Jeff Kinney, the creator of the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, continues to grow his franchise’s animated universe. Since the first book’s release in 2007, Kinney has published 20 main series titles and reached a milestone of 300 million copies sold worldwide this year.

The success of the books led to several adaptations, including four live-action films. In 2021, Disney+ launched a new series of computer-animated Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies. The latest entry, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, premiered last week and is the fourth animated film produced by Bardel Entertainment in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Kinney, who has written the scripts for all four animated films, described the process of bringing the series into animation. He noted that the holiday-themed films aim to become lasting favorites, similar to classic specials like Peanuts and The Grinch. “We strive to tell stories that are emotionally resonant, something viewers might want to revisit each year,” Kinney explained.

For The Last Straw, Kinney worked with director Matt Danner, who brought a strong understanding of animation to the project. Kinney highlighted Danner’s focus on making scenes visually engaging and ensuring each moment has a clear rhythm or underlying joke. This approach, Kinney said, has influenced his own writing for animation.

The character of Greg Heffley has always been suited to physical comedy, making him a natural fit for animation. Danner and the Bardel team expanded this comedic style to other characters as well. Kinney shared an example where a gym scene between Greg and his father, Frank, was enhanced with humorous visual elements that were not in the original script, demonstrating the unique storytelling opportunities animation provides.

Kinney also discussed the challenges and rewards of adapting his simple line drawings into 3D animation. He praised Bardel’s skilled team for creating detailed and visually rich scenes, even with a budget smaller than major studios like Pixar. Kinney described the excitement of seeing a brief script direction, such as “EXT. SNOWY NEIGHBORHOOD – DAY,” transformed into a fully realized animated environment.

Looking ahead, Kinney hopes to continue expanding the Wimpy Kid animated universe. He envisions future films that take the Heffley family into new settings, adding depth to the series and building a larger library of stories for audiences to enjoy in the years to come.

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