Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/30784
Short Film ■ ■ ■ ■ Computer-generated characters and a miniature set give the short fi lm “The Gruffalo” its charm L ooks often can be deceiving, especially when it is accom- panied by a tall tale, and a little luck. Such is the premise of the short animated fi lm “Th e Gruff alo” from Studio Soi in Germany. Th e 30-minute fi lm, based on a children’s book of the same name by Julia Donaldson, follows the tribulations of a tiny mouse who man- ages to outsmart much larger animals—a fox, an owl, and a snake— that would have him for tea (as the main course), by telling each about a creature called a “Gruff alo,” whose favorite snack just happens to be the particular animal menacing the mouse at that moment. Th e scheme works—until the animals discover that they all had been told the same story. Before they can confront the mouse, the tiny fellow happens upon an actual Gruf- falo. Th inking quickly, the mouse proceeds to inform the beast that all the animals in the forest are afraid of him, small as he is—a tale that is seemingly true, as the other ani- mals cower in fear at the sight of the mouse (who just happens to be with the Gruff alo). When the Gruff alo decides to dine on the mouse anyway, the rodent reverts back to his original fi b, telling the beast that Gruff alo is in fact his favorite meal, to which the Gruf- falo fl ees in fear. Studio Soi is, in fact, living proof that despite its size, the facility is a force to be reckoned with. Th e movie—which made its debut on the BBC and then later appeared on the ABC Family channel—received both a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination in the short-animation categories, competing against industry giant Pixar. And those are just two of many accolades the fi lm has received. “Th e Gruff alo” journey began in 2003 when producers Michael Rose and Martin Pope set their sights on turning the book into a fi lm. Th ree years later, they secured the rights and started exploring ways to bring the story to life while staying true to the tone, spirit, and design of the book. Rose approached Studio Soi’s Jakob Schuh, whom he had met a few years earlier, and after Studio Soi put together a visual pitch, development soon followed. According to directors Schuh and Max Lang of Studio Soi, the decision to make the fi lm using a combination of computer anima- tion and miniature sets had a lot to do with creating a fi lm that was faithful to the original book but also explored new territory visually. While both directors are traditionally trained animators, they wanted to off er the millions of fans of the story something completely new and diff erent. Building the sets in miniature allowed for more of a three-dimensional feel and rich detail, and a more charming, tactile quality to the deep, dark wood. Th ey chose to animate the characters in CG, as the medium allows for tremendous freedom of expression and acting. Nevertheless, one of the biggest challenges the group faced was making the 23-page children’s book—which takes about fi ve minutes to read—into a 26-minute short fi lm. When Studio Soi was fi rst ap- proached to make the fi lm, the facility had never produced anything longer than eight minutes, so it was a big step for them all. In the end, the fi lm took two years and roughly 40 people to make. While the fi lm was built, shot, and animated entirely at Studio Soi Studio Soi used miniature sets for the fi lm’s backgrounds, giving them more of a dimensional feel. The miniatures also gave the dark wood setting rich detail. in Germany, the score was composed by René Aubry in Paris, then recorded in London. All the voice recordings and sound postproduc- tion work took place in London, as well. Like the hero in the fi lm, the directors, while undertaking this big journey, had no choice but to be resourceful along the way, devising low-cost techniques to accomplish their goal. Here, Schuh, one of the seven animation directors who founded Studio Soi, talks about the studio and its award-winning short. Tell me a little about your studio. Studio Soi was founded in 2002 by a group of graduates from Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg, in the south of Germany. Th e studio’s headquarters remain in Ludwigsburg, with roughly 30 people currently working there. At the end of 2008, we opened a smaller branch in Berlin, where most of the animation for “Th e Gruff alo” was done. April 2011 35