While here in America, Fox’s Blue Sky Studios generally ranks as barely an after thought for most people behind Pixar and Dreamworks, the Ice Age series is a colossal moneymaker oversees. When it hit theaters, the third Ice Age set a global box office record for biggest opening gross for an animated film. I presume the film’s widespread popularity has to do with the universal appeal of speechless slapstick (ie, Scrat, the beleaguered rodent thing). Vulture is reporting that Blue Sky director, Carlos Saldanha, whose upcoming parrot romp, Rio, hits theaters this year, has lined up his next project. Seems that Fox Animation Studios has picked up the rights to Munro Leaf’s classic 1936 children’s book, The Story of Ferdinand, about a flower-loving pacifist bull farcically tossed into bullfighting after being attacked by a bee. Leaf’s book celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

Despite making his feature debut at the ripe old age of 75, Ferdinand has already strolled his way to Oscar gold. Disney produced an Oscar-winning short adaptation (much beloved by me) in 1938. While the Blue Sky’s films are charming, kid-friendly fair, and usually with a few inspired moments (I do think Scrat is a worthy successor to Wile E Coyote), Horton Hears A Who! was their only film that really came close to being something. So, the question is, will Saldanha be able to best this…