Multiple Emmy Award winner Baobab Studios will unveil a first look at their newest immersive experience, Baba Yaga, with a special “Work in Progress” presentation at the Annecy International Animation Festival’s 2020 Online edition. The presentation will debut on Monday, June 15 and be available to accredited festival viewers for the entire two-week event.
Baobab’s WIP session at Annecy Online will feature co-founder/CEO Maureen Fan, co-founder/CCO Eric Darnell and co-founder/CTO Larry Cutler, as well as several other key members of the Baobab team such as Head of Content Kane Lee, Co-director Mathias Chelebourg, Animation Supervisor Ken Fountain and Production Designer Glenn Hernandez. The presentation will reflect on many of the studio’s award-winning past films, from Asteroids!, Invasion! and Bonfire to Crow: The Legend, and discuss the studio’s philosophy and unique approach to interactive filmmaking while offering a special sneak peek at Baba Yaga.
Directed by Darnell, whose pre-Baobab credits include the Madagascar film franchise, and co-directed by Mathias Chelebourg, Baba Yaga is a contemporary portrayal of the Eastern European legend inspired by illustrative 2D pop-up animation, hand-drawn and stop-motion styles, creating a modern visual language for VR inspired by classic animation. Leveraging the studio’s award-winning animation pioneers and interactive gaming veterans, Baba Yaga blends theater, cinema and animation into a unique experience that explores themes of empowerment and environmentalism.
“While we wish we could actually be in Annecy meeting up with all our friends in the industry to celebrate the best in animation this month, we’re so happy to participate in the festival’s online programming with this first look at what we’ve been up to at Baobab with our newest film, Baba Yaga,” said Darnell.
Additionally, the Baobab Studios team will participate in a Live Q&A hosted by the Annecy festival on June 23 at 9 a.m. PST / 6 p.m. France time. Featured panelists will include several key creatives from the Baba Yaga production, including Darnell, Chelebourg, Fountain and Development Producer Shannon Ryan.
Baba Yaga will premiere in multiple formats later this year.
www.baobabstudios.com
