April and the Extraordinary World(2015)

Manchegan

April and the Extraordinary World

It baffles me why this film has been so overlooked.

It nods to Aardman, Pixar, Ghibli, Les Triplettes de Belleville and the francophone bande dessinée tradition, everything, while setting out its own unique universe.

It's a steampunk alternate history (though not so much if you're David Icke).

Animation studios seem intent on raising the bar ever higher, challenging mainstream cinema, but are still given niche releases and publicity.

BlitzKrieg

Manchegan wrote: »

April and the Extraordinary World

It baffles me why this film has been so overlooked.

It nods to Aardman, Pixar, Ghibli, Les Triplettes de Belleville and the francophone bande dessinée tradition, everything, while setting out its own unique universe.

It's a steampunk alternate history (though not so much if you're David Icke).

I havnt seen this...

But checking its releases it looks like it only got its official release outside of festivals this year 4 months ago

Not unusual for european animation, I will have to hunt it down and see for myself.

The Red Turtle (a Ghibli/french co-production) is going through the same process, it got a french release this year for annecy but you wont see an english release til sometime next year at the earliest.

Animation studios seem intent on raising the bar ever higher, challenging mainstream cinema, but are still given niche releases and publicity.

Animation is on a bit of a high at the moment. In mainstream it's quickly becoming the only sure thing outside of the marvel universe (Finding Dory is pretty much the only film that has made its entire budget back from domestic US box office alone) and internationally animation works a lot better overall exporting it to growing markets like China where it's easier (and cheaper) to redub vs live action which is where Dreamworks has been making all their money back (both how to train your dragon and Kung Fu Panda make bank both in asia and europe) Its also why films like Peabody and sherman where considered flops by dreamworks because they didnt sell outside of america (I hear the peanuts film had similar issues)

Outside of mainstream there are a lot of animation studios, who keep themselves afloat with television animation which *again* is easier to export to foriegn markets. Also a lot of animation studios are finding parallel work doing effects for other products, so its become easier to sustain an animation studio. Allowing them to stay together long enough to make serious funding appeals for features.

see this studio for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankama

film they did recently (it's beautiful and awesome)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nnJUXdSqlw

also in europe there is a lot of funding going around both nationally and on an EU level to animation and the free movement market has actually allowed the industry to grow a lot more as its very easy for an animator from france or elsewhere to get hired to work on a production in the UK or Ireland and either work from home or move for the production. There's also been numerous cross studio productions between studios in ireland, Luxembourg, france etc I know there was a lot of panic among british animation studios at the brexit vote because it's potentially going to put a lot of the smaller UK studios in trouble so they're watching how things unfold holding their breath.

Mizu_Ger

Manchegan wrote: »

April and the Extraordinary World

It baffles me why this film has been so overlooked.

It nods to Aardman, Pixar, Ghibli, Les Triplettes de Belleville and the francophone bande dessinée tradition, everything, while setting out its own unique universe.

It's a steampunk alternate history (though not so much if you're David Icke).

Animation studios seem intent on raising the bar ever higher, challenging mainstream cinema, but are still given niche releases and publicity.

Watched this over the weekend and liked it too. The depiction of an alternate past is served well by the animation and creates a very involving world.

It's quite a dense plot (has echoes of Sky Captain), with a mixture of slapstick humour and occasional violence, but it all works well together. Well worth a watch.

charlie_says

Watched this recently too. Great animated caper with a brilliant forever steamp powered universe.

Double Eiffel Towers!

BlitzKrieg

this is out in the Uk next month, dont know about Ireland but if you are eager for some nostalgia of the snowman or where the wind blows:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn3cgXW-daU