Autour de Minuit, a co-producer of Annecy contender “Unicorn Wars,” has acquired international rights to another Annecy entry, the dialogue-free “Two Little Birds” (“Dos pajaritos”), a 20-episode series by Argentine animators Alfredo Soderguit and Alejo Schettini (2013 Bafici Audience Award winner “Anina”). The deal excludes co-production territories Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay.
Produced by Luciana Roude at Argentina’s Can Can Club (“Teclópolis”), Soderguit at Uruguay’s Palermo Estudio (“Anina”) and pubcaster Señal Colombia, the ornithological slapstick comedy follows the hilarious situations lived by two little birds sharing the same tree. One is white and the other is black and they coexist harmoniously until a new element – an absurd object, a visitor – bursts into their peaceful ecosystem. They will then face extremely absurd confrontations and their consequences. A new scenario begins in each episode.
Although the characters are bird toons, their impulses and emotions give them deeply human traits.
“Two Little Birds” was first presented at Buenos Aires’ Animation! in Ventana Sur 2018 and was the first winner of the 2019 La Liga contest, an award created by Animation!, Spain’s Quirino Awards and Mexico’s Pixelatl Festival. It was selected that year among 197 projects to participate in Mifa Pitches. Aside from its selection at Annecy’s official section, the series is vying for Munich’s Prix Jeunesse International 2022.
A Paris-based animation production company, studio and distributor outfit Autour de Minuit is managed by Nicholas Schmerkin. Company is behind François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy and Ludovic Houplain’s Academy-winner “Logorama” among over 70 shorts and TV shows such as “No-No” and “Jean-Michel Super Caribou.” Schmerkin also co-produced Vázquez’s “Psiconautas.”
“We’ve been following the production process of ‘Two Little Birds’ since we discovered the pitch at Ventana Sur in 2018. We’ve been accompanying the project since then at Mifa and Cartoon Forum and now when the first season is finished we are glad to have it within our distribution line up,” Schmerkin told Variety, adding: “We are confident that the show will attract large international attention. This cute comedy mixing 2D and Stop Motion is the perfect blend for upper-preschoolers, but also for their parents who will adore the funny social double meaning of the themes tackled in each episode.”
Source: Read Full Article