Julien Bisaro and Claire Paoletti’s animated family feature follows a young blue penguin who unexpectedly becomes guardian of an echidna egg; release planned for 2028.
The Little Run, an animated feature film project from director Julien Bisaro and co-writer Claire Paoletti, has entered pre-production with a theatrical release planned for 2028.
Produced by Picolo Pictures and aimed at family audiences ages 5 and up, the film was first introduced at MIFA 2023, where it won three pitching-session awards: the Ciclic Centre-Val de Loire Region Award, the SACD Award and the Cristal Publishing Award.
The Little Run follows Cookie, a young male blue penguin who unexpectedly becomes the guardian of an echidna egg after a volcanic eruption devastates his New Zealand habitat. The tender, visually rich adventure explores inter-species adoption, attachment and chosen family.
The project has since secured presales with Canal+, Ciné+ and France 3 Cinéma in France, as well as ZDF in Germany. It has also received CNC Advance on Receipts support.
The production is setting up the animation pipeline with partner studios while it develops a Luxembourg co-production with Doghouse Films. Diaphana Distribution remains attached for French distribution, with Charades handling international sales.
“It’s amazing to see the movie we dreamed up with Julien come to life right before our eyes,” Paoletti commented. “I can’t wait to share this story - which is especially close to our hearts - with a large audience thanks to the partners and exceptional artists who came together for the film.”
The film follows in the artistic footsteps of Picolo’s Shooom’s Odyssey, the César-nominated TV special that received 54 awards worldwide, continuing its distinctive storytelling approach with no spoken dialogue. Instead, the narrative is driven by sounds, emotions, movement and an immersive sensory relationship to nature, with a painterly 2D aesthetic, vibrant visual universe and strong emotional core.
Source: Picolo Pictures
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
