Director Peter Lepeniotis has landed a solid voice cast for his upcoming animated feature, The Nut Job. Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy), Will Arnett (Arrested Development) and Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) are among the actors that will lend their voices to characters in the film. The Nut Job will be based on Lepeniotis' 2005 short film, Surly Squirrel. Disney veteran Lorne Cameron (Over the Hedge) scripted the film, "an action-packed comedy set in the late 1950s in fictional Oakton [that] follows the travails of the mischievous squirrel Surly and his rat pal Buddy as they plan a nut store heist that gets out of hand." Hit the jump to see who else is joining the picture's voice cast and to check out Surly Squirrel. 

Deadline reports that Stephen Lang (Avatar), Sarah Gadon (A Dangerous Mind), and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham will also be doing vocal work for The Nut Job. Regarding the voice cast, ToonBox VP Thom Chapman had the following to say:

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the cast that’s being assembled for our first feature. They have brought the film to a whole new level. Each voice is perfect for their respective roles, and they truly make the characters come alive.”

Director Lepeniotis previously worked as an animator on Toy Story 2 and in Visual Effects on Casper, among other films, but this will be his debut directorial effort for a feature. The co-production between Canada-based ToonBox Entertainment and Korea-based Redrover Co, Ltd. is expected to be released next year. Check out Surly Squirrel below, followed by the first poster for The Nut Job:

the-nut-job-poster