A 'Bob's Burgers' Movie Is In The Works For 2020

Bob's Burgers, the beloved animated sitcom that has enjoyed a strong following since 2011 and recently took home its second Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Series, is heading to the big screen. 20th Century Fox has announced that the Belcher clan, whose pun-friendly dining establishment provides the title of their show, are heading to theaters in 2020.

Mark your calendar: the Bob's Burgers movie will open on July 17, 2020. The news was revealed over on Deadline, where series creator Loren Bouchard offered a typically amusing and wry statement on the whole thing:

We're thrilled to be invited to bring Bob's Burgers to the big screen. We know the movie has to scratch every itch the fans of the show have ever had, but it also has to work for all the good people who've never seen the show. We also know it has to fill every inch of the screen with the colors and the sounds and the ever so slightly greasy texture of the world of Bob's – but most of all it has to take our characters on an epic adventure. In other words, it has to be the best movie ever made. But no pressure, right?!

Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox Film chairman and CEO Stacey Snider offered a typically more straightforward, business-speak perspective on the upcoming film:

A Bob's Burgers film fits perfectly with our initiative to redouble our family and animation efforts. We're grateful to [Fox Television Group chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden] for trusting us with this beloved property and we're so excited to be working with Loren and his team.

Bob's Burgers follows the Belcher family – Bob (H. Jon Benjamin), his wife Linda (John Roberts) and their children Tina (Dan Mintz), Gene (Eugene Mirman), and Louise (Kristen Schaal) – as they attempt to get by selling burgers from their greasy spoon establishment in seaside tourist town. From the beginning, the series has felt like the natural successor to other beloved Fox sitcoms, capturing the humanity of King of the Hill and the anarchic glee of early seasons of The Simpsons. Like those shows, the series quickly grew beyond its core cast, introducing a much larger world filled with lively supporting players. The world of Bob's Burgers feels more alive and detailed than most live-action stories.

But as Bouchard notes in his statement, a movie adaptation will have to be "an epic adventure" and tell a story that demands a much larger canvas. Considering that so many of the shows' charms come from its low-key comedy and offbeat humanity, I don't envy anyone involved in making this transition and allowing Bob's Burgers to feel like Bob's Burgers on the big screen. They have their work cut out for them. No director or writer has been announced at this time.

Bob's Burgers season 8 premiered this past Sunday.