DreamWorks animation boss, Jeffrey Katzenberg, has confirmed that the company have purchased the rights to Felix The Cat.
However, it does sound like a potential movie may not quite be in the pipeline yet, with Katzenberg stating at the recent Licensing Expo in Las Vegas: “Today, DreamWorks has acquired all rights to Felix the Cat. Felix really goes beyond evergreen status and rises to something even more uncommon, as he is a true icon. We plan to make him one of the most desired fashion brands in the world.”
As Katzenberg said, it sounds more like they want to use Felix as a fashion brand than a movie star initially, but given the recent glut of cartoon television series adaptations this could only be a matter of time.
Felix himself was first introduced to the world in animated shorts in the 1920’s, being created by Sullivan Studios. He was quickly made into a silent-movie era star, but lost some prominence when Disney released Steam Boat Willie, their first short featuring sound. Not wanting to introduce Felix to sound, he was almost forgotten before a television series’ in the fifties brought him back to life. He has since starred in multiple series and a couple of movies.
