26/02/2007

Presented on Saturday at the professional meetings of the Anima Film Festival, Fly Me to the Moon is a new, ambitious and very Belgian production.

From the slate of Brussels-based Studio nWave, the film, on the adventures of three flies who land on the moon with Neil Armstrong, is the first animated feature to be made in 3D.

While some animated films are soon to be transferred to 3D format, Fly Me to the Moon is the first to have been written and produced for 3D projection. Aside from technical and directing issues, this focuses attention on the immersive dimension of projection and a slower rhythm in terms of its sensory dimension.

Director-producer Ben Stassen co-founded Studio nWave in 1994. The company specialises in the manufacturing and distribution of 3D content, for which it is the international market leader.

Fly Me to the Moon, which went into production a year and a half ago, is set for release in late 2007. It took significantly less time to produce than most animated features as its direction, by artistic director Jérémie Degruson, animation director Philippe Tailliez and a 60-strong team, enabled the different stages of the film to be made in parallel.

Thanks to private and tax shelter funding, the €17.5m Fly Me to the Moon was produced by the studio with revenue generated from its international distribution and sales of 3D content.

(Translated from French)