City Gross sales and KMBO have boarded the 2D household movie “The Hermit and the Bear,” with the Paris-based exporter dealing with worldwide gross sales for the animated title as Gallic distributor KMBO covers the home launch.
This joint distributor/gross sales agent deal marks a twin present of religion for a improvement title that not too long ago pitched to substantial purchaser curiosity on the Cartoon Film pitch and co-production discussion board in Bordeaux — the place KMBO was voted distributor of the 12 months.
Tailored from a Nineties tome, the movie follows the lengthy apprenticeship between a lonely bear and an irascible hermit. Starting as an ungainly pupil and a rusty trainer, the pair’s bond quickly develops into an uncommon and life-affirming fellowship. The duo then set off into the forest, singing the advantages of friendship to all of the woodland critters.
Director Marine Blin will make her characteristic debut with this adaptation of a kids’s guide written by John Yeoman and illustrated by Quentin Blake. A longtime Roald Dahl collaborator, Blake delivered iconic illustrations for first editions of “Matilda” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Manufacturing facility,” amongst a number of others; his creative voice will information this new venture as nicely.
“Quentin Blake’s drawings enchanted our childhoods,” says Blin. “All the time on the service of atypical characters that nourish our imaginations, his drawings are highly effective, humorous and alive. They share singular and recognizable fashion, and with this movie we hope to pay tribute to his fantastic work, and to the magnificent characters John and Quentin created.”
Blin authored this adaptation with collaborators Anne-Claire Lehembre and Delphine Maury. Maury’s Tant Mieux Productions banner will co-produce alongside Franco-Danish studio Solar Creature, which had a number one position ushering the animated documentary “Flee” onto the worldwide stage.
Based in 2004, City Gross sales has signed on to a lot of upcoming animated options, with a roster that features manufacturing initiatives like “Into the Wonderwoods” from administrators Vincent Paronnaud and Alexis Ducord and “Fox and Hare Save the Forest” from director Mascha Halberstad. Each initiatives are slated for 2024.
