Annecy: Deals Roll In for ‘Harvie & the Magic Museum’ Animated Feature

By Stewart Clarke

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Planet Nemo has sealed a raft of deals for CGI kids feature “Harvie & the Magic Museum.” The film was one of the most successful animated Europe-originated features ever in its domestic Czech market, and it has now been picked up by distributors including Delta for Latin America. The deals were announced as the Annecy Animation Festival and MIFA market got underway.

In Germany, Peppermint has the 85-minute feature, and in Israel it has gone to Five Stars. FrontRow, Freealize and Kinofilm have also picked it up, for the Middle East, Romania, and Ukraine respectively.

The film is produced by Rolling Pictures from the Czech Republic, with Belgium’s Grid VFX, and Russia’s KinoAtis. It follows Harvie, and his father, Mr. Spejbl, who runs the local puppet museum, which the mayor has ordered be destroyed. During the demolition, Harvie, his dog Jerry, friend Monica are swallowed into the caverns of the museum, where they find out about its mysteries and embark on an adventure to rescue it.

The film had already sold to China, South Korea, and across several countries in central and eastern Europe. Frédéric Puech, executive producer, Planet Nemo said: “Harvie has already been a smash hit in its domestic market and the franchise continues to build momentum following its successful debut in English at Berlin EFM and at the recent Cannes Film Festival.”