‘The Magic Paintbrush’ Debuts in Lit Form Under Unusual Collaboration Between Random House and Franchise-Minded Baobab Studios
variety.comDiane Garrett “Madagascar” writer-director Eric Darnell knew he wanted to adapt Chinese folklore about a magic paintbrush for modern audiences from the moment he came across the ancient tale while at DreamWorks, initially developing an animated film inspired by it, then a VR project for Baobab Studios, where he has served as chief creative officer since 2015.
But his vision was first realized in decidedly analog form — a children’s book for middle readers. “The Magic Paintbrush,” now available in bookstores under Random House’s Crown Books for Young Readers imprint, is intended as the first work in a platform-spanning franchise that will eventually include TV, film and interactive works in addition to more children’s books.
It was developed under an unusual deal brokered between Baobab and the publishing house in 2019: Darnell collaborated with Crown Books for Young Readers VP Phoebe Yeh, who recently edited George Takei’s “My Lost Freedom” picture book, and children’s book author Kat Zhang to ensure the modern-day telling properly honors the folklore that inspired it.
Phoebe Zhong, an artist based in Beijing, created the illustrations that fill the book targeted to readers ages 8 to 12. “I knew I needed help,” says Darnell, who early on envisioned the tale as contemporary one about an Asian American girl and the grandmother she didn’t know that well.
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