IT
This Halloween, cinemas will belong to “Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom” (released in Italy by Lucky Red from October 28) was unveiled to the #Giffoni56 jurors by directors Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, who introduced an exclusive clip and trailer just one week after production wrapped at Aardman Studios, north of Bristol.
In the film, Shaun and his friends plant a pumpkin patch to prepare for the biggest night of the year. But when a mysterious, furry creature with a frightening appearance shows up, it threatens to ruin the Halloween celebrations.
“Our love of horror films was the main inspiration”, Walker explained. “It took us four years to develop the project and nine months to shoot it. Besides the two of us directing, around 30 to 40 animators worked on the film, along with a crew of 75 people and about 500 contributors in total. This is our first feature film dedicated to Shaun after producing seven seasons of the series. It’s a much more ambitious project”.
“After sending Shaun into the city and even into space”, Cox added, “we thought it would be fun to set a story during a holiday that everyone loves”.
The result? “We’re really proud of it”, Walker said. “It feels different from the previous films, and we can’t wait for young audiences to see it”.
Speaking about their experience at the festival, Cox reflected: “I wish we’d had a Giffoni like this when I was a child in the UK. The Giffoners are the best audience in the world because they’re children, and children are completely honest. They always say exactly what they think. We wish we’d met them before finishing the film. I’m sure they would have given us invaluable advice”.