We worked in six studios, each in a different country. Our basic unit was housed in Woodland Hills, California. We did planning, layout, design and basic pre-production, as well as some key animation. Then the work went to studios in China, Korea, Canada and Slovakia for completion. We had two great animation/art directors, Arne Wong from Los Angeles, and Jaroslav Baran from Bratislava, Slovakia. They kept the design and animation on course over the long production period. The three producers of the film, Igor Meglic, Chris Holter and myself, kept the organization of the work and financing together. Chris Holter, Sheldon Moldoff and I wrote and re-wrote the script, until we had our final ADR script last year. All the post sound and editing work was done in Los Angeles at our studio. This was definitely a "hands across the sea" project, if ever there was one. Luckily all those hands worked well together, after a getting-to-know-you phase.

A large part of the money came from Tooniversal and its President, Igor Meglic. Igor really believed in the idea, and when I came to him with the project, he said, "Let's do it." The company made great deals with all the suppliers and contributors, and this also helped, since we got a lot of bang for our bucks. We had a co-production with a Chinese company, Afanti International, and a Slovak company, Interline. In addition, there was a financing group out of Slovenia (Igor's place of birth) which did the "cash flowing" of the project when it was needed, or when Tooniversal simply didn't have the cash to continue. We actually stopped the production a few times to re-group, both financially and artistically. While many folks might be bothered by these delays, we took advantage by using the time to re-think, re-write and re-design things that weren't working. As a result, I think the film turned out better than if we had done it in one pass.

What is our strategy for marketing and releasing the film, i.e., recouping our investment? Therein lies the rub. Finishing the film is only part one of this journey. Getting proper and effective distribution is another matter entirely. In fact, it's a real problem, especially in the U.S., where distribution costs are so high. I've been in the production and distribution business for 34 years, and the landscape has definitely changed for the worse. There used to be distribution companies of all sizes, small, medium and large. What's gone wrong with the business is that the medium size companies, for the most part, are gone. A film like ours really needs a domestic theatrical release in order to have the visibility and recognizability needed to do well in video, TV and the ancillary markets. The big studios are in the business of big films with big ad budgets seeking a $100 milllion plus home run. So, our film is not for them. The small distributors can't afford the moderate print and ad budget that our film needs for a successful theatrical run. And since there are practically no "middle size" distribution companies (they were acquired by the big guys or went bankrupt), we're in a bit of a conundrum. So, we're looking for prints and ad money, and we'll probably take the film out there ourselves.

Part of our domestic sales strategy was qualifying for the first Best Animated Feature Academy Award. We opened in Los Angeles, for one week only, at Laemmle's Fallbrook 7 Theatres, in West Hills, California. The film screened daily at 11:15 am and we ran from December 28, 2001 through January 3, 2002. We've also entered in three other categories: Best Original Song ("When Your Heart Has Wings"), Best Music Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Being a contender is a great way to get lots of press attention we could never afford to pay for in the way of trade ads.

Internationally, it's a bit more encouraging. After interviewing more than 100 distributors, we decided to go with a Park City, Utah company called Koan, Inc. They specialize in family and children's films, and we felt not only comfortable with the people at Koan, but also the films in their library. It was just a great match. They starting selling the film at MIPCOM and MIFED, and the deals are starting to roll in.

Will be recoup our investment in the film and make a profit? Absolutely. Why? Because we chose traditional storytelling, with a classical "retro" Saturday morning visual style, and have seven great songs in the film. It's going to have a long life in distribution, with many re-releases after we're all celluloid history. Would we do it all again? Yes. We're now planning our next feature, Dinosaurs of the Wild West. Will it be a great adventure? Absolutely, but this time, with the experience of Marco Polo under our belts.

Heather Kenyon is editor in chief of Animation World Network. After graduating magna cum laude with a BFA from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television, Heather began her career in animation at Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, where she became manager of the Production Communications department. Recently, she has contributed a chapter to the book, Animation in Asia, published by John Libbey & Company, Ltd. Heather is also vice president of Women In Animation International and on the Board of Trustees of Trees for Life.