'Lion King' Co-Director Rob Minkoff in Talks for AI-Assisted 'Storm Dogs'

Rob Minkoff, co-director of Disney's "The Lion King" and director of "Stuart Little," is in advanced discussions to join the AI-assisted film "Storm Dogs," the next project from Tilly Norwood creators Particle 6.

Minkoff will serve as creative lead on the project, developing the film's story, characters and script alongside van der Velden. The family comedy-drama targets a 2027 start for production.

"Storm Dogs" follows toddler Poppy, who, after a storm hits her English village and separates her from her adult caretaker, must band together with a group of dogs to guide her home.

Particle 6 said the film will combine "live-action performances with photorealistic animated characters" using a mix of AI tools, traditional approaches and human actors. The process applies an actor's expressions, physicality and inflections to the animated characters, rather than just using their voice.

The toddler and the dogs will be "created" with a mix of live-action performances and AI, according to the company. A spokesperson said that using AI to bring Poppy and the dogs to life is "a real bonus" because "neither toddlers nor animals need to be on set for long hours."

Van der Velden said in her statement that the nature of the film "presents a challenge that would be extraordinarily difficult to achieve through conventional production alone." She positioned the project as a bid to keep creative authorship human while harnessing emerging tools.

"By bringing performers, filmmakers and emerging tools together, we can attempt something unusually ambitious while keeping every creative decision in human hands," van der Velden said. "I'm not interested in AI as a replacement for human creativity. But I believe it has extraordinary potential to transform the process of making motion pictures, to help filmmakers manifest what they imagine with greater freedom and fewer limitations. We are still in the pioneering phase of this transformation, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to help define how it can be used responsibly."

Minkoff, whose credits include two of the most successful animal-centered family films ever made, framed the collaboration in similar terms.

"Rob has helped create some of cinema's most enduring animal characters," van der Velden said in a statement. "His understanding of character, comedy and emotional storytelling makes him an extraordinary creative partner for Storm Dogs."

"I have spent much of my career looking for ways to create animal characters who are funny, emotionally truthful and completely alive," Minkoff said in a statement. "When I visited Particle 6 in London, I found a group of filmmakers who care deeply about story, character and performance. They are also serious about exploring how new production methods can expand how filmmakers' imaginations are realized on screen. Storm Dogs is a wonderful opportunity to develop that approach together in the service of a story with real jeopardy, heart and humor."

The deal would pair a mainstream studio veteran with one of the most prominent experiments in AI-driven entertainment. Particle 6 has built its profile around Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated media personality the company has promoted as a virtual star.

The film's development comes months after Particle 6 revealed that Tilly Norwood would star in its first feature-length project, "Misaligned," which began production earlier this month. The company put Tilly Norwood on the press circuit last week, presenting her to news outlets including Variety and "Good Morning Britain" — though not without hiccups. During an interview with Piers Morgan, she oddly switched from English to Cantonese.

If Minkoff's deal closes, "Storm Dogs" would test whether AI-assisted production methods can carry a family film from a director whose hand-drawn and hybrid-animation credentials span three decades — with production slated to begin in 2027.