France’s Folimages Sets Madcap Tone For Comic-Book Adaptation ‘Anuki’
Ben Croll Barreling across a rugged 2D terrain marked by the inky lines and earth tones of the page, a young Native American boy named “Anuki” made his industry debut at a Cartoon Forum pitch session last week in Toulouse. Produced by Pierre Meloni and directed by Yulia Aronova and Eloïc Gimenez, the fast-paced short-form development project marks the latest effort from venerable French studio Folimages – the animation house behind the Oscar-nominated “A Cat in Paris” and last year’s Annecy prizewinner “Vanille.” Now, Folimages is back with a comic book adaptation that feels, in so many ways, like the scenes from page brought to vivid life. Fully embracing the graphic style of creators Stéphane Senegas and Frédéric Maupomé’s source comic – a bestselling, five volume series that has quickly become a modern and ubiquitous touchstone across France – “Anuki” follows the adventures of a mischievous boy living in a mythic and pre-modern natural landscape.