An African Tale
'An African Tale' is a CG animated feature scheduled for worldwide theatrical release in the second half of 2009. Pre-production is set to begin in March 2007, production will commence in January 2008, with post production starting in January 2009 for a completion date of April 2009.
The entire production will take place in Cape Town, South Africa with various voice, sound and post production elements being handled internationally. The project will consist of a healthy mix of very experienced, super talented international animators and designers as well as a number of super talented and super eager local South African talent!
Director's Comments
We asked writer/director Brent Dawes "What is 'An African Tale'?"
'Besides being Africa 's first theatrical CG animated feature it is a return and a home coming. A return to the days when story was king. And a home coming in that finally a movie about Africa will be told by those who know and love her most!
"An African Tale" is a story that speaks of the state of the human heart and offers hope even when it seems we are our own worst enemies.
It is an exciting time to be involved in a project like this. We are embarking on it at a time when the technology really can serve the story; it is a wonderful thing to have a vision which can be realistically brought to life in our chosen medium. It seems the industry is in a bit of a state at the moment unsure of what the audience really wants to see. Is it ground-breaking visuals? Is it big name voice artists? Is it quick, flashy, bouncy, stretchy characters? Is it zippy, choppy editing and impossible camera moves? In fact the industry has been in that state since it began, a state of "Who knows?!"
So instead of trying to guess what people want why don't we open our eyes to the fact that we are the people, we are the audience? Let us make a movie that we would want to sit down in a darkened room and give a couple of hours of our lives to watching. A movie that we can watch with our families that makes us laugh, makes us cry, makes us feel and finally makes us believe! And that's where you come in. We'll only pull it off with the super human effort of a group of like-minded individuals with the skill and passion to see it done. We go into this as the underdogs, but we're determined to take hold of it like Pit-bulls and not let go until this movie is all we believe it can be.
Producer's Comments
Phil Cunningham, producer of "An African Tale" adds;
'Our passion is story!! Africa is our birth place- a continent of beauty, tragedy and mystery. It captures your heart, seeps into your blood and inspires the imagination. A land of wide open savannahs, grand, sweeping skies, rich colors, earthy scents, thundering storms.....the cry of a fish eagle, the night roar of a lion.
As a young boy I canoed the Zambezi time after time feeling the warm African sun on my back, the scent of rain on the breeze and watching the river banks slide slowly by. Hippos snorted and sprayed, crocodiles slid into the passing current and elephants plucked branches from the flood plain trees. I could feel it then and can feel it now...this is the most wonderful backdrop to tell an epic story.
We want to tell an epic story, a timeless story...yes a fun story but also one that energizes and inspires children and adults to dream big dreams. So Africa is our setting and digital animation is our paint brush. What a zenith! What a medium! It crosses the barriers of age, culture, race and religion more than any other! This project has captivated us, pulled us in...its like surfing..we don't make the waves, we just catch them and feel the thrill of the ride!! 'An African Tale' has started and we are paddling hard to catch the ride of our lives....join us!! ..if you like surfing that is.'
For more about the project - and for job opportunities - Click Here
