Barry Sonnenfeld is set to make his first animated feature film with Perestroika in Paris, an adaptation of the Jane Smiley book of the same name. Legendary producer Frank Marshall will produce the movie via the Kennedy/Marshall Company, and the plan is to create a 2D animated film reminiscent of the animated comedy The Triplets of Belleville. The story follows a thoroughbred horse wandering through Paris.

THR broke the news that Barry Sonnenfeld is set to direct the animated film Perestroika in Paris. Sonnenfeld has directed plenty of movies – including Men in Black and The Addams Family – but this will mark his first animated film. The story involves a bunch of talking animals, so adapting it as an animated feature makes sense. And it’s neat that Sonnenfeld and company are going for an old-school 2D animation look here rather than the modern 3D computer-animated look that has become so prevalent.

There’s no screenwriter attached yet, but the movie is an adaptation of the 2020 book by Jane Smiley. Here’s a synopsis:

Paras, short for “Perestroika,” is a spirited racehorse at a racetrack west of Paris. One afternoon at dusk, she finds the door of her stall open and–she’s a curious filly–wanders all the way to the City of Light. She’s dazzled and often mystified by the sights, sounds, and smells around her, but she isn’t afraid.

Soon she meets an elegant dog, a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, who knows how to get by without attracting the attention of suspicious Parisians. Paras and Frida coexist for a time in the city’s lush green spaces, nourished by Frida’s strategic trips to the vegetable market. They keep company with two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated raven. But then Paras meets a human boy, Etienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly-one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother live in seclusion.

As the cold weather nears, the unlikeliest of friendships bloom. But how long can a runaway horse stay undiscovered in Paris? How long can a boy keep her hidden and all to himself? Jane Smiley’s beguiling new novel is itself an adventure that celebrates curiosity, ingenuity, and the desire of all creatures for true love and freedom.

Yep, this sounds charming as hell. Frank Marshall, a producer with a long list of credits that includes the Indiana Jones films, the Jurassic World films, and many more, is on board to produce. Marshall also produced War Horse and Seabiscuit, so he clearly enjoys producing horse-centric movies.

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