Futurikon

presents
 Futurikon
presents

a film by Thomas SZABO and Hélène GIRAUD

DATE OF RELEASE...
89 min – France – 2018 – Scope – 5.1

Check out Minuscule AR, the Augmented Reality video game of Minuscule’s world.
Available on 30th January 2019
 Synopsis
As the first snowflakes fall in the valley, it is high time to gather
supplies for winter. Unfortunately, in the process a young ladybug
is trapped in a parcel... that is shipped off to the Caribbean!
There is only one way out: gather the dream team again! The
ladybug, ant and spider join forces once more on the other side of
the globe. A new world, new encounters and new dangers...will the
rescue squad make it in time?
HOW IT STARTED
Minuscule started life as a short film which went onto to
inspire a TV series and feature-length movie, the writing
of both of which began at the same time. The series
was broadcast in more than 100 countries – including
France, Japan, United States in the rest of the world,
while the DVD of the series sold over a million copies
in France and as many again, appealing to all age groups
in all cultures.
The first movie, Minuscule: Valley of Lost Ants, was
released in more than 50 countries to a global audience
of 5 million people. Critically acclaimed, it won the 2015
César for the Best Animation film (the French accademy
award).
Several years later, a new adventure began, on the other
side of the world, in the Caribbean.
INTERVIEW WITH

Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud

Directors
What sparked the idea of creating a sequel to Minuscule: Shifting the Minuscule world to he Caribbean also helped
Valley of Lost Ants? you appropriate codes from other genres.
Hélène Giraud: While we were working on the second series, HG : We are fond of basing our films on very broad narrative
we decided we wanted to take Minuscule to Guadeloupe archetypes. The first film was a war film, with slippage into
(French West Indies). At the time, it was outside our budget, western and heroic fantasy. Minuscule - Mandibles from Far
but the desire never left us. When our producer, Philippe Away is an adventure movie, using a full-range of adventure
Delarue at Futurikon asked us to make a sequel to the first movie themes: the dangers and pleasures of exploration, the
feature, we decided the time had come. quest to reach beyond personal limits, the encounter with
Thomas Szabo : Writing sequels is tough: viewers want to the unknown, etc.
rediscover what they liked about the first film, while also TS : We wanted to reconnect with the atmosphere of the film
experiencing something new. The writing also had to take adaptations of Sinbad’s adventures, with Ray Harryhausen’s
a new audience into account, viewers who won’t have seen special effects, like Nathan Juran’s The Seventh Voyage of
the first film. The journey to Guadeloupe helped us switch Sinbad. We wanted to take our characters sufficiently far
things around and create a new environment, a new cast of away so that at some point they slip into fantasy, as if they
insects and animals, while sticking to the basic principle of have to break down the barriers of their own realities.
Minuscule. It is a commonplace experience in adventure tales: when
HG : It felt especially important to keep the main characters we wrote the encounter between the insects and the hairy
of the first movie – the ladybug, the ant and the black spider. caterpillars, we were thinking of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of
We had noticed how attached the audience had grown to Darkness and the hero’s encounter with the reclusive Kurtz
them and I think people would be disappointed not to find in the heart of the jungle.
them again.
Humanity is more present in the second movie. The direction is much more dynamic than in Minuscule:
TS : : In Minuscule - Valley of Lost Ants, we tried to keep Valley of Lost Ants.
humans as far in the background as possible. In the series, TS :In the first movie, we were filming with huge relief
humans are only ever seen from behind, or framed waist cameras which meant filming was more static. Minuscule:
downwards. Above all, the human characters never interact Valley of Lost Ants was also a continuation of the series,
with insects’ actions. In Minuscule: Mandibles from Far composed of a series of fixed frames. We wanted to adopt
Away, however, the two worlds – both big and small - the same style as animal documentaries, with a hidden
become more permeable, which helps drive our desire to camera perspective, the camera concealed amid the grass
expand the limits of our own world. filming insects. For Minuscule: Mandibles from Far Away,
LN : We managed to twist the rules of Minuscule to remain working with the director of photography, Dominique
within reasonable limits. Humans, for example, don’t speak. Fausset, we wanted to break free from this approach,
They only use body language. without becoming totally baroque.
TS : : The actors were selected for their comic timing. We
need actors capable of playing in a silent-film register, which There is a qualitative leap between the computer-generated
is harder to do that you can imagine. imagery of the first film and those of the second.
TS : We wanted to take our achievements from the first film
This desire to implicate humans has had a strong impact and build on them, at every level, including the CGI rendering.
on direction Futurikon’s decision to base production 100% in France
TS : This choice did indeed change the writing, involving helped this qualitative leap. The French services company
more elaborate camera movement. There are more that took care of this aspect of the movie and exceeded all
frequent changes of scale, switching from the human scale expectations. Hélène and I were often astounded by what
to the insect scale. Such transitions are constant during the they sent us: the storm scenes are incredible; the slightest
film, because the two worlds had to be connected in a very attention to detail of settings and props is astounding. They
flexible way. We were constantly on the look out to create a even added CGI dust to the cracks in the floorboards of the
globally coherent world. flying galleon. One of our favorite shots is the snow falling
on the ship: each digital snowflake is different, as they touch
the galleon they gradually melt.
HG : The CGI teams achieved the finest craftsmanship. on screen has a real physical existence or if it is computer-
We were using a new rendering engine which enabled us generated. This is another reason why we like models.
to produce a finer finish for materials and the translucent TS : For example, the inside of the shark had to be produced
quality of some insects. Obviously we couldn’t be too as a model in order to work transparencies properly and
realistic but I’m pleased with the balance. It is particularly obtain the detail of the accidents and the mini-collisions
noticeable with the praying mantis, whose translucence of the water in the background. We know the decor isn’t
has benefited from a technique previously used in only completely realistic, but this crafted feel brings an off-beat
two films until now: our own and the Disney Studios humor we love. Nothing is more wonderful than a beautiful
production, Moana. The other new feature is the use of well-filmed model.
photogrammetry, where an environment is photographed HG : And even when there were completely CGI decors,
from every angle then reproduced in CGI. The result is we worked on them to discover the patina, the highly tactile
total realism. For example when the ants arrive at the food feel of small-scale models. The galleon, for example, was
store, in one dollying shot, we switch from a shot of a village created as a model, before a CGI version was produced.
in Mercantour National Park to an environment composed
100% in CGI. The transition is completely undetectable. We The variety of decors is impressive from the Caribbean
always try to combine the various techniques, whether for ladybug tree to the cave of the hairy spider, and from the
exteriors, studio decors, models or CGI. Photogrammetry jungle to the beach.
really helped us here. HG : For several weeks, we travelled the length and breadth
of Guadeloupe’s islands to film deep within the forest or
Despite all the digital technologies available, you’re still on unspoiled beaches - places only locals know, like the
very attached to modeling. Crawfish Waterfall. We returned to film in Mercantour and
HG : You have to remember that, at root, Minuscule is about in Nice airport, but we also had a lot of complete decors,
crafting stories. Thomas and I produced it practically alone which is why the design period of Minuscule: Mandibles
with limited means. Even if we did have a larger budget for from Far Away took longer than the first movie. I undertook
the films, we didn’t want to lose the «hand-made» feel of the six months of intense work with four highly talented
series. The films should be optimized versions of what we conceptual artists to create the environments but also the
were originally doing. Furthermore, I deeply believe that the new characters.
viewer’s reptilian brain knows instinctively whether what is
TS : We also had many more human-scale decors, another of the film. The sound effects and soundtrack were allowed
new aspect to work with. Our production designer Franck be slightly off-beat but never cartoon-like. They really help
Benezech built a food store and sidestreet in the studio, as immerse viewers in the film but also help to bring the CGI
well as a warehouse, the ladybug tree and the inside of a characters to life. The music was recorded in France by the
submarine. Not only does studio work help us to have total Île-de-France National Orchestra (ONDIF) who very much
control over settings but these decors also give a slightly enhanced the musical impact of the film.
off-beat feel: it’s our reality, one step-removed. This is also
why we wanted to create our own pick-up, rather than hire You also focused on character psychology.
a standard white utility vehicle. The arrival of the truck at TS : The two films were also character studies somehow,
Nice airport produces an interesting graphic surprise, like which was not at all the case with the series. In the sequel,
two worlds colliding. The whole film is constructed like this, we wanted our characters to surprise, and take them out of
with elements inhabiting environments foreign to them. their familiar behavioral zone.
This aesthetic mechanism is typical of adventure movies. HL : We wanted for example to develop the character of
the black spider, an unusual character whom we adored
Mathieu Lamboley created the soundtrack. but whom we hadn’t yet quite grasped. In Minuscule:
TS : Minuscule: Mandibles from Far Away is more musical Valley of Lost Ants, she was confined to the doll’s house,
than its predecessor, an understatement in itself! There so we wanted to release her to explore the potential of
is over one hour of music – vast for any film. Mathieu’s her character and mystery. She is still a surly and solitary
composition is highly meticulous and complex. We’ve often figure but here we see her helping her fellow-insects. The
said that his work is Sergei Prokofiev’s «Peter and the Wolf- ant meanwhile is no long leader of the group; he is now
meets-the-Insect-World». We’re essentially working with the spider’s lieutenant, so suffers as a consequence. To us,
leitmotivs, which we modulate and link together depending these trials and tribulations make him more touching. We
on events. The music tells the story of the film; it’s not simply expanded the ladybug’s personal development: in the first
a musical accompaniment. I worked with Côme Jalibert’s movie, the child ladybug grows into an adolescent. Now
sound team in the same way. We spent five weeks devoted he is confronted by parenting issues, before undertaking a
solely to recording sound effects, a very important aspect brave choice at the climax of the movie.
This desire to develop characters was only possible and relies on what the camera gives us, which is sometimes
through extensive work on animation. very complex to resolve in terms of direction. Especially
TS : We learned a great deal about characters in the first film because sometimes the ideas we are trying to express can
and we were able to develop their behavior, touch on very be quite complex. One example is the child’s relationship
subtle aspects - the flicker of an eye, a wiggle of the hips to the ladybug. It is also for this reason that the role of
- alongside Futurikon’s animation director Thomas Monti film editing was very limited: if two shots are inversed, the
and the whole animation Studio. But we also had to keep meaning is lost. Everything is played out at the writing and
continuity with Minuscule 1, i.e. refuse anthropomorphism, storyboard stage.
use very neutral expressions, and not over-animate our HG : We couldn’t use dialogue to compensate for any
characters, as is the case with most CGI animation films. oversight in direction. So we tried to simplify things, which
Situations and direction are the main vectors of emotion. is extremely complicated to do. Minuscule is devoid of
We really worked using the Kuleshov effect. artifice, at least not in its terms of its direction. There is little
embellishment.
This is also what makes the Minuscule movies purely
cinematic.
TS : There is no dialogue and the characters’ expressions are
ultimately highly restrained. Narration is completely visual,
Futurikon:
the production company
The partnership between the directors and the producer
of Minuscule Philippe Delarue (Futurikon) began in 2004,
while they were working on other Futurikon projects.
Hélène Giraud and Thomas Szabo presented the original
short film of Minuscule to Philippe Delarue who was
immediately won over. He offered to finance a pilot with
a view to creating a series but also to develop a feature-
length movie.

Several years later, after two successful seasons of

the series and one César award for Best Animation
Picture for the film in 2015, Philippe Delarue was well
aware that the authors’ creative world still had much
to offer, so suggested the directors produce a sequel
to Minuscule - Valley of Lost Ants. During the making of
season 2 of the series, the directors already had a hunch
that Guadeloupe would make a perfect setting for their
characters, and it was immediately decided that the
archipelago should host this new installment. Thus the
Minuscule 2 adventure commenced!
The wild location of the National Parks
While the miniature heroes of the saga are digitally the film’s action takes place, they take us to paradise
animated, the decors are very real. It is Minuscule’s creators’ beaches, spectacular cliff plunging into the ocean, luxuriant
badge of honor to communicate the natural beauty of these rainforests and the tangled liana of the canopy. Guadeloupe
spaces, out of their desire for authenticity and in the belief National Park is home to an astonishingly unique variety of
that this natural beauty is perfect in itself. Minuscule is an animal species and plant life. All these natural elements have
ode to nature, celebrating the diversity of the flora and provided sources of inspiration for the Minuscule artistic
fauna in our prairies, forests and rivers. In parallel with team. Part of the story also takes place in the Mercantour
the contemplative aspect of the saga, there is the off-beat National Park, where the adventure first began.
humorous side, a unique perspective of flourishing wildlife
around us. Shooting the Minuscule films has involved Guadeloupe Regional Council and its Film Bureau welcomed
partnerships with the National Parks and regional bodies the Minuscule: Mandibles from Far Away production team
governing the film locations in order to identify the best with open arms and helped the film crew to discover the
sites for the film’s needs and also respect the environment. incredible wealth and wonder of the local landscapes. A
close partnership was created, offering invaluable assistance
For the first feature film, Minuscule’s directors Thomas on such a complex shoot.
Szabo and Hélène Giraud took us into the Écrins and
Mercantour National Parks. They spent months exploring Alongside the Guadeloupe National Park, the French
the parks to pinpoint the most atmospheric settings: its National Park organization and Mercantour National Park
mysterious undergrowths, its enchanted clearings and the again teamed up with Futurikon in sharing the emotions,
most expressive streams to give an epic, majestic dimension respect and ideas inspired by biodiversity. Today’s society
to the miniature adventure. offers few supports to communicate such values to younger
generations and promote awareness about the micro-fauna
In the second film, this love affair with France’s national around us. The aim is to set people dreaming, and foster
parks continues. The creators of Minuscule have taken their our love of nature through the Minuscule world in a creative
adventure into tropical climes. Entranced by the incredible and amusing way.
biodiversity of Guadeloupe (French West Indies), where
Animation
100% Made-in-France
Minuscule is the only French film of recent years to have
been entirely produced in France. Futurikon also called
on the French animation studio and the special effects,
image rendering and compositing studio VFX. Inspired by
the desire to optimize the movie’s quality, the producer
Futurikon chose to localize production entirely in France.
The new film hence offers a distinctive qualitative
improvement on the preceding work, which augurs well
for the third and final part of the saga.
Preparatory sketches
Music
Minuscule is one of the rare French films of recent years
whose production has been entirely French-based, right
down to the film music. The soundtrack was recorded
by the Île-de-France National Orchestra (ONDIF) in its
new studio specialized in film music recording; Minuscule
is fortunate enough to be the first film to enjoy their
magnificent facilities.
Minuscule: Mandibles from Far Away is more musical than
its predecessor, an understatement in itself! There is over
one hour of music – vast for any film. Mathieu’s composition
is highly meticulous and complex. We’ve often said that his
work is Sergei Prokofiev’s «Peter and the Wolf-meets-the-
Insect-World». We’re essentially working with leitmotivs,
which we modulate and link together depending on
events. The music tells the story of the film; it’s not simply
a musical accompaniment. I worked with Côme Jalibert’s
sound team in the same way. We spent five weeks devoted
solely to recording sound effects, a very important aspect
of the film. The sound effects and soundtrack were allowed
be slightly off-beat but never cartoon-like. They really help
immerse viewers in the film but also help to bring the CGI
characters to life. The music was recorded in France by the
Île-de-France National Orchestra (ONDIF) who very much
enhanced the musical impact of the film.»
Thomas Szabo

The original soundtrack will be released worlwide on a

CD and digitaly by BMG
Minuscule AR
Augmented Reality video game
Much to our delight, the Minuscule are among us.
They are everywhere: on our screens, and now even
in our homes! Minuscule AR offers an unforgettable
gaming experience, in which the Minuscules
embark on remarkable AR adventures. Get ready
to discover astonishing and lovable creatures along
this fantastic quest: experience the Minuscule AR
adventure!

3 different mini-games, 2 different modes and a

high replayability potential. A fun and accessible
game for the whole family, even if you haven’t seen
the film yet!
Contact : Romain Bonnin
[email protected]
Technical list
Directed by
Thomas Szabo & Hélène Giraud
Based on an original idea of
Thomas Szabo & Hélène Giraud With the participation of
Le Pacte
Produced by Éditions Montparnasse
Philippe Delarue Canal+
France Télévisions
Original score OCS
Mathieu Lamboley
In association with
Production design B Media 2013
Hélène Giraud B Media 2014
SOFITVCINE 3
Production
Futurikon With the support of
CNC
Co-production La Région Guadeloupe
IFilmFilm Entertainment La Région Île-de-France
France 3 Cinéma La Région Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur in partnership with the CNC
Le département des Alpes-Maritimes in partnership with the CNC
Associate producers
Géo PLC Music publishing
Flair production Futurikon SA
World in progress studio BMG Rights Management France
 a film by Thomas SZABO and Hélène GIRAUD

produced by PHILIPPE DELARUE a FUTURIKON FILMS production original score by MATHIEU LAMBOLEY
in co - production with IFILMFILM - FRANCE 3 CINEMA co - producers ZHOU TIANXIANG - SHANG XUEMEI associate producers CHRISTOPHE FÉVRIER - LAURENT RAMAMONJIARISOA - GUILLAUME ROY
with the participation of LE PACTE and EDITIONS MONTPARNASSE - CANAL + - FRANCE TÉLÉVISIONS - OCS animation studios THE YARD - SUPAMONKS - FUTURIKON in association with B MEDIA 2013 - B MEDIA 2014 - SOFITVCINE 3
with the support of CNC - RÉGION GUADELOUPE - RÉGION ILE-DE-FRANCE - RÉGION PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE D’AZUR in partnership with the CNC- DÉPARTEMENT DES ALPES-MARITIMES in partnership with the CNC
worldwide sales FUTURIKON music publishing FUTURIKON FILMS and BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT FRANCE
© MMXVIII FUTURIKON FILMS – IFILMFILM – FRANCE 3 CINÉMA. ALL RIGHTS RESEVED

CHECK OUT MINUSCULE AR , THE AUGMENTED REALITY VIDEO GAME OF THE WORLD OF MINUSCULE AVAILABLE ON 30TH JANUARY 2019