| The Tales from Sanctuary City | |
| Creator: | Kristen Souvlis Nadine Bates |
| Origin: | The Wishmas Tree (2020) |
| Owner: | Like a Photon Creative |
| Years: | 2020–present |
| Video Games: | Sanctuary World (2020) |
The Tales from Sanctuary City is a media franchise created and managed by Australian children's production company Like a Photon Creative co-founders Kristen Souvlis and Nadine Bates.[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 2024, the franchise consists of five overall feature films; a mobile app, titled Sanctuary World, was discontinued in 2020 shortly after its release.[4]
All five films were directed by Ricard Cussó (who also wrote the first film), and produced by Kristen Souvlis and Nadine Bates (the owners of Like a Photon Creative). The first film was distributed by R & R Films, and the next two were distributed by Odin's Eye Entertainment; however, as of 2024, the company's films were distributed by Maslow Entertainment. The first film received generally negative reviews from critics, and the following three 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 | Nadine Bates and Kristen Souvlis | |
| Combat Wombat | 15 October 2020 | Matthew James Kinmonth | ||||
| 4 February 2021 | Ryan Greaves | |||||
| 29 February 2024 | Dominic Morris | |||||
| The Sloth Lane | 25 July 2024 | Ricard Cussó and Tania Vincent | Tania Vincent, Ryan Greaves, and Kristen Souvlis | Erica Harrison | Nadine Bates, Ryan Greaves, and Kristen Souvlis | |
| The Lost Tiger | TBA | Chantelle Murray | Chantelle Murray and Philip Denson | |||
Like a Photon Creative launched the franchise with four animated feature films.[1] [5] They were backed and funded by Screen Queensland and Screen Australia.[1] [6] The films were directed by Ricard Cussó and produced by Like a Photon's Kristen Souvlis and Nadine Bates.
See main article: The Wishmas Tree. 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.[7]
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,[8] and was released in Australian theatres on 27 February 2020.
See main article: Combat Wombat (film). Lazy wombat Maggie Diggins becomes Combat Wombat, Sanctuary City's new superhero after she begrudgingly saves a citizen from falling to his death, but her rising stardom displeases local superhero Flightless Feather, who hatches a plan for Maggie's demise. Maggie uncovers a conspiracy that could put the city in grave danger, and it is up to her to expose it.[9]
Combat Wombat was released in Australian theatres on 15 October 2020. It had a limited release to 42 screens.[9]
See main article: Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal. The unbearably adorable, eternally optimistic Quokka named Daisy has an impossible dream – to win the World's Scariest Animal competition of Sanctuary City.[10]
The film had its world premiere at the Children's International Film Festival (CHIFF) in Australia on 28 November 2020,[11] and opened in theatres with a limited release in Australia on 4 February 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinemas.[12] The film received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics.[10] [13]
See main article: Combat Wombat: Back 2 Back. A sequel to the 2020 original, titled Combat Wombat: Back 2 Back, was released in Australian theatres on 29 February 2024.
See main article: The Sloth Lane. The film had its world premiere at the Annecy Animation Film Festival in France on 10 June 2024, and opened in theatres in Australia on 25 July.[14]
| Film | Release date (Australia) | Box office gross | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wishmas Tree | 27 February 2020 | $1,793,562[15] | |
| Combat Wombat | 15 October 2020 | $612,666[16] | |
| 4 February 2021 | $384,753[17] | ||
| 29 February 2024 | |||
| The Sloth Lane | 25 July 2024 | $51,208[18] |
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| The Wishmas Tree | 50% (6 reviews)[19] | |
| Combat Wombat | ||
| The Sloth Lane |