Ellipse Animation will present its new feature in development Yakari 2 (working title) on 9 March at Cartoon Movie, the forum for European coproductions in animated film. This is the second film inspired by the famous comic book character and his world, created by Derib & Job (five million copies sold to date).
“In the first film we paid tribute to Derib’s style in the comic book,” said the film director Xavier Giacometti. “Even though the animation is 3D, the film kept a 2D appearance. For this new film I wanted a radical change, a new, deeper and more international dimension. We have abandoned the outlines and flat colours for something with more volume, much more texture and most of the backgrounds will be made in 3D. There will also be the work of a real cinematographer on the depth, the lenses and integration.”
“The very promising success of Yakari, a spectacular journey during the summer of 2020, encouraged us to take on a new project, to continue this exciting adventure,” said Ellipse Animation managing director Caroline Audebert. “Despite being released during the pandemic, the film had 350,000 entries in French cinemas and had a good start in Germany, with over 150,000 entries in just three days, until the theatres had to close. Yakari was the second most exported French animated feature in 2021.”
The official synopsis reads: Yakari’s friend Buffalo Seed is injured by a herd of buffaloes and falls into a deep sleep which threatens to take him into the world of dreams. Rainbow reveals her talents as a shaman to keep him conscious, while Yakari and Little Thunder go off in search of the only being capable of bringing him back to life: his totem, the fantastic and dangerous buffalo Thathanka!
“Cartoon Movie’s choice to have Yakari 2 among the pitches of the year, and the nomination of the film for the Eurimages co-production development prize, are our first totems. We are very happy that their positive energy is boosting our new feature,” Audebert added.
The animated feature is written and directed by Xavier Giacometti, similar to the previous film. Pierre Reyssat serves as the producer of the 3D adventure film. Yakari 2 will be made at Ellipse Animation Studio Angoulême in France and at DreamWall in Belgium.
