3 months ago
Ukrainian phenomenon “Mavka” is expanding its universe.
Following nan premiere of characteristic movie “Mavka. The Forest Song,” it is now group to go a 3D animated bid arsenic well. Directed by Oleh Malamuzh, it will beryllium produced by Animagrad Studio – portion of nan Film.UA Group – pinch France’s TeamTO already connected committee arsenic co-development partner.
The project, which will beryllium teased astatine Annecy’s Partners Pitch, will service arsenic a prequel to nan film, explains Film.UA’s Kseniya Baranova.
“It’s group instantly aft nan conflict betwixt humans and Lesh, nan wood guardian, which happened while nan remainder of nan wood dwellers were successful their heavy wintertime sleep,” she said.
In each of 12 episodes, Mavka and her friends will beryllium facing caller challenges, fixed tasks to thief nan wood retrieve aft nan conflict and reconstruct bid and harmony.
“Together pinch Swampy nan Kittyfrog, Hush nan Noise Keeper and nan Nymphs, Mavka will spell done unexpected, nosy and sometimes perilous adventures successful nan forest. While attempting to return attraction of their home, they research it and uncover a ample number of secrets,” added Baranova.
Mavka will besides make a caller friend, nan “frivolous” Tumblewind, who seems to beryllium a magnet for trouble. But nan Chuhai monster will often guidelines successful her way.
“We spot it arsenic a imaginable franchise. We already launched a dancing show and we will beryllium readying a sequel arsenic well,” Iryna Kostyuk, who produces alongside Anna Eliseeva, told Variety.
“When we started processing nan movie 8 years ago, it was ever expected to beryllium a large IP. We called it ‘The Mavka Universe,’ reasoning astir a multiplatform, cross-media project. Even earlier its release, we person done galore licensing and merchandise deals, which is unprecedented successful our market.”
Despite nan warfare – which saw animators moving retired of explosive shelters, said Kostyuk – “Mavka. The Forest Song” became Ukraine’s highest-grossing section movie ever and besides its highest-grossing animation.
“We topped specified Hollywood hits arsenic ‘The Secret Life of Pets,’ ‘Minions’ and some parts of ‘Frozen’,” she enthused.
So far, “Mavka” has been sold to complete 80 countries – “the first Ukrainian movie to beryllium that wide released” – including France, Italy, Spain, Australia and Germany, pinch Poland group to subordinate successful nan summer.
“The movie has been aliases will beryllium released everyplace isolated from for China, pinch talks presently nether measurement for Japan and South Africa. Our partners are amazed astatine really good it is doing,” added Kostyuk. noting that galore countries hosting Ukrainian refugees, are releasing nan section type arsenic well. So far, nan movie has reached 1.2 cardinal admissions successful its location state alone.
Mavka. The Forest Song Courtesy of Animagrad Studio
“Right now, only half of our movie theatres are open. 10 cardinal group are misplaced extracurricular of nan state and screenings are interrupted by aerial raids. Given each these circumstances, it’s an astonishing result. Families watch it aggregate times – it’s a phenomenon,” said Kostyuk, admitting that while “war influences everything,” and that it’s important for nan imaginative manufacture to support going.
“Kids don’t attraction wherever their movie comes from. They don’t attraction that we had to decorativeness it during nan war. They admit nan communicative and this character, its joke and ocular language. Girls want to beryllium for illustration Mavka now. They moreover dye their hairsbreadth green,” she says, calling her a “unique and beardown female character.”
But nan story, featuring reimagined people songs, besides offers a peek into comparatively chartless Ukrainian mythology.
“Disney had princesses from each complete nan world, but not from Ukraine. With runes connected her face, nan colour of her hairsbreadth and each these rituals, Mavka is simply a caller heroine. It’s thing caller for nan world to see,” she states.
“Animation does thief kids. ‘Mavka’s’ box-office results showed conscionable really overmuch group request beautiful stories,” says Anastasiya Verlinska, head of nan Linoleum Animation Festival.
“Together pinch their family, surrounded by loved ones, they hide astir nan warfare for an hr aliases two. Animation is 1 of nan champion creation therapy tools, but it’s not only astir escaping. It’s astir processing and reflecting connected nan events happening astir you. You tin study from it too.”
