Following in the footsteps of Sony brethren Ratchet and Clank, everyone's favorite platforming raccoon, Sly Cooper , will be getting his own feature film, headed to theaters in early 2016. The production reunites animation studio Rainmaker Entertainment with independent production company Blockade Entertainment. Take a look at the very first teaser trailer from the film below:

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Based on the popular series of Sony video games, Sly Cooper brings its hero from 2D gaming into the realm of 3D CG animation. As you might expect, Sly Cooper is a heist film that will feature other popular characters from the games: Bentley Turtle and Murray Hippo.

"The film will stay true to the franchise, though it will not be a complete origin story,” says David Wohl, VP of Development and a producer on Sly Cooper. "In the film, Sly and his buddies are already together, though they are far from being great at what they do.Here is the official story synopsis: "Sly Cooper is a kinetic and comedic heist film that tells the story of Sly Cooper, an orphaned raccoon thief, along with his childhood friends and partners in crime, Bentley Turtle and Murray Hippo. In the film, Sly learns of his birth family’s secret legacy; that he comes from a long line of talented and international thieves. Endowed with this knowledge, Sly and his friends are catapulted into a global adventure as they race to reassemble pieces of an ancient book holding The Cooper Clan’s family secrets before it can fall into the hands of Clockwerk – an evil Russian metallic owl bent on ending the Cooper family line. From romantic Parisian backdrops to the lush mountains of China, gritty film noir meets bright, colorful graphic novels in this origin story of the world’s greatest thief-turned-hero."

"We are working very closely with both Sony and Sucker Punch to make sure we are staying true to the franchise," says Brad Foxhoven, the film's producer and CEO of Blockade Entertainment. "Since we were altering the look of the characters and world into pure CG, it was important to keep them in the process. This included the script, the characters, models, and the cast. Of course we were nervous about the results, and breathed a massive sigh of relief when they gave their approval. Now we just have to wait for the fans…"

Will any voice actors from the game make their way into the movie? "We are exploring that now," Wohl says. "The film will be a mix between those actors from the game, and various other talent who we can have fun with bringing into the franchise."Foxhoven was mum on whether this will coincide with a fifth Sly game, stating, "What Sony decides to do with Sly, we cannot comment on. We would only hope that we get a few free copies of it."

The move from 2D to 3D is sure to be significant for Sly fans, but Foxhoven explains the move. "Going this path was a bold leap, but one we felt was appropriate for the theatrical process. The global film market leans towards pure CG-animated films. As much as we all loved the cel-shaded look of the game, we collectively felt it would not hold up on the big screen. Though we believe we managed to keep a lot of the feel of the game even in the film. Thankfully, Sony and Sucker Punch were supportive and agreed!"Blockade Entertainment has already worked on CG films Heavenly Sword and Ratchet and Clank, also Sony properties. Foxhoven believes those films have taught them lessons in how they approach Sly Cooper. "For us, the production pipeline is getting better and better. Together with Rainmaker, we are much more efficient, allowing us to put even more time into the actual animation and story. The biggest lesson we continue to support is including the creators/developers into the process. This gives legitimacy to the film, and also makes sure we remain true to the characters.Now that with this being our third film, we are showing the path we intend to take with these game franchises as a whole. Ultimately, respecting the property and what fans love the most about them."

Chris Carle is Entertainment Editorial Director at IGN. Follow him on Twitter , where you will see things written about various cereals, '90s songs and most likely, Mountain Dew.