02/07/2025 - The animated family adventure flick, inspired by the life of Latvian explorer Aleksandrs Laime and based on a children’s book, is nearing completion and attracting strong international interest

Born in the Jungle (Laimīgie), the latest feature-length animated film by Latvian director Edmunds Jansons, is now in the final stages of production. The ambitious project is inspired by the real-life story of Latvian-born explorer Aleksandrs Laime and his family, and has already secured key international pre-sales.

Set in 1950s Venezuela and based on the popular children’s book by Luīze Pastore, the film follows nine-year-old Elisabeth, who is spending her summer break from school in the rainforest with her family and the Pemón tribe. After her parents are forced to leave owing to an emergency, Elisabeth is left in charge of her three-year-old brother, Leo. However, instead of minding her sibling, she gets lost in her sketchbook. When Elisabeth finally looks up, Leo has disappeared, and all signs suggest he wandered off into the jungle. Elisabeth must summon all her courage not only to find her brother, but also to rescue a mystical furry creature from captivity and return it to its family atop the legendary Tepui mountain, all before her parents return.

The script was written by Lote Eglīte and Līga Gaisa. Aimed at family audiences, particularly children aged from five to nine, Born in the Jungle blends cut-out and 2D computer animation. The film features a distinctive visual style crafted by acclaimed Latvian illustrator Elīna Brasliņa. The animation and creative direction are led from Latvia, with the participation of animators from France, Portugal and Chile. The Polish team is handling compositing and animation, and the original music is being composed by Krzysztof A Janczak, who previously collaborated with Jansons on Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Furthermore, the orchestral recording is scheduled to be done in Prague, as is the sound post-production.

Born in the Jungle is a Latvian-Polish-Czech co-production by Sabīne Andersone for Atom Art, in co-production with Piotr Szczepanowicz for Warsaw-based Letko and Vladimír Lhoták for Prague’s Hausboot. The film has received support from the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Polish Film Institute, the Czech Film Fund, Eurimages, Creative Europe – MEDIA, Latvian Television, the Zlín Region Fund, the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia and Latvian Mobile Telephone (LMT).

French sales agent Dandelooo Cinema is handling the international sales, and the film has already been pre-sold to several territories: Little KMBO (France), Luftkind Filmverleih (Germany), Modiband/Rita & Luca Films (Spain), Folkets Bio (Sweden) and Vertigo (Hungary). Born in the Jungle is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, with its international release planned for 2026.