Jeremy Irons, Vanessa Redgrave and Michael York have joined the voice cast of 3D animated family sci-fi adventure “The Crystal Planet,” which is being sold in Cannes by Sola Media.
The film, directed by Croatian helmer Arsen Anton Ostojic, is based on an original screenplay by Dušan Vukotić, who won an Oscar for animated short “The Substitute.”
“The Crystal Planet” tells the story of 11-year-old Rea, who has recently moved to a distant planet in an outer-space colony where she discovers a mysterious animal cub while her father works in a factory that builds robotic creatures. With the help of her new friend Andy, she must protect the real cub from the factory’s ruthless owner, who intends to turn it into a robotic prototype.
Irons voices the morally complex antagonist Governor Mordokan, Redgrave is The Matriarch, and York is The Patriarch of the unknown animal species living in the planet’s subterranean caves.
“I had a lot of fun playing Governor Mordokan and working with the team on this project,” Irons said. “Mordokan is a complex character, both a greedy industrialist and a caring father, but his internal grief puts at risk his new planet and all the colorful animals who live there.”
The film marks the first animated feature for Ostojic, known for his live-action work. “My late professor, the Oscar-winner Dušan Vukotić, shared a draft of the script with me back in the ‘90s,” said the director. “Years later, after inheriting the rights, I hesitated — unsure I could meet the challenge. But once I partnered with Alkay Animation Prague and its visionary producer Petr Horak, as well as with Peter Badač from BFilm, I found the path forward. Diving into the wonderful world of animation with its seemingly unlimited possibilities allowed me to create a visually rich movie, and it is a journey that I am immensely proud of.”
“ ‘The Crystal Planet’ delivers a timely and engaging adventure with a strong environmental message that will resonate with young audiences,” Solveig Langeland, managing director of Sola Media, said. “It’s a creatively bold film that makes the most of its resources, driven by big ideas, exceptional talent, and an Oscar-winning cast — perfect for the global family market.”
Production is handled by Filmosaurus Rex, BFilm and Alkay Animation Prague, one of the Czech Republic’s top animation studios, whose “My Sunny Maad” won the Jury Prize in Annecy and earned a Golden Globe nomination.
Animation is supervised by Jakub Pistecky, whose credits include “Rango,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Avengers.”
The project is supported by a number of European film bodies, including the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Czech Audiovisual Fund, Slovak Audiovisual Fund, Czech TV, Croatian TV, Creative Europe/MEDIA, and Eurimages.
