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Monkeys of Mumbai

A new DreamWorks Animated Feature with Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Stepen Schwartz, composer-lyricistAugust 2011

Kevin Lima will direct a new animated musical "Monkeys of Mumbai" (working title) for Dreamworks. Stephen Schwartz, who will write the song lyrics, worked with Lima on Disney's Enchanted.

"Ever since Enchanted, I've been looking for a film musical," Lima tells The hollywood Reporter. 'When DreamWorks Animation approached me with the prospect of doing a Bollywood musical with such renowned collaborators, I knew this was the one.'"

January 11, 2011.

DreamWorks has recruited composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz to write lyrics for a new aninated feature film Monkeys of Bollywood, with a yet-to-be-announced release date. "As soon as I heard that DreamWorks Animation envisioned making an animated Bollywood movie, I knew I wanted to be a part of it," said Schwartz in a statement. "The fact that A.R. Rahman got involved made it an even more exciting project."

Stephen Schwartz and Monkeys of Bollywood teamPHOTO: Monkeys of Bollywood creative team as announced in January 2011. Left to right: Husband-and-wife producing team Paul Berges and Gurinder Chadha, songwriter Stephen Schwartz, and film score writer A.R. Rahman.

Described by the movie company as "a Bollywood-style animated musical adventure set in modern-day Mumbai," Monkeys of Bollywood was inspired by the great Indian epic tale of The Ramayana – but retold through the point of view of its monkeys. The new movie revolves around two commonmonkeys who become unlikely heroes in a last ditch effort to stop an ancient, thought-to-be-mythical demon from conquering the world. The project is being overseen at DreamWorks Animation by Bill Damaschke and development executive Chris Kuser.

Stephen Schwartz started writing for film in the early 1990s with Disney. Then in 1994, when Jeffrey Katzenberg, Stephen Speilberg, and David Geffin had just formed DreamWorks SKG, they invited Schwartz to write songs for the first animated feature The Prince of Egypt. Schwartz's "When You Believe" went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song the year after the film's 1998 release.

Schwartz went on to write the score for the blockbuster musical Wicked, and previously was known for his scores for Godspell, Pippin, and others for stage, as well as lyrics for Disney movies Enchanted, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also wrote songs for a Disney TV movie Geppetto that has since been turned into a stage musical My Son Pinocchio.

"To reunite with Stephen Schwartz and work with such a celebrated team of artists on DreamWorks Animation's first-ever CG animated feature musical project is incredibly exciting," said DreamWorks Animation's Chief Creative Officer, Bill Damaschke. "Together we will create a movie that is full of magic, fantasy, adventure, comedy and emotion in which inspiring songs and dances will delight audiences everywhere."

Although India has not yet been on the long list of countries that Stephen Schwartz has traveled to, he has previously worked with an Indian composer when he contributed lyrics to Thiruvasakam in Symphony, a project of Maestro Ilayaraaja of Tamil Nadu, India. (MP3 files: Thiruvasakam: A Classical Cross Over)

A.R. Rahman, responsible for scoring both Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, will also be a selling point for the film, as will having the producing team that delivered the Bollywood style romantic comedy Bride and Prejudice behind the project.

Rahman received two Academy Awards and a Grammy Award for his music for Slumdog Millionaire. In addition, he has written the scores for the stage musicals Bombay Dreams and Lord of the Rings.

According to PR wire release of January 12, 2011, executive producer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, executive producer and composer A.R. Rahman, and writers Gurinder Chadha & Paul Berges are together this week at DreamWorks Animation's headquarters in Glendale, California to continue their collaboration on the feature project.

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Biography Chronicles Stephen Schwartz's Creative Journey

Defying Gravity Stephen Schwartz biographyThe only Stephen Schwartz biography - paperback and ebook.

Stephen Schwartz is one of those rare talents who has worked in Hollywood and on Broadway as a lyricist and as a composer-lyricist. Read about Schwartz and the creative development of his shows in Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked [opens new browser window]

The photo-filled biography features not only insights into his creative process but also never-before-told stories about the making of Wicked, The Prince of Egypt, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and others.

According to biographer Carol de Giere, Stephen Schwartz is an artist who likes to expand his experiences as a writer. When friend Alan Menken advised him to stick with Disney after several successful films in the early 1990s, Schwartz said, "Well, I've done that already... I tend to ask, 'Okay, I did that, now what's new to do?'" He recently wrote an opera -- both the score and libretto for Seance on a Wet Afternoon. This new Bollywood-styled film Monkeys of Bollywood is a new adventure for him, and one that suits his exploratory nature.

Find out more about this imaginative songwriter in Defying Gravity.