Screened as an official selection at the Cannes and Annecy film festivals, Jérémie Perin’s animated feature debut comes to theaters in 2024, following its domestic French release next month.
GKIDS has acquired North American distribution rights for the highly anticipated French animated feature Mars Express. The debut feature film from Jérémie Perin (CO2, Nini Patalo, Socks, Lastman series) was an official selection at this year’s Cannes and Annecy film festivals and had its U.S. premiere at the Animation is Film Festival in Los Angeles last weekend. Perin combined 2D and 3D animation to create a stylized futuristic film noir.
The film will be released theatrically in 2024 in its original French language and a new English dub, following a domestic release in France next month. The acquisition marks a new collaboration between GKIDS and Perin, following GKIDS’ local distribution of The Rabbi’s Cat, which Perin collaborated on developing. Rodney Uhler of GKIDS and Olivier Barbier of MK2 Films negotiated the deal.
“Mars Express is a film we have been excited about for years since we saw the very first footage,” said GKIDS president David Jesteadt. “This is a timely and provocative story set in one of the greatest animated sci-fi worlds I’ve seen, and we are thrilled to help bring it to North American audiences.”
"MK2 Films is thrilled to initiate this collaboration with GKIDS, one of the best independent distributors for animation in North America,” said MK2 Fils head of acquisition Oliver Barbier. “Mars Express couldn't dream of finding a better home and support from a team fully dedicated to art.”
Set in 2200, Mars Express tells the story of private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner, Carlos Rivera, hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker. On Mars, they descend deep into the underbelly of the planet’s capital city, where they uncover a darker story of brain farms, corruption, and a missing girl who holds a secret about the robots that threaten to change the face of the universe.
Source: GKIDS
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
