Urban Sales Racks Up Deals on Animation ‘Into the Wonderwoods’ Ahead of Cannes World Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

Christopher Vourlias
·2 min read
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Urban Sales has closed a raft of deals on the upcoming animated feature “Into the Wonderwoods” ahead of its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Special Screenings section.

The film, which bows with a special screening May 22 at the prestigious French fest, has sold to 45 territories, the Paris-based sales outfit announced during the Cannes Market. Pic has sold to Volga for the CIS territories and the Baltics; Selim Ramia & Co. for the MENA region; Skyline for Vietnam; New Horizons for Poland; Ascot Elite for Switzerland; Movies Inspired for Italy; Vercine for Spain; and Pris Audiovisuais for Portugal.

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The family animation next travels to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to compete in the main competition for the prestigious Cristal award. Le Pacte will be releasing the film in France on Oct. 23. Advanced negotiations are ongoing for Benelux, China, Germany, Turkey, Latin America and North America.

“Into the Wonderwoods” is co-directed by Oscar nominee and Cannes Jury Prize winner Vincent Paronnaud (“Persepolis”) and Alexis Ducord (“Zombillenium”). Budgeted at $10 million, it’s based on a comic book that Paronnaud created under the pseudonym Winshluss.

The family film follows 10-year-old Angelo, who dreams of becoming an explorer and a zoologist. When he hits the road with his family to visit his beloved granny, his distracted parents leave him behind at a rest stop. Left to his own devices, Angelo decides to cut through the forest in search of his family. He enters a dark and mysterious world inhabited by strange creatures, some friendlier than others.

Pic is produced by animation banners Je Suis Bien Content (“Persepolis”), Gaoshan Pictures (“Le Petit Nicolas,” “I Lost My Body”) and Zeilt Productions (“Mr. Hublot”) and features the voice work of actors Philippe Catherine, Jose Garcia and Yolande Moreau.

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