Kidscreen shared this week that London-based GFM Animation is adding two new feature films to its slate, and they both center around adventures in the wild. 

First up is Ozi: Voice of the Forest (pictured), which GFM is distributing worldwide on behalf of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way and Adam Stanhope’s GCI Film. This CG-animated family pic is premiering at this month’s Cannes Film Festival, and it will also screen at Annecy in June. It’s about an adventurous orangutan whose life is upended when her rainforest home is destroyed and she gets separated from her parents. After being rescued by a local sanctuary, the young ape learns sign language, develops an online following on social media, and uses it to find her parents and raise awareness about the environment. 

GFM has also partnered with Larry Kasanoff’s Threshold Entertainment and Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment to develop X Factor in the Jungle. Long-time Disney director Kirk Wise (Beauty & The Beast, Hunchback of Notre Dame) is on tap to direct this CG-animated feature, with Sean Catherine Derek (Batman: the Animated Series, Smurfs) writing the scripts. Pre-production begins this year, and GFM will distribute the film in 2026. Its premise kicks off when a karaoke machine falls overboard and washes up in the jungle. A mouse, a rhino and a jaguar use it to stage an impromptu sing-off, attracting an audience of animals who also want to get in on the open-mic action, which leads to a special jungle edition of the iconic TV talent competition.

More info on Ozi, Voice of the Forest here.