Over the last few years we have produced several short animated movies and won over 60 international awards. The last 2 years we devoted to development of the “proof of concept” for the first feature, the short 15 minutes animated movie with the same title “Twice Upon a Time”. In 2017, this short animation was in the selection of Short Film Corner in Cannes Festival and Ottawa International Animation Festival and it won 27 international awards thus far. Vojin recently started teaching animation at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade. He also has a rich experience in directing theatre for children and adults with over 40 plays in Canada and Serbia including musicals.

Beside our studio in Belgrade, we have a sister company To Blink Studio in Toronto, where dedicated creative and production team is working. The “Twice Upon a Time” proof of concept was a successful coproduction between Canada, Serbia and Hungary. The short film has won awards for, among others, the best script at film festivals in Canada, Spain and India, which confirms that the story communicates well despite its complexity.

Story Background

Proof of concept, 15 minute animation “Twice Upon a Time” helped us do a character study, explore the split worlds ideas and decide which art and script direction we want to take with the feature. We realized that we need to allow the audience deal with this issue better from the perspective of a child. The world always has the flip side of the coin. Our wish is for the audience to feel the connection and identification with young rebel Nika, but also with both kings (or both sides of the king) at different moments.  Nika will have her own growing up journey from little spoiled princess to a caring child taking responsibility of her father’s well being.

Nine year old Princess Nika is a young, rebellious, distrustful princes who thinks the world is turning around her.  She would like to spend more time with her father, but he is always busy…

Her father, Poet King, is always busy trying to defeat his archenemy Warrior King. Nika sets on a journey to help him fight this annoying battle. The only problem is that these two kings are actually one man.

After her mother died her father became split inside. In order to bring her father back Nika, at first acting very spoiled, lies about Dragon appearance; since she is made out of paper she packs herself in a letter and sends herself away in order to false her own kidnapping and ends up being actually kidnapped. She learns that… “Things are not as simple as she taught”, that she needs to take responsibility not only after herself but also after her father’s and kingdom’s well being. Ultimately she will take her father on an adventure to confront her father’s two headed Dragon.

GENRE

Family comedy

TARGET AUDIENCE, TYPE

family, 7-11, 3D feature animation

STATUS

in development. Supported by MEDIA Creative Europe and Film Centre of Serbia project development and Film Centre of Serbia for Production. Development training through CEE Animation Workshop (Ljubljana 2018, Budapest and Trebon 2019). At the CEE Animation Forum 2019 in Trebon the project won both the Audience Award and Anomalia Award for participation in Character Design Lab @ ANOMALIA development incubator led by Geefwee Boedoe (Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Oscar nominee) in Litomysl (CZ). in July 2019

LENGHT OF THE FILM, SOUND, LANGUAGES

90 minutes, 5.1, English, Serbian

PRODUCERS

To Blink Animation (Serbia), Vojin Vasović, Andrijana Sofranić Šućur, and Milorad Kocić

PARTNERS IN PLACE

To Blink Studio (Canada), Vojin Vasović and Stevan Mitrović,

Boomerang films (Canada), Tara Boire

TEAM

art director

Nikola Stepkovic

character design

NIkola Stepkovic, Sonja Varga

sound designer

Vladimir Kerkez 

animators

Mladen Nikolić, Snezana Čubrilović, Andjela Joković 

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