Fantoche, one of the world’s leading festivals for animated films and Switzerland’s largest and most prestigious cultural event devoted exclusively to animation in all its many thematic and technical facets, kicks off its 2016 edition September 6 and runs through September 11.
The 14th International Animation Film Festival Baden opens with the Swiss premiere of Claude Barras’s first feature-length film,My Life as a Courgette (Ma vie de Courgette), with the director and other crew members in attendance. A favorite of audiences and critics alike, the film has now been submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. Another big highlight will be the premiere of the latest LAIKA production, Kubo and the Two Strings. Both feature films will later be released in Swiss cinemas; but you can only get a look behind the scenes at Fantoche’s exclusive making-of presentations. Twelve other feature films from France, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, the Czech Republic, Japan, Korea, Canada and the U.S. will also be premiered, offering an impressive spectrum of animation today.
Kubo’s story is set in a seaside village in ancient Japan. The kind-hearted boy named Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson, aka Rickon Stark from Game of Thrones) cares for his widowed mother and leads a modest existence as an origami storyteller. Kubo’s peaceful life is turned upside down, however, when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past that storms down from the heavens to re-ignite an age-old vendetta. Chaos ensues, and Kubo must flee. He joins forces with his new companions: with Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), he intrepidly embarks on a dangerous journey to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, a legendary Samurai warrior.
Kubo and the Two Strings is a family-friendly story that takes viewers, big and small, on a journey to a fantastic world full of eerie creatures and bold adventure. The film was produced by the acclaimed animation studio LAIKA, which has already gained recognition with Coraline, ParaNorman and The BoxTrolls. Two years ago, Mark Shapiro of the LAIKA studio treated festivalgoers to an impressive making-of. Shapiro brings fascinating materials from his studio in Portland to the stage, demonstrating the skilled craftsmanship, love for detail and technical ingenuity that shaped the 300,000 photographs which make up this stop-motion film.
Ma Vie de Courgette is a Swiss-French co-production created using a similar technique. Claude Barras, the director of the film, will be attending Fantoche and discuss the production of his successful début film. He will be accompanied by Elie Chappuis (animation) and Gregory Beaussart, who was in charge of the puppet production. The festival offers unique first-hand insights into the conceptual, technical and artistic background of the film.
Other Current Feature Films and Coming Soon Presentations
Other directors of feature-length films, such as Jan Bultheel with his award-winning début, Cafard, will also be attending the event to present their work. Innovative animation technology, social criticism or light entertainment -- Fantoche illustrates the impressive spectrum of current international productions in animated feature film. Detailed information and trailers for the films are available from the program overview section of the Fantoche website.
The festival features three Coming Soon presentations this year, which provide an inside look at feature-length projects that are currently in production: Director Kaspar Jancis is presenting his film Morten on the Ship of Fools. Denis Do showcases Funan, the new People to illustrate the potential for political narratives in animated film. And Geoffrey Lillemon discusses the relationship between humans and machines using his latest project, Jizz Jazz, which focusses on the ability of machines to improvise. The presentations will be curated by Erik Van Drunen.
Details on the Latest Feature-Length Films with Making-Ofs
Kubo and the Two Strings – Travis Knight, US 2016, 93’, E/d/f, 8+
This new animated film from LAIKA jumps head-first into a fantastic world brought to life with magical stop-motion imagery. Besides its U.S. theatrical release on August 19, 2016, the film has only been screened at one festival worldwide thus far. Fantoche is looking forward to premièring this work in the German-speaking world.
Making-of: Kubo and the Two Strings with Mark Shapiro (LAIKA studio) English with German translation
With tickets to his presentation selling out in no time, Mark Shapiro of LAIKA studio was in great demand at Fantoche 2014. Which makes us all the more excited to have him back in Baden again in 2016. He will demonstrate how 300,000 images form a stop-motion film -- a process involving passion, craftsmanship, intuition and fantasy.
My Life as a Courgette (Ma vie de Courgette) – Claude Barras, CH/FR 2016, 65’, F/d/e, 8+
The audience favorite and winner of the grand prize of this year’s Annecy Festival will be opening Fantoche 2016 as a Swiss début. Courgette loves flying kites -- it is the only memory he has of his father. After a tragic accident of his alcoholic mother, a friendly policeman brings him to a children’s home. He finds it difficult in his new surroundings -- at least until a new orphan child arrives to rejuvenate both of their worlds. The film was an audience favorite at Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
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