The Long Shadow Over The Atlantic

The Long Shadow Over The Atlantic
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Expanding the Horizon
The little giant of feature animation is Denmark, a country of 5 million inhabitants. Due to their good public support system of the cinema, Denmark has produced several animated features through the years. Films like Jannik Hastrup's Samson and Sally (1984) or Subway to Paradise (1987) were aimed mostly at children. International distribution usually covers the Nordic countries and central Europe.

Last year the veteran director Hastrup made the first Danish animated feature for adults, H.C. Andersen og den skæve skygge (Hans Christian Andersen and the Long Shadow). It is an intelligent story about the man behind the reputation of the well known fairy tale writer. Ever since his early childhood, H.C. Andersen has had the feeling of being different, and he soon discovers he has a mean shadow that takes over from him. The shadow makes a fool of him, steals his loved one Jenny and promises his soul to the devil. Throughout all of this, Andersen carries his pet duck along!

The Long Shadow is a challenging film for a mature audience, and plays with the idea of a famous man and his inevitable shadow. The animation is beautiful -- simple and strong in colour -- and the different pieces of the script fit well together. Producer Marie Bro explains that films like this would not be possible without public funding. One third of the 4.6 million euros came from public support. The Long Shadow is a demanding film, and while the "reviews were good, it got only some twenty thousand spectators in Danish cinemas," Bro reveals. However the film has been bought by several TV channels and was also distributed in French cinemas.

Europe is waiting for a big international success, and many professionals are sure it will happen soon. In the field of feature animation it is not only a matter of a good film, but also good distribution and marketing. The safe bet for success is Chicken Run by Nick Park and Peter Lord of Aardman Animations in Bristol, Britain. The film will be finished next year. Nick Park is the creator of Wallace and Gromit and a master of clay animation. The film has a US producer in DreamWorks SKG and this guarantees vital access to the large US market. If the film keeps - and exceeds - the expected level of Park's and Lord's previous work it could and will become a real global hit.

Heikki Jokinen is a freelance critic and journalist based in Helsinki, Finland. He specializes in comics, short film and animation. He is chairman of the Finnish Art Critics' Association and the former president of ASIFA Nordic, the ASIFA regional body for the five Nordic and three Baltic countries.