The Supacool folks over at StudioAKA have done it again. They of Pica Towers, JoJo in the Stars and The Big Win have created an animated adaptation of Varmints, a children’s book written by Helen Ward and illustrated by StudioAKA’s BAFTA-award-winning Marc Craste. Judging from the trailer, the movie appears to have even more charm than the book, if that’s even possible, because the book had plenty.
While you wait for that trailer to load, here’s a little more info about the film, from StudioAKA:
VARMINTS is Studio aka’s follow up to our 2004 Bafta winning film ‘Jo Jo in the Stars’. Adapted & Directed by Marc Craste, VARMINTS is based on the award-winning book of the same name by Helen Ward & illustrated by Marc, that tells the story of one small creature’s struggle to preserve a world in danger of being lost forever through recklessness and indifference.Varmints is 25 minutes long, and was entirely self-financed by Studio aka. A crew of 35 people worked in three countries over a two year period to craft a film epic in scale and ambition. An original score by Icelandic composer Johann Johannssson and sound design by Adrian Rhodes complete the picture.
VARMINTS will Premier in September this year.
Sadly for me, the Premier will be in London. Not Baltimore. Stay tuned for news on when and if it might come to an animation festival near you. Or a DVD player.
No premiering in Baltimore??? But… but… … You have THE HOFF !! Surely he can use his unholy powers to fix this situation.
Seriously – the clips from Varmints are cool. Bits of Gilliam’s Brazil, Blade Runner and their own special fingerprint.
I know – Gilliam and Blade Runner touches, mixed with their own magical vibe. That combination is what consistently draws me to their stuff and at the same time makes me heartsick that I’m not doing what they’re doing. Marc Craste has a bag full of pixie dust. I love this stuff!
Oh wow, some of these shots and ideas remind me of a INCREDIBLE animation that saw quite a few years back…I cant remember the title of it though, and have been searching the world wide interweeble to find it again for years now…but it had these huge, huge machines ripping their way through the landscape, the characters were very tall thin almost Salvador Dalí kind of style to them.
I’d love to see this at a higher quality, and loving the atmosphere and music here too.
Gilliam and Scott?…maybe a slight bit of Fisher King…I’m not sure?