David Lynch still hoping to make animated movie rejected by Netflix
Director David Lynch has revealed that he is still hoping to find financers for his animated film Snootworld, saying that Netflix had previously rejected his “fairytale” pitch for the under-the-radar project.
The filmmaker behind Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive has previously shared little about Snootworld, but in recent times, he has been trying to gain traction for the film, having started on the script more than two decades ago.
Lynch has been working with frequent Tim Burton collaborator Caroline Thompson, who’s previously written for The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands and The Addams Family, in another meeting of surreal creativity.
In an interview with Deadline, Lynch noted, “I don’t know when I started thinking about Snoots, but I’d do these drawings of Snoots, and then a story started to emerge. I got together with Caroline, and we worked on a script.”
Recently, Lynch had felt that financers for the prospective film had become more interested, so he pitched it to Netflix, but the streamer rejected the opportunity to take the project on and release it through their service.
According to Lynch, Snootworld is an “old-fashioned story”, while animation today tends to lend itself to “surface jokes”. He continued: “Old fashioned fairytales are considered groaners: apparently, people don’t want to see them. It’s a different world now, and it’s easier to say no than to say yes.”
Thomspon herself revealed the “wacky” nature of the film, claiming that it took her breath away when the pair completed the script. “The Snoots are these tiny creatures who have a ritual transition at age eight at which time they get tinier, and they’re sent away for a year so they are protected,” the writer said. “The world goes into chaos when the Snoot hero of the story disappears into the carpet, and his family can’t find him, and he enters a crazy, magnificent world.”
As of yet, Lynch is unsure whether he will be the person to direct Snootworld and admitted that he has high directorial hopes for his daughter Jennifer, who has previously worked on American Horror Story.
Even though Netflix has opted to turn down Snootworld, Lynch still thinks that children and adults will appreciate the story. The director has never taken on a direct animation project but said that the format makes it “possible to do some spectacular things.”
Lynch hasn’t directed a feature-length movie since Inland Empire, but has worked on Twin Peaks: The Return, which aired back in 2017. Snootworld could well be his next project, should financers come through.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.