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KRU Studios' second animated film to open in 2018

A still from "Wheely" taken from KRU Studios' Coming Soon page.

26 Jul – KRU Studios first ventured into the animated film world with its 2014 movie, "Ribbit", and now it looks like the studio is ready to release its sophomore animated effort.

The car-themed movie, "Wheely", is slated for release in early 2018.

"It is partly inspired by the Disney film "Cars", but its cast is wholly Malaysian in their dialogue and mannerisms," said KRU Studios chief executive officer Datuk Norman Abdul Halim, as quoted by the New Straits Times.

Just like "Ribbit", the movie will be released in both English and Malay versions.

The English version will feature a voice cast made up of American actors while the Malay version will have local celebrities voicing the characters.

"Wheely" is set for a wider release than "Ribbit", the latter was shown in 70 countries back in 2014 but the former will be screened in 80 countries including Asian territories such as China and South Korea, as well as other international markets such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The studio entered pre-sale agreements last year with the 18 distributors that represent the countries.

The "Wheely" synopsis found on the studio's official website reads:

In an imaginary world where vehicles are the citizens, one underdog cabbie attempts to become king of the road in his hometown, Gasket City. He soon discovers that staying true to oneself is a greater pursuit than personal glory. When threatened by elitist attitudes and mobster trucks, can one unglamorous black and yellow "local zero" rise to the challenge and become a "global hero"?

"Wheely" is directed by Norman's brother, Yusry Abdul Halim, with Norman himself acting as executive producer.