Ari Folman continues to follow his own strange star. The Israeli filmmaker will follow his spellbinding animation hybrids “Waltz with Bashir” (Oscar-nominated) and “The Congress” (a high-IQ cult oddity that will someday get its due) with an animated retelling of the life and diary of Anne Frank.
A blend of stop-motion and traditional animation—with 2D characters cut into stop-motion backgrounds — his Anne Frank Film is the first of its kind. That’s because Folman, with Diana Elbaum of Belgian-based production company Entre Chien et Loup, negotiated to obtain world rights in all languages and media and complete access to the Anne Frank archives.
READ MORE: Ari Folman Takes on Animated Anne Frank Feature
Production began in winter 2014. Folman has finally shared concept art from the studio at Passion Films in London. Folman is collaborating with “Fantastic Mr. Fox” DP Tristan Oliver and designer Andy Gent to hew the film’s stop motion look, and animation director Yoni Goodman (who worked on “Waltz” and “The Congress”) for the 2D visuals.
The images come courtesy of the Hebrew-language site Cinemascope.mako.co.il/ which reveals that Folman is still working on securing funding for the project. Folman had to similarly travel far and wide to cobble together “The Congress,” where he met Elbaum and employed animators from many different countries.
According to the website, Folman’s script tells the Anne Frank story through the eyes of her imaginary friend Kitty, who is here personified as a puppet character. Below you’ll see how Folman and his team assemble the Frank family hideout in Amsterdam — and it’s trippy as any Folman outing. Head here for more images.
The Anne Frank film is produced by Belgian Purple Whale Films, which is co-owned by Ari Folman’s Israeli production company Bridgit Folman Film Gang and Entre Chien et Loup. It goes without saying that whenever the film lands, it’s one of our most anticipated.
READ MORE: Ari Folman Previews “The Congress,” Which Predicts Hollywood’s Chilling Future
Ryan Lattanzio is the staff writer for TOH at Indiewire. Follow him on Twitter.
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