Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to the family adventure animation film Butterfly Tale from sales company Pink Parrot. Its voice cast features Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, She-Hulk), Mena Massoud (Aladdin, Star Wars: Ahsoka) and Tristan D. Lalla (Long Shot).
Butterfly Tale tells the story of Patrick (voiced by Massoud), “a gutsy and loveable, yet inept one-winged butterfly, who stows away in a milkweed trailer in order to be part of the migration journey of a lifetime,” according to a plot description. “Along with his best friend, a goofy caterpillar named Marty, and Jennifer (Maslany), a butterfly who is afraid of heights, Patrick will become an unlikely hero.”
The movie, produced by Marie-Claude Beauchamp (The Legend of Sarila) and Emely Christians (All Creatures Big and Small), was directed by Sophie Roy (Double Dribble) from a script written by Heidi Foss (Pup Academy) and Lienne Sawatsky (The Guava Juice Show...
Butterfly Tale tells the story of Patrick (voiced by Massoud), “a gutsy and loveable, yet inept one-winged butterfly, who stows away in a milkweed trailer in order to be part of the migration journey of a lifetime,” according to a plot description. “Along with his best friend, a goofy caterpillar named Marty, and Jennifer (Maslany), a butterfly who is afraid of heights, Patrick will become an unlikely hero.”
The movie, produced by Marie-Claude Beauchamp (The Legend of Sarila) and Emely Christians (All Creatures Big and Small), was directed by Sophie Roy (Double Dribble) from a script written by Heidi Foss (Pup Academy) and Lienne Sawatsky (The Guava Juice Show...
- 2/19/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pink Parrot Media, the Montreal and Madrid-based international sales house, has revealed a flurry of deals for the German-Canadian CG animated fantasy feature “Elli and Her Monster Team!,” which is making its market premiere at the EFM.
Underlining the appetite for toon family features by European distributors, the film has been sold to Just Entertainment in Benelux, Bim Distribuzione in Italy, Nos Lusomundo in Portugal, Flins&Piniculas in Spain and Gpi for Baltics.
“Elli” has also been acquired by Pro Films in Bulgaria, Rocket Releasing for Cis, Forum (Czech Republic/Slovak), McF Megacom Film (Former Yugoslavia), Cinetel (Hungary), Forum for Poland, Romania and Israel, and Front Row in the Middle East.
In addition, Wild Bunch in Germany and Level Film and Maison 4:3 in Canada plan a “Elli and her Monster Team!” release by June.
Recently completed, the feature was directed by Jesper Møller (“Asterix and the Vikings”) and Piet de Rycker...
Underlining the appetite for toon family features by European distributors, the film has been sold to Just Entertainment in Benelux, Bim Distribuzione in Italy, Nos Lusomundo in Portugal, Flins&Piniculas in Spain and Gpi for Baltics.
“Elli” has also been acquired by Pro Films in Bulgaria, Rocket Releasing for Cis, Forum (Czech Republic/Slovak), McF Megacom Film (Former Yugoslavia), Cinetel (Hungary), Forum for Poland, Romania and Israel, and Front Row in the Middle East.
In addition, Wild Bunch in Germany and Level Film and Maison 4:3 in Canada plan a “Elli and her Monster Team!” release by June.
Recently completed, the feature was directed by Jesper Møller (“Asterix and the Vikings”) and Piet de Rycker...
- 2/16/2024
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Pink Parrot Media has secured a ScreenX format release for the 3D animated family feature Butterfly Tale, which is voiced by Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany and Mena Massoud (Aladdin).
Korea’s Cj 4Dplex and Canadian producer Carpe Diem partnered to show the animated feature in the 270-degree panoramic ScreenX format in North America and internationally. The producers insist Butterfly Tale is the first 3D animated feature to be made in the ScreenX format from the pre-production stage.
Director Sophie Roy said challenges in making an animated ScreenX film included camera work and lighting. “Keeping the horizon equal throughout the three screens when the camera tilts was especially difficult and matching the light direction on all three screens took some serious work to make it all look seamless, a real challenge, but the results exceeded our expectations,” Roy said in a statement.
ScreenX is a multi-projection theater technology developed in...
Korea’s Cj 4Dplex and Canadian producer Carpe Diem partnered to show the animated feature in the 270-degree panoramic ScreenX format in North America and internationally. The producers insist Butterfly Tale is the first 3D animated feature to be made in the ScreenX format from the pre-production stage.
Director Sophie Roy said challenges in making an animated ScreenX film included camera work and lighting. “Keeping the horizon equal throughout the three screens when the camera tilts was especially difficult and matching the light direction on all three screens took some serious work to make it all look seamless, a real challenge, but the results exceeded our expectations,” Roy said in a statement.
ScreenX is a multi-projection theater technology developed in...
- 9/8/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Distributor Pink Parrot Media has taken worldwide sales on a pair of 3D animated comedies.
The Canadian/Spanish sales company is shopping Norbert and The Bottanix at Cannes this week.
Written and directed by José Corral, Norbert spotlights an incompetent spy from a sad, bureaucratic and grey nation. Despite his total uselessness, Norbert will become a key player to thwart the plans of his own government, in an exciting quest that will see him travel alongside strange companions. The feature comes from Ozzy producer Captain Araña.
Meanwhile, The Bottanix from Carpediem Film & TV follows Daphnée and Merlin as they go to see their eccentric great-grandmother Greta for her 100th birthday. Left at home by their parents, looking for a last-minute gift, the siblings discover that Greta is being manipulated by crooks who want to send her to a retirement home and steal her belongings. Pic is written by Marie-France Landry,...
The Canadian/Spanish sales company is shopping Norbert and The Bottanix at Cannes this week.
Written and directed by José Corral, Norbert spotlights an incompetent spy from a sad, bureaucratic and grey nation. Despite his total uselessness, Norbert will become a key player to thwart the plans of his own government, in an exciting quest that will see him travel alongside strange companions. The feature comes from Ozzy producer Captain Araña.
Meanwhile, The Bottanix from Carpediem Film & TV follows Daphnée and Merlin as they go to see their eccentric great-grandmother Greta for her 100th birthday. Left at home by their parents, looking for a last-minute gift, the siblings discover that Greta is being manipulated by crooks who want to send her to a retirement home and steal her belongings. Pic is written by Marie-France Landry,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Film from ‘The Amazing Maurice’ producers Cantilever Productions.
International sales firm Pink Parrot Media has secured key sales on animated musical comedy Unstable, including a US distribution deal with Viva Pictures.
The film has also sold to Cis and Baltics (Volga), Scandinavia (Mis Label), Bulgaria (Pro Films), Romania (Idea Films), Spain (Flins y Piniculas), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Poland (Monolith), Middle East (Front Row), former Yugoslavia (Blitz) and Ukraine and Baltics (Adastra Cinema).
Unstable follows a disillusioned police horse who undergoes a dramatic makeover and seeks justice with a new friend, 7-year-old dressage enthusiast Luna. Directed by Benoit Godbout and co-written...
International sales firm Pink Parrot Media has secured key sales on animated musical comedy Unstable, including a US distribution deal with Viva Pictures.
The film has also sold to Cis and Baltics (Volga), Scandinavia (Mis Label), Bulgaria (Pro Films), Romania (Idea Films), Spain (Flins y Piniculas), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Poland (Monolith), Middle East (Front Row), former Yugoslavia (Blitz) and Ukraine and Baltics (Adastra Cinema).
Unstable follows a disillusioned police horse who undergoes a dramatic makeover and seeks justice with a new friend, 7-year-old dressage enthusiast Luna. Directed by Benoit Godbout and co-written...
- 5/20/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Juno-winning and Grammy-nominated Canadian pop singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes’ original song “Something Big” will feature on the soundtrack of upcoming 3D animated family feature, “Butterfly Tale.”
Montreal and Madrid-based international sales and distribution company Pink Parrot Media will represent the film at the upcoming Cannes film market.
“Butterfly Tale” is set along the diverse, picturesque, and ever-changing backdrop of the great Monarch butterfly migration. It tells the tale of Patrick, a gutsy and loveable yet inept, one-winged butterfly who stows away in a milkweed trailer in order to be part of the journey of a lifetime. With his best friend, a goofy caterpillar named Marty, and Jennifer, a butterfly who is afraid of heights, Patrick becomes an unlikely hero. But first, he must face his fear, embrace his uniqueness and triumph over adversity while battling changing weather patterns, humans and three evil birds bent on revenge.
Directed by first-time film director Sophie Roy,...
Montreal and Madrid-based international sales and distribution company Pink Parrot Media will represent the film at the upcoming Cannes film market.
“Butterfly Tale” is set along the diverse, picturesque, and ever-changing backdrop of the great Monarch butterfly migration. It tells the tale of Patrick, a gutsy and loveable yet inept, one-winged butterfly who stows away in a milkweed trailer in order to be part of the journey of a lifetime. With his best friend, a goofy caterpillar named Marty, and Jennifer, a butterfly who is afraid of heights, Patrick becomes an unlikely hero. But first, he must face his fear, embrace his uniqueness and triumph over adversity while battling changing weather patterns, humans and three evil birds bent on revenge.
Directed by first-time film director Sophie Roy,...
- 5/12/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The China UniCreative Culture Industry Group and Canada’s CarpeDiem Film & TV are allying for the development, production, financing and the exploitation of animated IPs for the Chinese and international markets.
Pink Parrot Media will handle international sales outside China while China UniCreative Culture Industry Group (Cuc) will oversee distribution in China.
Over the next 12 months, Cuc and CarpeDiem will establish the content for their portfolio of IPs, to be produced for theatrical and/or television distribution. “The goal is to expand the IPs and develop them into a full 360 brands which will include theme parks and all derivative products,” the partners said in a written statement.
Created in 2004 by Marie-Claude Beauchamp, CarpeDiem Film & TV produced Jean-Francois Pouliot’s “Snowtime!”, an animated adaptation of the French-Canadian family film “The Dog Who Stopped the War,” which made splash, playing at the 2015’s Sundance Festival’s Sundance Kids. CarpeDiem’s latest animated feature,...
Pink Parrot Media will handle international sales outside China while China UniCreative Culture Industry Group (Cuc) will oversee distribution in China.
Over the next 12 months, Cuc and CarpeDiem will establish the content for their portfolio of IPs, to be produced for theatrical and/or television distribution. “The goal is to expand the IPs and develop them into a full 360 brands which will include theme parks and all derivative products,” the partners said in a written statement.
Created in 2004 by Marie-Claude Beauchamp, CarpeDiem Film & TV produced Jean-Francois Pouliot’s “Snowtime!”, an animated adaptation of the French-Canadian family film “The Dog Who Stopped the War,” which made splash, playing at the 2015’s Sundance Festival’s Sundance Kids. CarpeDiem’s latest animated feature,...
- 5/17/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The project is based on the best-selling children’s book by Klaus Baumgart.
Marie Claude Beauchamp and Tania Pinto Da Cunha’s Montreal and Madrid-based Pink Parrot has picked up international rights Piet de Rycker and Jesper Møller’s 3D animated fantasy Elli, about a lonely ghost in search of a family.
Pink Parrot is also backing the project which is based on the best-selling children’s book by Klaus Baumgart.
The €15m project is being put together as a German-Belgian-Canadian co-production between Zooper Film (Germany), Grid Animation (Belgium), and Carpediem Film & TV (Canada) and is being produced by Lilian Klages,...
Marie Claude Beauchamp and Tania Pinto Da Cunha’s Montreal and Madrid-based Pink Parrot has picked up international rights Piet de Rycker and Jesper Møller’s 3D animated fantasy Elli, about a lonely ghost in search of a family.
Pink Parrot is also backing the project which is based on the best-selling children’s book by Klaus Baumgart.
The €15m project is being put together as a German-Belgian-Canadian co-production between Zooper Film (Germany), Grid Animation (Belgium), and Carpediem Film & TV (Canada) and is being produced by Lilian Klages,...
- 5/17/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
New international distribution house Pink Parrot Media has picked up worldwide sales rights to animated feature “Butterfly Tale,” co-produced by Canada’s CarpeDiem (“Snowtime!”) and Germany’s Ulysses (“Ooops! Noah Is Gone”).
Produced by Marie-Claude Beauchamp and Sophie Roy at CarpeDiem, and Ulysses’ Emely Christians, the animated project will be completed by late 2020. It follows two mismatched young butterfly foes that develop an unlikely friendship.
The Montreal- and Madrid-based sales house was launched last fall by Beauchamp, who is also CarpeDiem founder. Sales executive Tania Pinto Da Cunha joined the company in January as vice president.
Pink Parrot aims to bring to the international market its executives’ expertise and knowledge of family entertainment, primarily focusing on handling CGI toon features.
Another project on Pink Parrot’s Cannes lineup is “What a Circus!”, a crazy animal-based family toon feature produced by France’s Label Anim, scheduled to be completed early 2021. According to Da Cunha,...
Produced by Marie-Claude Beauchamp and Sophie Roy at CarpeDiem, and Ulysses’ Emely Christians, the animated project will be completed by late 2020. It follows two mismatched young butterfly foes that develop an unlikely friendship.
The Montreal- and Madrid-based sales house was launched last fall by Beauchamp, who is also CarpeDiem founder. Sales executive Tania Pinto Da Cunha joined the company in January as vice president.
Pink Parrot aims to bring to the international market its executives’ expertise and knowledge of family entertainment, primarily focusing on handling CGI toon features.
Another project on Pink Parrot’s Cannes lineup is “What a Circus!”, a crazy animal-based family toon feature produced by France’s Label Anim, scheduled to be completed early 2021. According to Da Cunha,...
- 5/13/2018
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Wishing to entice audiences of all ages and backgrounds, the majority of animated features produced by American studios deal with larger than life adventures where stakes are high and reality give in to fantasy. Characters are almost always charged with a dangerous mission that often involves saving the planet from destruction or rescuing a loved one from the forces of evil. But what is often ignored is the entertainment value in stories that are relatable and closer to reality, while still being exciting and prime material for animation.
Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson's Canadian animated feature "Snowtime!,” which premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival effectively delivers a story about children engaging in fun activities that are captivating in their own right, such as a fun snow fight with a group of friends, and simultaneously touches on emotionally complex subject that can evolve into conversation topics between parents and children. Based on a classic live-action Canadian film, scored with songs by some of the country’s biggest musical stars, and dealing with a young boy overcoming grief through playtime, “Snowtime1” is an endearing and humanistic alternative to the ceaselessly voracious tent-poles.
Producer Marie-Claude Beauchamp and co-director Francois Brisson talk about making an Canadian animated feature based on a local classic and how this new iteration is turning the characters into a global sensation.
Carlos Aguilar: Something that's fascinating about the film is that is a story that allows children to be children and doesn't place them in situations beyond their age. It's still an exciting adventure but it doesn't involved high stakes missions or otherworldly powers. Was that something that you were interested in showcasing in the film?
Marie-Claude Beauchamp: The film is a remake of a film that was produced 30 years ago. It was originally a live action film. The genuine value, and probably the overall feeling of those kids being real kids, resonates because they were once real kids. But when we adapted it for animation we kept some of that charming reality of children. It was important to us that the children were living things from their point of view, that it was real to them. So when kids look at this film, and this why the film had a huge impact then and I believe still today, they can see themselves in these characters. There are not just cartoons representing things that are out of their reach but are cartoons representing things that are so close to them in terms of subjects, feelings, and emotions.
CA: François, what inspired you to get involved in the film? Did you also have a personal connection to the original version or did you see it as a challenge on a professional level?
Francois Brisson: This is a very classic film made here in Canada in 1985. It’s a huge classic for us here in Quebec, so to be approached to be a co-director in the film was for me a great opportunity and a great challenge at the same time. We needed to tell the story, keep it universal, and also keep all of its charm, the great storylines, and the tragedy that happens in the film. This was a great chance for me to work on doing that. We worked so hard to respect this classic tale and bring it to the 21st century.
McB: Yes, that was an interesting challenge, to find ways to tell the story that children of today would understand. Obviously we’ve changed as a society, here and everywhere around the planet, in the last 30 years, so we had to adapt the film to today’s point of view. It was not a direct transmission of the original, it was instead a real adaptation
Fb: What was also great about is that, for example, when we went to Sundance the reception that we got at the screening was the same as the one we got here in Quebec. We were able to reach the same emotions in different audiences.
McB: Even people who knew nothing about the original film. That was quite a surprise to realize that what we knew could resonate here, also resonated with American audiences.
CA: Stylistically, the character design is unique in comparison to most CG animated features in the the U.S. Where this is specific aesthetic come from and what was the reasoning behind it?
Fb: It came from the art director Philippe Arsenault Bussieres, he’s been illustrating children’s books for a long time and he has a very strong style, which kind of resembles stop-motion puppets in some ways. We tried to keep that in mind and we also focused on the texture of the characters. They feel very organic, you can see the texture sketchiness of the etchings in the characters like in the wool that you see on the characters hats and clothing. Also, what I often see in other animated films from major studios is that they animated the same way, so we tried to stay way from that. We tried to go back to the roots of the old classics like Bugs Bunny in some ways and also stop-motion. The kids in the film are all wearing these big heavy suits, so they can’t move the same way as if they were running with shorts and t-shirts , so all that needed to be understood by all the animators.
McB: Graphically the challenge that we had was to make the cold feel warm because the story takes place mostly outside and we didn’t want people not to relate to that situation, so the way that the art director approached the drawings gave it a warm feeling. We didn’t want it to look real, because I find it that sometimes real 3D looks a bit creepy [Laughs], so we wanted to stay closer to cartoons or closer to 2D. Yet again, it is in 3D and the volumes of the characters are real, but we had the softness and tenderness that can come out of 2D thanks to the design.
CA: War and death as themes are treated in a delicate manner while not shying away from their significance. Were you concerned at all about including these elements in a film aimed at a young audience or did you feel children would be receptive to them?
McB: I would not treat this lightly that’s for sure. We were very concerned about how we would approach that. In the original live action film the dog dies and the reference to Luke’s life is regarding his grandfather who died in the war. Because nowadays grandfather’s in a war, timing-wise, might not be a reference that children can relate to much, we thought that reference could be more relatable if it was his father. We brought it closer to the drama part. We also brought it closer because we wanted for Luke’s character to find himself and to make peace with his own sorrow. We also wanted him to overcome the death of his father once and for all now that he has lived it in his own way. The subject is there and we strongly believe that children need and want to experiment fear as success of all the fantastic films has shown. They need to deal with fear and sorrow. I was raised on “Dumbo” and “Bambi,” and when my own pet died I knew more about how to deal with it because I experienced in my own way and I had shared it with my parents. We are believers that films can serve for children to experiment emotions just the way that we go into films and experiment emotions. Emotion is good.
CA: The music in the film was created by famous Canadian musicians like Celine Dion and popular band Simple Plan. How did these collaboration come about?
McB: We have a lot of good talent in Canada that are known around the world. This film is a prestigious film for the Canadian industry because we don’t produced very large independent budgets, so when singers and great artist saw the opportunity for them to support the film they joined into the proposal. They felt a relationship to the story, particularly this one being one that they also cherished when they were kids. Celine Dion saw the film when she was young and Simple Plan saw the film when their were young as well. Celine relates also to this film through her children because she’s shown it to all of her family. There is a sense of belonging and a sense of support, we are so proud and very happy of these collaborations.
CA: What would you say is the state of independent animation in Canada today?
McB: It’s an industry that is growing. There is a lot of talent. Independent films are more and more coming together but there are still only a handful of films that have been made in recent years. It’s definitely growing.
CA: François, tell me about working with a co-director like Jean-François and what that mean in terms of division or labor or the decision-making process?
Fb: Jean-Francois was the director and he was more in charge of working with the voice actors, but because it’s a big production we needed many eyes to see everything. He was more in charge of that, and I was in charge of doing the storyboards, checking the design, the layouts, the animation, and so forth. When he was away I was busy doing certain things and vice versa.
McB: It was an amazing amalgam. They really worked hand in hand instead of it being a fiasco, because having two people trying to make the same film can be complicated. But we are very proud of how they managed to work together in such symbiosis
CA: François, you've worked on both 2D and 3D, which one do you prefer or what is the difference between the two as you create your storyboards and then transfer them into animation?
Fb: I’ve been working in 3D animation for a few years now, but my training as a 2D animator is very useful because I can draw anything. Sometimes I feel I'm more capable of storyboard better that way. I’m using a pencil and not a software. Sometimes when you have the software you go too much into detail. You got too much into the technical side of it so you get away from first impressions. When you do a storyboard you need to go very quickly about it to get the feel of the scene or the shot. For me, it’s perfect to do it on pencil or drawing on a tablet. When we transfer that into layouts and the camera aspects,Jean-François makes it a breeze because he knows so much about camera movement. It worked perfectly well. We had not issues.
McB: You will probably notice that the lighting is also very particular. Jean-Francois convinced the team about using a backlight, which is rarely used in animation. It also adds to the feel of closeness to the characters because of the way they are lit.
CA: Given that this is a Canadian production, was the film created in French first and then an English dub was created or what approach did you take?
McB: We always say that we did two original versions of the film, but basically the lip-synch is based on the English version. It’s being release in the United States as an original English version. There was no dubbing for the English-version. The actors you are hearing are the same actors that helped inspire the animators throughout the whole process.
CA: Were the voice actors involved in the film connected personally to the original film prior to partaking in this animated version or did they first have to get acquainted with the material at hand?
McB: We had two stars, Ross Lynch and Sandra Oh. Ross has had a relationship with the original film all of his life, so he had a personal link to it. Sandra Oh, who is Canadian and was raised in Toronto, also had an endearing reference to “Snowtime!” The other actors were all based in Montreal, so they new of the original film and they obviously embraced it. They were all adult actors, we didn't use any children actors.
CA: As "Snowtime!" melts hearts around the world, what is CarpeDiem, planning as a follow up? What are are some of upcoming projects?
McB: Right now we are financing a sequel to “Snowtime!” and we are hoping to start production in the summer. We are also in production of a TV series that follows the first-graders in “Snowtime!,” we call them our Minions [Laughs]. We developed an app, there are records, merchandise in some territories, and three books in publishing, so we definitely developed it as a franchise and will continue doing so. We have also just opened a “Snowtime!” museum exhibition here in Montreal, and it’s a traveling exhibition. We are working with our distributor Shout! to bring it to the United States...
Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson's Canadian animated feature "Snowtime!,” which premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival effectively delivers a story about children engaging in fun activities that are captivating in their own right, such as a fun snow fight with a group of friends, and simultaneously touches on emotionally complex subject that can evolve into conversation topics between parents and children. Based on a classic live-action Canadian film, scored with songs by some of the country’s biggest musical stars, and dealing with a young boy overcoming grief through playtime, “Snowtime1” is an endearing and humanistic alternative to the ceaselessly voracious tent-poles.
Producer Marie-Claude Beauchamp and co-director Francois Brisson talk about making an Canadian animated feature based on a local classic and how this new iteration is turning the characters into a global sensation.
Carlos Aguilar: Something that's fascinating about the film is that is a story that allows children to be children and doesn't place them in situations beyond their age. It's still an exciting adventure but it doesn't involved high stakes missions or otherworldly powers. Was that something that you were interested in showcasing in the film?
Marie-Claude Beauchamp: The film is a remake of a film that was produced 30 years ago. It was originally a live action film. The genuine value, and probably the overall feeling of those kids being real kids, resonates because they were once real kids. But when we adapted it for animation we kept some of that charming reality of children. It was important to us that the children were living things from their point of view, that it was real to them. So when kids look at this film, and this why the film had a huge impact then and I believe still today, they can see themselves in these characters. There are not just cartoons representing things that are out of their reach but are cartoons representing things that are so close to them in terms of subjects, feelings, and emotions.
CA: François, what inspired you to get involved in the film? Did you also have a personal connection to the original version or did you see it as a challenge on a professional level?
Francois Brisson: This is a very classic film made here in Canada in 1985. It’s a huge classic for us here in Quebec, so to be approached to be a co-director in the film was for me a great opportunity and a great challenge at the same time. We needed to tell the story, keep it universal, and also keep all of its charm, the great storylines, and the tragedy that happens in the film. This was a great chance for me to work on doing that. We worked so hard to respect this classic tale and bring it to the 21st century.
McB: Yes, that was an interesting challenge, to find ways to tell the story that children of today would understand. Obviously we’ve changed as a society, here and everywhere around the planet, in the last 30 years, so we had to adapt the film to today’s point of view. It was not a direct transmission of the original, it was instead a real adaptation
Fb: What was also great about is that, for example, when we went to Sundance the reception that we got at the screening was the same as the one we got here in Quebec. We were able to reach the same emotions in different audiences.
McB: Even people who knew nothing about the original film. That was quite a surprise to realize that what we knew could resonate here, also resonated with American audiences.
CA: Stylistically, the character design is unique in comparison to most CG animated features in the the U.S. Where this is specific aesthetic come from and what was the reasoning behind it?
Fb: It came from the art director Philippe Arsenault Bussieres, he’s been illustrating children’s books for a long time and he has a very strong style, which kind of resembles stop-motion puppets in some ways. We tried to keep that in mind and we also focused on the texture of the characters. They feel very organic, you can see the texture sketchiness of the etchings in the characters like in the wool that you see on the characters hats and clothing. Also, what I often see in other animated films from major studios is that they animated the same way, so we tried to stay way from that. We tried to go back to the roots of the old classics like Bugs Bunny in some ways and also stop-motion. The kids in the film are all wearing these big heavy suits, so they can’t move the same way as if they were running with shorts and t-shirts , so all that needed to be understood by all the animators.
McB: Graphically the challenge that we had was to make the cold feel warm because the story takes place mostly outside and we didn’t want people not to relate to that situation, so the way that the art director approached the drawings gave it a warm feeling. We didn’t want it to look real, because I find it that sometimes real 3D looks a bit creepy [Laughs], so we wanted to stay closer to cartoons or closer to 2D. Yet again, it is in 3D and the volumes of the characters are real, but we had the softness and tenderness that can come out of 2D thanks to the design.
CA: War and death as themes are treated in a delicate manner while not shying away from their significance. Were you concerned at all about including these elements in a film aimed at a young audience or did you feel children would be receptive to them?
McB: I would not treat this lightly that’s for sure. We were very concerned about how we would approach that. In the original live action film the dog dies and the reference to Luke’s life is regarding his grandfather who died in the war. Because nowadays grandfather’s in a war, timing-wise, might not be a reference that children can relate to much, we thought that reference could be more relatable if it was his father. We brought it closer to the drama part. We also brought it closer because we wanted for Luke’s character to find himself and to make peace with his own sorrow. We also wanted him to overcome the death of his father once and for all now that he has lived it in his own way. The subject is there and we strongly believe that children need and want to experiment fear as success of all the fantastic films has shown. They need to deal with fear and sorrow. I was raised on “Dumbo” and “Bambi,” and when my own pet died I knew more about how to deal with it because I experienced in my own way and I had shared it with my parents. We are believers that films can serve for children to experiment emotions just the way that we go into films and experiment emotions. Emotion is good.
CA: The music in the film was created by famous Canadian musicians like Celine Dion and popular band Simple Plan. How did these collaboration come about?
McB: We have a lot of good talent in Canada that are known around the world. This film is a prestigious film for the Canadian industry because we don’t produced very large independent budgets, so when singers and great artist saw the opportunity for them to support the film they joined into the proposal. They felt a relationship to the story, particularly this one being one that they also cherished when they were kids. Celine Dion saw the film when she was young and Simple Plan saw the film when their were young as well. Celine relates also to this film through her children because she’s shown it to all of her family. There is a sense of belonging and a sense of support, we are so proud and very happy of these collaborations.
CA: What would you say is the state of independent animation in Canada today?
McB: It’s an industry that is growing. There is a lot of talent. Independent films are more and more coming together but there are still only a handful of films that have been made in recent years. It’s definitely growing.
CA: François, tell me about working with a co-director like Jean-François and what that mean in terms of division or labor or the decision-making process?
Fb: Jean-Francois was the director and he was more in charge of working with the voice actors, but because it’s a big production we needed many eyes to see everything. He was more in charge of that, and I was in charge of doing the storyboards, checking the design, the layouts, the animation, and so forth. When he was away I was busy doing certain things and vice versa.
McB: It was an amazing amalgam. They really worked hand in hand instead of it being a fiasco, because having two people trying to make the same film can be complicated. But we are very proud of how they managed to work together in such symbiosis
CA: François, you've worked on both 2D and 3D, which one do you prefer or what is the difference between the two as you create your storyboards and then transfer them into animation?
Fb: I’ve been working in 3D animation for a few years now, but my training as a 2D animator is very useful because I can draw anything. Sometimes I feel I'm more capable of storyboard better that way. I’m using a pencil and not a software. Sometimes when you have the software you go too much into detail. You got too much into the technical side of it so you get away from first impressions. When you do a storyboard you need to go very quickly about it to get the feel of the scene or the shot. For me, it’s perfect to do it on pencil or drawing on a tablet. When we transfer that into layouts and the camera aspects,Jean-François makes it a breeze because he knows so much about camera movement. It worked perfectly well. We had not issues.
McB: You will probably notice that the lighting is also very particular. Jean-Francois convinced the team about using a backlight, which is rarely used in animation. It also adds to the feel of closeness to the characters because of the way they are lit.
CA: Given that this is a Canadian production, was the film created in French first and then an English dub was created or what approach did you take?
McB: We always say that we did two original versions of the film, but basically the lip-synch is based on the English version. It’s being release in the United States as an original English version. There was no dubbing for the English-version. The actors you are hearing are the same actors that helped inspire the animators throughout the whole process.
CA: Were the voice actors involved in the film connected personally to the original film prior to partaking in this animated version or did they first have to get acquainted with the material at hand?
McB: We had two stars, Ross Lynch and Sandra Oh. Ross has had a relationship with the original film all of his life, so he had a personal link to it. Sandra Oh, who is Canadian and was raised in Toronto, also had an endearing reference to “Snowtime!” The other actors were all based in Montreal, so they new of the original film and they obviously embraced it. They were all adult actors, we didn't use any children actors.
CA: As "Snowtime!" melts hearts around the world, what is CarpeDiem, planning as a follow up? What are are some of upcoming projects?
McB: Right now we are financing a sequel to “Snowtime!” and we are hoping to start production in the summer. We are also in production of a TV series that follows the first-graders in “Snowtime!,” we call them our Minions [Laughs]. We developed an app, there are records, merchandise in some territories, and three books in publishing, so we definitely developed it as a franchise and will continue doing so. We have also just opened a “Snowtime!” museum exhibition here in Montreal, and it’s a traveling exhibition. We are working with our distributor Shout! to bring it to the United States...
- 2/25/2016
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Shout! Factory and CarpeDiem Film & TV have entered into a film deal to distribute the new animated feature “Snowtime!” in the United States, it was announced Wednesday by Shout! Factory’s founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos and CarpeDiem Film & TV president Marie-Claude Beauchamp. Produced by Beauchamp (“The Legend of Sarila”) and directed by Jean-François Pouliot (“La Grande Séduction”), the family adventure film will premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. “Snowtime!” features an English-language voice cast of Angela Gallupo (“Being Human”), Lucinda Davis (“Winx Club”), Sonja Ball (“The Legend of Sarila”), Don Shepherd (“Blue Mountain State”), Jenna...
- 12/9/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
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