A new Care Bears movie is in the works, with filmmaker Josh Greenbaum tapped to helm the project for Warner Bros. 

Still in very early development, the plot for this animated/live-action adaptation hasn’t been hammered out yet. But specific elements, themes and an overall tone are coming into focus, says Sean Gorman, president of Care Bears brand owner Cloudco Entertainment. 

The brand’s merchandise is generating interest among kids, tweens and “kidults” alike, and the movie will be similarly positioned for wide appeal. Cloudco’s colorful bears made their big-screen debut in 1985’s The Care Bears Movie, which earned US$34 million in box-office revenue and was followed by a handful of other theatrical and direct-to-DVD films in the ensuing years.

“A funny, fun and surprising four-quadrant movie is obviously a great commercial endeavor, but we also want it to serve as a legitimate north star to reinforce what makes the Care Bears unique and different,” Gorman tells Kidscreen. “Because as cute, colorful and commercially successful as the Care Bears are, it really is a commercial brand built on the most non-commercial DNA there is—human emotions, causes and feelings.”

Gorman will be executive producing the new film along with Cloudco development executive Daniel Barnes and Sheila Walcott on behalf of WB. Producers include Chris Bender and Jake Weiner from Good Fear (Mulan), and Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Dungeons & Dragons: Honors Among Thieves) through their GoldDay banner.

The ever-growing Care Bears franchise has been busy with Roblox integrations lately, as well as the debut of a Care Bears: Unlock the Magic specials package on Netflix (which topped the streamer’s kids charts in regions including LatAm, the Nordics and the Middle East) and co-branded product collabs with Barbie and Squishmallows.

Gorman adds that he’s excited to be working with Greenbaum, whose credits include quirky comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021), last year’s Peabody-winning documentary Will & Harper and an upcoming sequel to the 1987 sci-fi parody Spaceballs. “Josh is uniquely qualified here—and his resumé of director credits reflects this—to bring both comedy and subversion, as well as heart and emotional resonance to [the Care Bears film].”