Le Petit Nicolas, the famous comic character from the 1950s, meets his creators in the Animest.17 opening screening

Little Nicholas, the mischievous character who marked the childhoods of generations of readers from all over the world, invites his creators to play in the film that will open the 17th edition of Animest (October 7-16, Bucharest, Romania). Winner of the Cristal Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the Annecy Festival, and the only animation included in the Cannes Festival Official Selection this year, Le Petit Nicolas is a tribute to author René Goscinny and illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé, who started creating the famous children’s series in the 1950s, later translated and published in over 30 countries.

Fans of animated films, it’s time to snag one of the limited edition Animest.17 passes available at eventbook.ro/festival/animest!

Somewhere between Montmartre and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Jean-Jacques Sempé and René Goscinny put their heads together, and Little Nicholas, an impish endearing boy, springs to life on a large white sheet of paper. From schoolyard games and fights to summer camp pranks and camaraderie, Nicholas lives a merry and thrilling childhood. In Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre’s film, the little boy is animated for the first time. He looks just like Sempé’s original illustrations and is still lively and playful – and even, perhaps, a little more daring.

As the adventures of Nicholas and his friends unfold, the boy escapes storyland and makes his way into his creators’ workshop, endless light-hearted questions at the ready. Face to face with their brainchild, Sempé and Goscinny recount snapshots of their own childhoods, that they haven’t gotten to fully enjoy. These slightly underwhelming experiences inspired them to create the colorful fascinating universe that’s transformed entire families into lifelong fans.

So, over 50 years since Nicholas appeared on the first comic strip, the character and his creators star in a momentous meeting whose stirring original soundtrack is composed by Ludovic Bourse, winner of the 2012 Oscar for Best Original Score for the movie The Artist.   

Le Petit Nicolas will charm audiences of all ages, whether you’ve read the books or not.

Animest has many other lovely surprises in store for you. Want the full festival experience? Get one of the 50 Full Trip Passes (access to all festival events) or the hundred 10 Stops Passes (access to 10 screenings) on the Eventbook platform!

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The 17th edition of the Animest International Animation Film Festival is co-financed through the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, the Romanian Film Centre, Groupama Insurance, Romanian Cultural Institute, and the Goethe Institute, and implemented with support from Studioset.