13 Nov – Before there were Lego minifigures, there were Playmobil figurines. However, modern kids around the globe seem to be more aware of the former than the latter, especially after Lego's release of its very own "The Lego Movie". Playmobil looks to rectify the matter by coming up with its own toy-starred feature film, Variety reports. Paris-based ON Entertainment is partnering up with Wild Bunch and Pathe on a USD80 million animated film based on the German toy. Though yet to be named, it is confirmed that Bob Persichetti, who worked as head of story on "Monsters vs. Aliens," "Shrek 2" and "Puss in Boots", will be leading the project. Playmobil was created in 1974 by Hans Beck, with over 2.7 billion figurines sold worldwide since. It also has 30 play worlds to choose from, so filmmakers will have a lot of material to work with in making the animated film come alive. The Playmobil film is expected to hit cinemas worldwide at the end of 2017. In that same year, Danish rival Lego will also be releasing its Lego Batman movie and possibly "The Lego Movie 2".