Waltz with Bashir Filmmaker Ari Folman to Make Anne Frank Cartoon

Israeli filmmaker director Ari Folman will direct an animated movie based on the life of Anne Frank.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Folman, who is best known for directing Waltz with Bashir, will bring the Holocaust heroine's story to life with a cartoon based on her famous diary.

During the German occupation of Amsterdam, Frank and her family, who were Jewish, lived in hiding in concealed rooms in an apartment building for two years before they were betrayed and transported to concentration camps. Only the father, Otto, survived.

Folman is said to have negotiated the rights for worldwide release of the movie with producer Diane Elbaum after getting the blessing of Anne Frank's family.

The filmmakers have been granted complete access to the entire archive of the Anne Frank Fonds charitable trust founded by Anne's father in Basel.

"Bringing the Anne Frank Diary to all screens is a fantastic opportunity and challenge," Folman, whose own parents survived the Holocaust, said. "There is a real need for new artistic material to keep the memory alive for younger generations."

The project will be co-produced by Purple Whale Films and Belgian band Entre Chien et Loup. Production is due to begin next winter.

Folman will be hoping to emulate the success of his 2008 film Waltz with Bashir which was critically acclaimed and won an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.