Abrams to Publish Special Edition of Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book for Disney+ Movie

NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams Children's Books, announced today the movie tie-in edition of the children's book that started a worldwide publishing phenomena—Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney—will coincide with the release of the forthcoming Disney+ animated movie this holiday season. Now, for the first time, fans will see Greg Heffley and Rowley Jefferson reimagined as animated characters on the all-new book cover. Releasing in hardcover, Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Special Disney+ Cover Edition) will be published in 16 countries across the world on November 23, 2021.

The first book in Jeff Kinney's worldwide bestselling series comes to Disney+ in the all-new animated adventure Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Greg Heffley is a scrawny but ambitious kid with an active imagination and big plans to be rich and famous—he just has to survive middle school first. To make matters worse, Greg's lovable best friend, Rowley, seems to coast through life and succeed at everything without even trying! As details of his hilarious—and often disastrous—attempts to fit in fill the pages of his journal, Greg learns to appreciate true friends and the satisfaction that comes from standing up for what is right. Directed by Swinton Scott (Futurama) and written and produced by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid features the voices of Brady Noon (The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers), Ethan William Childress (Mixed-ish) and Chris Diamantopoulos (Mickey Mouse). The movie will premiere on Disney+ on December 3, 2021.

"I'm so excited for the Disney+ film to introduce a new generation of kids to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series," said Kinney. "I think it's so fun to see Greg and Rowley in their fully animated glory, and I can't wait for fans to see the Wimpy world in a whole new way!"

For even more Wimpy Kid fun, the newest title in the series Big Shot (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 16) will be published in 28 countries across the world on October 26, 2021, and will be supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign. Kinney will embark on "The Big Shot Drive-Thru Tour," an innovative series of socially distanced drive-thru events that bring the Big Shot story to life for fans and their families throughout the Southeast. The Big Shot campaign will also include partnerships with social media influencers, national advertising, dynamic digital content, and promotions targeting teachers and librarians.

"Our release of the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid book with the movie tie-in cover is cause for celebration for fans of the series—both new and old," said Michael Jacobs, president and CEO of ABRAMS. "Almost 15 years ago, the first book launched the Wimpy Kid phenomena and helped make Diary of a Wimpy Kid into one of the bestselling middle-grade series of all time. Tens of millions of kids around the world became readers because of Greg Heffley's adventures, and now, millions more will get to know the books from the Disney+ movie. With Big Shot set to release in October, it's going to be a super Wimpy season!"

Jeff Kinney is one of the world's bestselling authors; Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are published in 79 editions in 65 languages and have sold more than 250 million copies globally in just 14 years. Published in 2007, the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was an instant bestseller and has remained on the New York Times bestseller list since its publication and through the release of the fifteenth book and three-book spin-off Awesome Friendly Kid series, for more than 789 weeks total. The series is also a fixture on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and IndieBound bestseller lists and is one of the top five bestselling book series—adult and kids—of all time.

About the Author
Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six-time Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award winner for Favorite Book and has been named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C. area and moved to New England, where he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.

About ABRAMS
Founded in 1949, ABRAMS was the first company in the United States to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books. The company continues to publish critically acclaimed and bestselling works in the areas of art, photography, cooking, craft, comics, interior and garden design, entertainment, fashion, and popular culture as well as narrative nonfiction and new works of fiction for adults; children's books ranging from middle grade to young adult fiction to picture books to board books. ABRAMS creates and distributes brilliantly designed books with the highest production values under the following imprints: Abrams; Abrams ComicArts; Megascope; Surely Books; Abrams Image; Abrams Press; The Overlook Press; Cernunnos; Cameron + Company; Abrams Books for Young Readers; Amulet Books; Abrams Appleseed; and Magic Cat. ABRAMS also distributes books for Booth-Clibborn Editions, Alain Ducasse Édition, Èditions de La Martiniére, Editions BPI, Global Golf Group, Lucky Spool, Milky Way Picture Books, The Museum of Modern Art, SelfMadeHero, Tate Publishing, V&A Publishing, and The Vendome Press.

Follow along online: @WimpyKid • WimpyKid.com • #wimpykid

Contacts: Mary Marolla, Publicist, 603-249-6682, [email protected]
Hallie Patterson, Publicity Director, 212-229-8823, [email protected]

SOURCE ABRAMS