The Squishmallows are heading to the big screen.
Amazon MGM Studios is developing the first feature film based on the wildly popular Squishmallows plush toy franchise, giving the colorful characters their biggest entertainment expansion yet. The project is being developed with producer Beau Flynn and Jazwares, the company behind the Squishmallows brand, as Hollywood continues looking for the next major toy-based franchise.
Amazon MGM Is Bringing Squishmallows To The Big Screen
According to Variety, Amazon MGM Studios is developing a Squishmallows movie with Flynn and Jazwares. Flynn, whose producing credits include Rampage, San Andreas, and Moana, will produce the project through FlynnPictureCo.
Specific plot details have not yet been revealed, and the project does not currently have a release date. It is also unclear whether the movie will be animated, live-action, or combine different forms of animation and visual effects. What is clear is that Amazon MGM sees considerable potential in the property.
Squishmallows have become one of the biggest plush toy brands of the modern era, with hundreds of characters built around the same soft, rounded design. The franchise has expanded well beyond its original plush toys, with merchandise, collectibles, games, books, and other products helping turn the characters into a recognizable global brand.
That makes a movie adaptation a natural next step, particularly as studios continue searching for family entertainment properties that can support more than a single film.
Amazon MGM is also in the middle of a major push to expand its theatrical movie business. The studio has committed to releasing at least 15 films in theaters annually, with its upcoming slate including established properties such as Masters of the Universe, The Beekeeper 2, Spaceballs: The New One, and The Thomas Crown Affair.
A Squishmallows movie would give the studio another recognizable piece of intellectual property with a built-in audience, although it remains far too early to know whether the film will ultimately receive a theatrical release.
The project also arrives during a particularly busy period for toy and game adaptations. Hollywood has increasingly looked to established children’s brands as potential movie franchises, with movies based on properties and toys such as My Little Pony, Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Transformers serving as prime examples.
Squishmallows could offer something very different from a traditional action-oriented toy adaptation. The characters are primarily known for their collectible personalities and distinctive designs, giving filmmakers considerable freedom to create a new story rather than simply translating an existing movie or television narrative. The biggest question is what that story will look like.
The involvement of Flynn is nevertheless notable. His producing career includes several large-scale commercial movies and his experience developing effects-heavy entertainment could make him a natural fit for a project built around bringing a plush-toy world to life.
There is still a long road ahead before the Squishmallows make their theatrical debut, but according to Amazon MGM Studios, the toys have officially taken the first steps toward becoming movie stars.
