Animated features from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are rich and diverse: Films for adults and children, documentary and fiction, 2D, 3D, stop-motion, glass table, and hybrids. But we all come from the same storytelling tradition. We are all simply Nordic.
From Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” to Astrid Lindgren’s “Pippi Longstocking” to Tove Jansson’s “Moomins” and Thorbjorn Egner’s “The Forest of HuckyBucky” – the Nordic countries have a distinct culture for stories that transcend generations and speak volumes of what it means to be human. Stories with characters that challenge our expectations, make us see the world and ourselves in a new light, showing that people are equal, no matter how different.
In these stories, the characters are rebellious, independent, and accomplished, they lead the way to a better tomorrow. Not through realizing who they truly are on an individual level, but through challenging the status quo like Pippi and the Little Mermaid or through embracing and respecting diversity, as with the “Moomins” and in “The Forest of HuckyBucky”. Only through genuine respect and inclusion for all, can we move forward.
And this message has resonated worldwide. Astrid Lindgren’s books have been translated into more than 100 languages and have sold in 165 million copies. “The Little Mermaid” is not only one of Disney’s biggest box office hits, but also has a Soviet live-action film adaptation, an animated series, and has inspired theme parks and video games alike. The “Moomins” have their own theme park in both Finland and Japan and the books have been adapted all over the world including Germany, Russia, a wildly popular Japanese series, Polish stop-motion features and most recently the Finnish-British 3D series “Moominvalley”.
INNOVATION
The Nordics continue to breathe new life into our literary classics keeping them relevant for a contemporary audience. But as a truly innovative region, we are developing new franchises, such as “Angry Birds”, “Ninjago”, “Captain Sabertooth” and the upcoming “The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti”. Franchises that, thanks to their vivid imagination, have mesmerized kids worldwide. On the surface, they are pure fun, but they also carry an important message – the need to work together and turn our differences into strengths.
Nordic animation also pushes the boundaries for what animated family films could be: with bad language and a criticism of the western exploitation of sweatshop workers in the massively entertaining “Checkered Ninja” films. Turning a true polar adventure into a playful and irreverent film in the upcoming “Titina”.
Daring to serve kids crazy acid trips in the “Two Buddies and a Badger” movies. Telling a brutal but empathic story of four generations of Palestinian refugees in “The Tower”. Centering on modern and unconventional families as in “Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins”, the “Niko” films and “Bear Park”. We constantly question the status quo and continue to offer our unique perspective to the world.
UNCONVENTIONAL CHARACTERS
Originating in the region of Astrid Lindgren, no wonder Nordic animation is filled with independent, active, courageous, and antiauthoritarian female characters, ranging from “Ella Bella Bingo” to “Mamma Moo”. But Nordic heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Both “Top 3” and the acclaimed documentary “Flee” center on gay main characters and tell their stories with openness and insightful compassion. The film “The Ape Star” questions the societal norms of good parenting and shows how the clumsy Gorilla who is treated as an outsider has all the wisdom and warmth a human orphan girl needs in a mother. In “Ploey – You Will Never Fly Alone”, the lost chick Ploey gets much needed help from a one-eyed dispirited hermit, while sidekicks of “Richard the Stork” are a flamboyant gender bending canary bird and an owl with dissociative identity disorder.
Diverse as they are, the most unifying trait of Nordic animated characters is their lack of larger-than-life exceptionalism. They are rarely superhero’s or the ‘special chosen one’ we so often encounter in animated universes. They are ordinary adults, children, or animals for that sake, who are put to the test despite their lack of extraordinary talents. The Nordic protagonists will have to make do with what they have and rely on the help of others to succeed. In the upcoming feature “Just Super”, the young girl Hedvig is incapable of continuing the family legacy as a superhero, she is just an everyday kid. The Nordic attitude is exemplified in the tagline: ‘You don’t need to be a superhero to be super!’ And when we make a film about a princess, we move her to an ordinary house in an ordinary suburb to underline that “The Royals Next Door” are no more exceptional than you and I.
Unconventional characters give unconventional stories. Unconventional stories deliver new insight. New insight inspires change. Change, the Nordic way – championing openness, inclusion, innovation, diversity, and equality. For everyone.
IT’S NATURAL
In the Nordic countries, we live close to nature and the changing seasons: the dark arctic winter with its northern light, the endless summer nights with its midnight sun – the thousand lakes of Finland, the dramatic Norwegian fjords, the deep forests of Sweden, the volcanic beauty of Iceland. Nature, to the Nordics, is not a threat, but a sanctuary – a place we go to find peace, to challenge ourselves, to discover beauty, and to find inspiration. That’s why nature is so present in our animated features, as well as in our folklore and storytelling. This resonates beyond the Nordics, as seen in “Frozen”’s respectful homage to the indigenous Sami culture and the more humorous approach taken in “Klaus”. Our profound respect for nature is also fundamental to our production pipelines. Green and sustainable film production is not a future goal. It is a way of working here and now.
EFFICIENT QUALITY
The Nordic countries are marked by transparency, innovation, and egalitarianism. Collaborating with us, you will experience a work culture where everyone’s opinion is respected. Where small, competent, efficient teams take an active part in the artistic process. Where ‘good enough’ is never enough and every single artist goes the extra mile. Where there are no secrets or hidden budget lines. Where the production is well structured, and the money is put on the screen. Nordic companies work with giants such as Disney and Marvel, but we also love to take part in ambitious and artistic European independent projects such as “Song of the Sea” and “Long Way North”.
Whether you join our Nordic stories, or we partner on yours, we offer the same unbureaucratic and productive collaboration. We see no reason to make things more complicated than they need to be. We offer Nordic simplicity. It is simply Nordic.
8 NORDIC FEATURE FILMS PITCHED AT CARTOON MOVIE
- JUST SUPER
‘You don’t need to be a superhero to be super!’
➤ Produced by Qvisten Animation (Norway)
- MAGICAL FRIENDS
A film between the modern and the traditional, between the fabulous and the real.
➤ Produced by Ulvenfilm (Norway) – Coproduced by Kool Produktion (Norway)
- MY TRUE IMAGINARY FRIEND — MR. CLUTTERBUCK
A story about friendship, adaptation of the acclaimed “Good Night Mr. Clutterbuck”.
➤ Produced by Monkey Business Pictures (Finland) – Coproduced by Aurora Pictures (Finland)
- NIKO — BEYOND THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
The 3rd opus to Niko’s saga.
➤ Produced by Animaker (Finland) – Coproduced by Anima Vitae (Finland), Ulysses Filmproduktion (Germany), A. Film Production (Denmark) & Moetion Films (Ireland)
- ODD IS AN EGG
An adventure about self-discovery and love. The long version of the 2016’s short film.
➤ Produced by Miso Film (Norway)
- PLOEY 2
A tale of courage, friendship and high adventure that shows that even the smallest and frailest of us have an important role to play.
➤ Produced by GunHil (Iceland)
- TITINA
The incredible tale of the terrier who conquered the North Pole.
➤ Produced by Mikrofilm (Norway) – Coproduced by Vivi Film (Belgium)
- VALEMON: THE POLAR BEAR KING
A spectacular and modern animated film based on one of Scandinavia’s most beloved folk tales.
➤ Produced by Maipo Film (Norway)