Enzo d’Alo’s Opopomoz features the voice of Hollywood actor John Turturro. 2003 © Albachiara s.p.a.

What is Coming Up Over the Coming Year?
This is a brief (and non-exhaustive) survey of some European feature films that are currently on release or soon to open in Europe.

Charley & Mimmo (director: Jean-Luc François, France/Lithuania/ Luxembourg))
Targeted (quite unusually) at a very precise niche market - very young children, this French feature was produced by Didier Brunner’s Les Armateurs, which is backed by the Carrère Group.

Black Mor’s Treasure (director: Jean François Laguionie, France)
This is the third feature film from Jean François Laguionie, produced by Dargaud-Marina, a powerful French group of companies involved in publishing comic books. Based on his own original script, Laguionie brings something new to the action cartoon as well as giving it an elegant visual style. Undoubtedly a highlight for 2004.

Solaris brings The Dog, the General and the Birds to the big screen. © Bac Distribution.

The Dog, the General and the Birds (director: Francis Nielsen, France/Italy/Portugal)
Based on a story by Fellini’s scriptwriter, Tonino Guerra, this low-budget Solaris production is undoubtedly one of the most original of the current crop of animated features.

El Cid, the Legend (director: José Pozo, Spain/France/Italy)
This feature film produced by the Spanish group Filmax is being released for the end of year holiday period in Spain with a substantial marketing budget. It is based on the Christian “reconquista” of Spain in the Middle Ages.

Opopomoz (director: Enzo d’Alo)
A co-production between Alba Chiara (Milan) and MK2 (France), this is the fourth feature film from Italian director Enzo d’Alo and the second venture into animation by Marin Karmitz’ company MK2 (the first was The Rain’s Children by Philippe Leclercq).

Other World (director: Derek Hayes, Great Britain/Hungary/Russia)
This film based on Gaelic legends is aimed at teenagers and adults; and signals Derek Hayes’ return to drawn animation after a previous incursion into puppet animation. It is another rare example of collaboration between Western Europe and two Eastern European countries.

Raining Cats and Frogs (director: Jacques Rémy Girerd, France)
This 100 % French production, a feature film from the studio Folimage has already been released in French-speaking countries. It was entirely made at the Folimage studio in Valence, and the visual style is based on the designs of the Ukrainian Iouri Tchrenkov, who has been working at the studio for 10 years.

Production value in Opopomoz shows what can be done on a small budget. 2003 © Albachiara s.p.a.

Renart the Fox (director: Thierry Schiel, Luxembourg /France/Belgium/Italy)
Based in Luxembourg, which offers fiscal incentives (tax shelter) to encourage film production in its territory, the production company Oniria also has its own studio. It was instrumental in making this feature film in 3D, but whose final rendering has a curiously 2D quality.

Toto Sapore (director: Maurizio Forestieri, Italy)
Produced by la lanterna Magica, this 2D animation aimed at family audiences is inspired by the “Commedia dell arte” and Neapolitan folklore.

(1) The statistics cited in this article are taken from the European Feature Animation, Report by Tim Westcott, Cartoon European Association of Animation Film, 2002

Thanks to Cartoon’s Corinne Jenart and Folimage’s Jacques Rémy Girerd for their informative and useful contributions to this article.

Philippe Moins is a writer and teacher in Belgium, and also the co-director of Anima 2003.