The Tales of Sanctuary City is a media franchise created and managed by Australian children's production company Like a Photon Creative.[1][2] The franchise revolves around the anthropomorphic animals who reside in Sanctuary City, which was inspired by the fauna and landscape of Australia.[3] As of 2021, the franchise consists of three feature films and a mobile app,[4][5] with the possibility of a tv series, toy-line and further apps and spin-off films.[6]
| The Tales from Sanctuary City | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ricard Cussó |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
Production company | Like a Photon Creative |
| Distributed by | Odin's Eye Entertainment |
Release date | 2019–2021 |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.06 million |
All three films were directed by Ricard Cussó (who also wrote the first film), produced by Kristen Souvlis and Nadine Bates (the owners of Like a Photon Creative) and distributed by Odin's Eye Entertainment. The first film received generally negative reviews from critics, and the final two received mixed to positive reviews.
| Film | Release date (Australia) | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Story by | Producer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wishmas Tree | 27 February 2020 | Ricard Cussó | Ricard Cussó | Peter Ivan | Kristen Souvlis and Nadine Bates | |
| Combat Wombat | 15 October 2020 | Matthew James Kinmonth | ||||
| Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal | January 2021 | Ryan Greaves | ||||
Like a Photon Creative launched the franchise with a trilogy of animated feature films.[1][7] They were backed and funded by Screen Queensland and Screen Australia, and distributed by Odin Eye's Entertainment.[1][8] The films were directed by Ricard Cussó and produced by Like a Photon's Kristen Souvlis and Nadine Bates.
A young possum's misguided wish for a white Wishmas unintentionally freezes her entire hometown of Sanctuary City and threatens the lives of all who live there. Before the magical Wishmas Tree dies, she must undertake a journey into The Wild in order to reverse the damage she caused and save the city.[9]
Pre-production started in September 2018 and animation in January 2019.[3] It had its world premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival on 5 October 2019,[10] and was released in Australian theatres on 27 February 2020.
Lazy wombat Maggie Diggins becomes Combat Wombat, Sanctuary City's new superhero after she begrudgingly saves a citizen from falling to his death. However, her rising stardom displeases local superhero Flightless Feather, who hatches a plan for Maggie's demise. But in the process, Maggie uncovers a conspiracy that could put the city in grave danger, and it is up to her to expose it.[11]
Combat Wombat was released in Australian theatres on 15 October 2020. It had a limited release to 42 screens.[11]
The unbearably adorable, eternally optimistic Quokka named Daisy has an impossible dream – to win the World's Scariest Animal competition of Sanctuary City.[12]
The film had its world premiere at the Children's International Film Festival (CHIFF) in Australia on 28 November 2020,[13] and opened in theatres with a limited release in Australia in January 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinemas.[14] The film received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics.[12][15]
Although the trilogy has concluded, Like a Photon has stated there is a possibility for further spin-off films.[16]
| Film | release date (Australia) | Box office gross |
|---|---|---|
| The Wishmas Tree | 27 February 2020 | $875,867[17] |
| Combat Wombat | 15 October 2020 | $183,882[18] |
| Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal | January 2021 | $173,264[19] |
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes |
|---|---|
| The Wishmas Tree | 50% (6 reviews)[20] |
| Combat Wombat | |
| Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal |