“We are thrilled to be premiering The Weinstein Company’s animated film ‘Leap!’ as part of our Studio Spotlight series at The Bentonville Film Festival,” said Trevor Drinkwater and Geena Davis, Founders of The Bentonville Film Festival.

Leap! tells the story of 11-year-old orphan, Félicie (Elle Fanning) who has one dream – to go to Paris and become a dancer. Her best friend Victor (Nat Wolff), an imaginative but exhausting boy with a passion for creating, has a dream of his own – to become a famous inventor. In a leap of faith, Victor and Félicie leave their orphanage in pursuit of their passions. But – there’s a catch, Félicie must pretend to be the child of a wealthy family in order to gain admittance to the prestigious and competitive Opera Ballet School in Paris. And with no professional dance training, she quickly learns that talent alone is not enough to overcome the ruthless, conniving attitudes of her fellow classmates, led by the devious Camille Le Haut (Maddie Ziegler) and her wicked mother Régine (Kate McKinnon). Determined to succeed, Félicie finds her mentor in the tough and mysterious school custodian, Odette (Carly Rae Jepsen) who, along with Victor’s encouraging friendship, help her reach for the stars.