Disney+ Released a New Trailer of an Animated Film based on the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” Series 

By: Samantha Bravo

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” made its debut almost 15 years ago. The book sold over 250 million copies, was made into four film adaptations, and remains a popular book and series. Now, there will be a new movie that will be coming to us this holiday season!

In 2020, Disney + officially announced that they will be streaming a fifth configuration of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” franchise which is based on the popular book series.This reboot will specifically be based on the first book of the series that was published in 2007, and the first movie which was released in 2010 and starred Zachary Gordon.

The film is directed by Swinton Scott who is known for his work on “The Simpsons” and four episodes of “Futurama.” It is also written and produced by Jeff Kinney who happens to be the author of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book series. 

“I really love screenwriting and it took me a long time to get good at it, maybe about seven years,” Kinney said. “I learned a lot while being on set and being in all of those producer meetings, so when the opportunity came up, I was ready, and it was really fun.” 

The movie will also be streaming on December 3^rd, 2021. The first trailer for the film was released on October 19^th, 2021. 

Unlike the previous “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movies, which were live action films, this movie will have 3D-animation along with a few 2D sequences. To add to the nostalgia, the animation style will pay a tribute to the illustrations of the book series. 

Kinney has stated that if “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” has additional film adaptations, it is unlikely they will be live-action films. 

“The project started off years ago with the idea that we’d create a holiday special for Fox,” he said during an interview with the Boston Globe in May of 2020. “But the entertainment world has completely transformed since then, and a streaming platform seems ideal for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, thus an upcoming animated Disney + original series based on the book series of the same name.” 

According to IMDB, the cast will include Brady Noon ( “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers”) as Greg Heffley, Ethan William Childress (“Mixed-ish”) as Rowley Jefferson, Christian Convery (“Descendants 3”) as Fregly, and Chris Diamantopoulos (“Silicon Valley”) as Frank Heffley. 

Greg’s mother, Susan Heffley, his adorable but mischievous younger brother, Manny Heffley, and his mean-spirited older brother, Rodrick Heffley, will also be featured in the movie, but it hasn’t been announced who their voice actors are going to be. It is also unclear if some other notable side characters such as Patty Ferell and Chirag Gupta will also be a part of the film. 

Like in the first book of the series and the 2010 film, the story will focus on its protagonist, Greg Heffley who is a “skinny ambitious kid with an active imagination” and has dreams of being “rich and famous,” but first he must go through the struggles of middle school. Through this experience, he will also learn the meaning of true friendship and learn to stand up for what is right. 

Based on what was seen in the trailer, the film will include a few significant plot points such as the Halloween incident, the Zoo-Wee-Mama cartoon and, of course, the infamous cheese touch. 

“The film feels like the book comes to life, and it’s exciting to see Greg Heffley and his family and friends in their fully-animated glory,” Kinney said. “Working on this movie, I feel like we have been sitting in a wonderful secret. I can’t wait to finally share it with the world.”