How to go from a drawn story to an animated film? In Angoulême, the Shan Too studio is one of those who like to take up this type of challenge. He has just produced the animations for the new film adaptation of Little Nicholasthe character created by Goscinny and Sempé.
Nonsense, adventures, arguments and games, that’s all the daily life of Little Nicolas and his group of friends. An emblematic character of children’s literature appeared in the years 1950-60 in the mind and under the pencil of René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé.
An intrepid and mischievous little man who has already inspired the 7th art and who is now at the heart of an animated film. It is the Shan Too studio, in Angoulême, which carried out part of the production. A long-term work produced in traditional 2D thanks to the know-how of 30 Angoumois animators.
The directors, Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre left the field open to animation experts. “They were very open to what the animators were offering, a small wave of the hand, a blink of an eye, a smile that will bring the character to life, we were able to allow ourselves a lot of freedom”, reports Alix Penon, 2D animator.
Freedom in the animation of the character, but well-defined codes and graphic charter to respect the original comic strip. “It is the will of the directors to get as close as possible to Sempé’s drawings, they did a lot of research before starting the designs”, explains Franck Bonay, director of the Shan Too animation studio.
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Created in 2014 on Reunion Island by Arnaud Boulard, the Gao Shan Pictures studio plays an essential role in the production of animated films. We have seen him in particular at the helm in recent years of my afghan family by Michaela Pavlatova Where is Anne Frank! by Ari Folman little vampire by Joann Sfar or by Yakari, the great adventure by Xavier Giacometti.
For this new film, the studio entrusted the animation to its subsidiary Shan Too in Angoulême. Like several production companies, Shan too moved to the capital of comics in 2021.”It allows access to talent because there is a large pool of animators in Angoulême and it allows access to funding”, notes Arnauld Boulard, president of Gao Shan Pictures.
This new adaptation of Petit Nicolas invites the viewer behind the scenes of the creation of the young hero. Leaning over a large white sheet somewhere between Montmartre and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Jean-Jacques Sempé and René Goscinny give life to a laughing and mischievous little boy, Little Nicolas. Between camaraderie, arguments, fights, games, nonsense and punishments galore, Nicolas lived a childhood full of joys and learning. As the story progresses, the boy slips into the workshop of his creators, and challenges them with humor. Sempé and Goscinny will tell him about their meeting, their friendship, but also their journeys, their secrets and their childhood.
“Little Nicolas – What are we waiting for to be happy?” by Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre, with the voices of Alain Chabat and Laurent Lafitte. Duration: 1h22. In theaters October 12, 2022.