Walden Media has gained the rights to Tortoise and Hippo, which will be written by Shrek co-writer Roger S.H. Schulman, reports Variety [registration required], via Coming Soon. The film, to be a blend of live action and photo-real CGI animation, is the brainchild of Relevant Entertainment’s Mike Menchel, who thought of the idea after his daughter showed him a picture [click “More” to view] of the close bond between a 100-year-old tortoise and a baby hippo that was rescued from the Indian Ocean following last December’s tsunami. Hence, Tortoise and Hippo is described as, “the unlikely bonding tale of a cranky old tortoise in India who at first tolerates the baby hippo because it is a chick magnet, but develops patriarchal feelings and takes the baby on a dangerous journey home to Africa.”

*Image courtesy of Industry 411.