Tim Johnson and Goodman Pictures Launch Underneath the Umbrella Productions

Here’s a production company launching with the kind of IP that studios spend years pursuing: director Tim Johnson (Over the Hedge, Home, Antz) and producer Joe Goodman (the Ethan Hawke-directed Flannery O’Connor biopic Wildcat) today announced the formation of Underneath the Umbrella Productions, acquiring the rights to Johnny Hart’s B.C. and Wizard of Id, two of the most enduring and internationally recognized strips in newspaper history, alongside Walter Wangerin Jr.’s National Book Award-winning novel The Book of the Dun Cow. Johnson is attached to co-write and direct an animated adaptation of Wizard of Id as the company’s first film, with Tom Astle (Home, Epic, Get Smart) co-writing the screenplay. The venture launches with major animated fare while planning an equally strong live-action slate in the months to come, positioning itself as a creatively driven alternative to traditional studio animation production.

The Johnny Hart Legacy#

The Wizard of Id and B.C. acquisitions represent comic strip royalty with nearly unmatched longevity.

B.C., launched in 1958, has run for nearly seven decades and remains one of the longest-running comic strips ever created. Set in a comic version of prehistoric times, the strip explores the lives of cavemen and their anthropomorphic animals and dinosaurs, skewering contemporary politics, technology, and the battle of the sexes through irreverent humor and anachronistic wit. Now nearing its seventieth year of continuous printing, the strip continues production through Johnny Hart’s family.

Wizard of Id, launched in 1964 by Hart and illustrator Brant Parker, follows a large cast of characters living in a fantasy medieval kingdom, taking sharp aim at politics, marriage, power, and wealth using contemporary sensibility. The strip has appeared in over 1,000 newspapers worldwide across its 60+ year run.

Both strips won the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award, one of the highest honors in the field. That both properties from the same creator earned that distinction represents an exceptionally rare achievement in cartooning history.

The Personal Connection#

For Tim Johnson, Wizard of Id represents more than strategic IP acquisition.

“This is a dream project,” Johnson explains. “As a young boy, I learned to draw by tracing the original Johnny Hart and Brant Parker comic strip. I grew up on the timeless humor of ‘Wizard of Id.’ Similar to my experience directing Over the Hedge, I believe the rich characters and sharp wit of ‘Wizard’ offer incredible potential to create a family film that appeals to many generations and cultures.”

The Over the Hedge comparison is instructive. That 2006 DreamWorks film adapted a newspaper comic strip into a successful animated feature, demonstrating the potential Johnson now pursues with Wizard of Id. The medieval fantasy setting provides different opportunities than suburban wildlife, but the translation challenge, transforming beloved panel characters into feature-length storytelling, remains familiar territory.

Johnson’s reunion with co-writer Tom Astle, his collaborator on Home, adds proven partnership to personal passion.

The Book of the Dun Cow#

The third acquisition positions Underneath the Umbrella beyond comic strip adaptations.

Walter Wangerin Jr.’s 1978 fantasy novel won The New York Times Best Children’s Book of the Year and the US National Book Award for Science Fiction. Considered a towering achievement in young adult fiction, the novel features an all-animal cast set in an alternate timeline where mankind has never existed.

The animals explore courage and the power of innocence as they face existential terror: the Wyrm living at the center of the Earth. Characters draw from “Chanticleer and the Fox” in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and other medieval bestiaries, grounding the fantasy in literary tradition while creating something wholly original.

The rights were secured from Ruthanne M. Wangerin, trustee and widow of author Walter Wangerin Jr., who passed in 2021.

The Business Model#

Underneath the Umbrella emerges from Johnson’s observation of industry transformation.

“I’ve spent my career working for the big studio system of producing animation,” Johnson notes. “But the recent changes in Hollywood present an unprecedented opportunity. I’m partnered with Joe Goodman to bring a fresh, efficient, creatively driven model for producing new feature films for the underserved animation market.”

The venture positions itself as alternative to traditional studio animation, where productions often face bureaucratic complexity and escalating budgets. By launching with proven IP that carries built-in audience awareness, Underneath the Umbrella can potentially attract financing and distribution while maintaining creative control.

“All three initial Underneath the Umbrella Productions projects are rare finds, unicorns!” Johnson emphasizes. “They have strong four-quadrant, family-audience appeal. They work internationally. They are based on high quality, award-winning IPs. They have humor and heart, and a natural fit for animation.”

The Cultural Permanence Argument#

Joe Goodman frames the acquisitions in terms that distinguish them from typical development slates.

“When something has been read daily by millions of people for decades across the world, that’s not just popularity, that’s cultural permanence,” Goodman asserts. “These properties have already proven their staying power. Our goal is to translate that into films that families return to for generations.”

The argument resonates particularly for B.C. and Wizard of Id, which reached millions of readers daily across thousands of newspapers worldwide throughout their long runs. That sustained engagement, renewed with every morning paper for decades, represents audience relationship that original IP can’t replicate.

Patti Hart, who oversees her father’s legacy at John Hart Studios, adds: “‘B.C.’ and ‘Wizard of Id’ have connected with readers around the world for generations. Their humor is timeless, and their reach has always been international. It’s exciting to see them positioned in a way that can introduce these characters to new audiences while honoring what made them endure.”

The Goodman Pictures Foundation#

Joe Goodman brings independent film credentials to the animation venture.

His most recent production, Wildcat, the Flannery O’Connor biopic directed by Ethan Hawke, demonstrated capacity for literary adaptation with artistic ambition. His upcoming role as Executive Producer on Terrence Malick’s The Way of the Wind positions him in prestige filmmaking’s highest tier.

Applying that sensibility to animation, partnering with a director whose credits include DreamWorks’ most successful properties, creates unusual combination. The venture’s announced live-action slate, coming in months ahead, will presumably reflect similar balance of commercial viability and creative distinction.

Who Should Watch This Space#

If you grew up reading Wizard of Id or B.C.: The strips that appeared in your morning paper for decades are heading to screen with a director who learned to draw by tracing them.

If animation industry developments interest you: Underneath the Umbrella represents a model challenging traditional studio production, potentially indicating where independent animation heads next.

If The Book of the Dun Cow shaped your reading life: The National Book Award winner finally approaches adaptation, its all-animal fantasy potentially finding the audience it deserves.

If Over the Hedge‘s comic-strip-to-screen translation impressed you: Johnson returns to that challenge with IP even more deeply embedded in cultural memory.

If you track IP acquisitions for future franchise potential: Three properties with proven four-quadrant appeal, international recognition, and award-winning pedigrees entering development simultaneously.

The Kingdom Awaits#

Underneath the Umbrella Productions launches with Wizard of Id as its first film, Tim Johnson directing and co-writing with Tom Astle.

Nearly seven decades of B.C. Nearly sixty years of Wizard of Id. A National Book Award-winning fantasy novel. Three properties that have already proven their staying power, now positioned for screen translation.

A dream project for a director who learned to draw from these very comics. A fresh model for animation production. Cultural permanence heading toward films that families might return to for generations.

The medieval kingdom of Id opens its gates. The prehistoric world of B.C. prepares for discovery. The animals gather to face the Wyrm.

Underneath the Umbrella has arrived.