Soon, a delightful animated film for both children and adults from the creators of "Despicable Me" and "Minions" will premiere in Ukrainian cinemas.
Cinema enthusiasts will surely remember Ace Ventura, played by Jim Carrey – the eccentric detective in a Hawaiian shirt, capable of locating any missing animal: from hamsters to dolphins. Now, in the quest for missing pets, Ace has a new animated rival – a cheeky detective pig named HitPig.
Together with Adastra Cinema, the Ukrainian distributor of the animated film "HitPig: The Search for Missing Pets," we share why this unusual movie is a must-see for the whole family, hitting theaters in Ukraine on February 6.
“If your cat is a wanderer, if your bull has suddenly disappeared, and your cow is missing again – you need me, HitPig!” – quite a self-assured tagline. But it’s honest, as HitPig is indeed remarkably confident, and on top of that, a skilled detective in the search for lost pets. One day, he receives a very lucrative assignment: to find the missing circus elephant, Pickles. He manages to locate her almost immediately, but upon meeting her, he realizes that returning to the circus is out of the question for the free-spirited Pickles, as she is being mistreated there. HitPig and Pickles gradually become true friends, and friends always help each other in times of trouble.
"HitPig: The Search for Missing Pets" is an adaptation of the wonderful children's book, a New York Times bestseller, "Pete and Pickles" (2008). The author is Berkeley Breathed, a writer and illustrator who won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. Berkeley helped screenwriters David Rosenbaum ("Minions: The Rise of Gru," "Riverdance: The Animated Adventure") and Tyler Werrin ("Riverdance: The Animated Adventure") adapt (or rather, rewrite) his own 25-page book into a feature-length animated film, served as the executive producer of the project, and also developed concept art for the film's characters, including how HitPig should look.
“I had an incredible time designing for the film. Perhaps for other illustrators, the process of transforming their books into a 3D movie would be more painful, but in my heart, I’m a filmmaker, so it posed no problems for me,” says Berkeley.
If the style and humor of "HitPig: The Search for Missing Pets" remind you of the iconic animation studio Illumination, it’s no coincidence. Although the film was created by the British studio Aniventure, its directors are Cincia Angelini and David Feiss, who have worked on Illumination’s flagship films about Gru and his mischievous minions. Cincia was the art director for the films "Minions" (2015) and "Despicable Me 3" (2017), while David developed the visual storytelling for "Minions: The Rise of Gru" (2022).
And while this film hasn’t hit theaters yet, there's no need to be bored! The online cinema SWEET.TV offers global and Ukrainian movie premieres, timeless classics, cult series, and other unique cinematic offerings. With SWEET.TV, your evening is guaranteed to be interesting!
To make the animated film engaging for both young viewers and their parents, the creators took a creative approach to both the animation style and the storyline.
Cincia Angelini envisioned giving the world where HitPig and Pickles' adventures unfold a futuristic cyberpunk aesthetic: lots of neon against a generally gloomy backdrop, with a vibe reminiscent of the 1980s – something akin to "Blade Runner," but in the format of a children's animated film. This bold idea worked! Such aesthetics attract adult viewers, while the film is additionally "colored" with bright hues for the little ones.
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“This film started out quite dark, but Belgian artist Silvie Lacroix, who became our art director, added many pastel colors – turquoise, salmon, and so on – and it works. This contrast sets "HitPig" apart from other 3D animated films, which are usually very brightly lit, giving it its own unique style,” explains David Feiss.
In addition to developing the visual style, the animation creators also needed to establish logical rules for the specific cinematic world where animals like HitPig can talk, think, act, and move like humans, while other animals – like Pickles – generally behave like ordinary four-legged creatures (except for their ability to speak). This posed a significant production challenge, especially considering that the story also includes human characters.
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“Everything has to be logical but at the same time simple and understandable even for the youngest audience. So the main rule was that HitPig communicated with people, while other animals spoke only among themselves. HitPig became a bridge between humans and animals in this world and is the only character who could break the animals' rules,” explains Cincia Angelini.
The script also incorporated many jokes for viewers of various age groups. Additionally, the cartoon has a certain social mission, as it emphasizes animal rights, though it does so in a fun and playful manner.
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“We don’t act too pushy. A lot of what we wanted to convey is simply expressed through the story of the friendship between HitPig and Pickles, through their care for one another. So anyone can watch this story and enjoy it as it is,” says David Feiss, a vegetarian for whom the theme of animal protection is personally very important.
And starting February 6, this story will be in cinemas.