Dynamic Duo, an Animated Nightwing/Red Hood Film, Coming From DC Studios
James Gunn and Peter Safran appear to be thinking outside the box with certain corners of their (relatively) newly formed DC Studios. Deadline exclusively reports that the pair has just greenlit an animated movie called Dynamic Duo that will feature Nightwing and Red Hood – the current alter egos of former Robins Dick Grayson and Jason Todd – in the lead roles. Dynamic Duo will be a joint venture between DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, which is headed by Bill Damaschke, and produced by Matt Reeves and his 6th & Idaho production company. Despite Reeves’ involvement, this will not be part of his ultra-realistic Batman series, so it may have slight fantasy elements, like a mask or something. No director or voice actors are mentioned, but Dynamic Duo will be written by Matthew Aldrich, whose short résumé includes Pixar films Coco and Lightyear.
Over the moon excited to announce the newest DC Studios/Warner Bros Pictures Animation greenlit film for theaters, DYNAMIC DUO, the story of Robin… or should I say, Robins, as in Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. The first feature film from the visionary Swaybox, a mix of animation,… pic.twitter.com/IBBMgP1riP
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 1, 2024
Yeah, I know, that’s not overly innovative, but here’s where it gets a bit more interesting: the animation will be handled by a studio called Swaybox, run by Arthur Mintz and Theresa Andersson. Swaybox uses something they call “Momo animation,” which is described as “a cross between CGI animation, practical elements of stop-motion, and live-action real-time performance.” I don’t see any movies or shows Swaybox has made, so Dynamic Duo may be their first official one. And it seems Matt Reeves is the driving force behind pairing the animation house with DC Studios, as he says he has always wanted to work with them. For an idea of what their animation will look like, you can see a sizzle reel they made in 2017, which shows the evolution of their Momo animation, below:
Swaybox hands in some pretty incredible and unique animation
DC Studios wants their Spider-Verse with Dynamic Duo and this is a nice step in the right direction pic.twitter.com/TsW8vRNYsc
— John (@SchwayJohn) October 1, 2024
I’m not sure about the Momo animation. The uptick in quality from the early parts of that video to the breakthrough they had with the puppets is significant, but it feels more like a lark to me than something that would work for a feature-length movie. But, then, I don’t like many of the new animation styles that are becoming popular nowadays, so maybe I’m just shouting at kids to get off my lawn. This is a good way to test it out, though; not only is it being used in the heightened reality of a superhero setting, but it’s for a movie with Nightwing and Red Hood, who are not exactly heavy hitters. (I know they have their fans, but they’re not Superman and Batman, or even the Flash and Aquaman.) If it doesn’t work out, they didn’t waste any major storylines on two of Batman’s former sidekicks. And if it catches on, they can always expand and make more DC animated films with Swaybox.
As for Dynamic Duo, I’m ambivalent about it. I’m not big on the Bat Family; I prefer Batman to be as solitary as possible, with people like Alfred and Commissioner Gordon as his backup. If he’s to have a sidekick, I’d rather it be Batgirl/Oracle than Robin; for whatever reason, I think a woman works better in that role, maybe because she has a different dynamic with Batman than another guy. I know these are the grown-up versions of Dick and Jason, but for me, they still feel like Robin. That doesn’t mean a movie with them can’t be good (and dear God, I’d take either of them over Damian Wayne, who will be the DCU’s official Robin), although I’m not sure about the writer. Matthew Aldrich has written Coco, which seems pretty popular with Pixar fans, but he also wrote Lightyear, which wasn’t very well received. It’ll be interesting to see who voices Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, and if Dynamic Duo will be part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU; Gunn has said some of the animated films will tie into it, but others will be stand-alones. If this is one of the former, the voice actors could appear in live-action movies; however, if this is the experiment it feels like to me, it’s probably a one-off.
Let us know what you think of Dynamic Duo and Momo animation in the comments!
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