Autour de Minuit, Spamflix Board Buzzy Brazilian Animated Feature

France’s Autour de Minuit, behind Academy Award-winning animated short “Logorama,” and Spamflix, a burgeoning force in Portuguese animation production and distribution, have boarded Brazilian filmmaker and cinematographer Erick Ricco’s “The March of the Sunflowers,” one of the animation highlights at this week’s Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM).

Already working up an industry fanbase at December’s Animation! In Ventana Sur, “The March of the Sunflowers” hits BAM as one of its buzziest animation projects, a joint production between Ricco’s Tuba Studio and Ricco Filmes, both based in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Brazil’s southeastern state of Minas Gerais, and producer Ivan Melo’s Cup Filmes in São Paulo. Autour de Minuit and Spamflix have now joined the project as co-production partners.

In the animated feature, when the sun fails to rise after her family loses their only rooster, 9-year-old Marialice sets off with her loyal chick, Marques, following a march of sunflowers across Brazil’s magical backlands. Along the way, she encounters talking animals, living shadows and mythical creatures, discovering the courage to bring daylight back to the world.

Aimed at children aged 6 to 9 and family audiences, the stop-motion animated fantasy adventure is currently in pre-production and scheduled to begin shooting in 2027.

“‘The March of the Sunflowers’ will be the first stop-motion feature ever produced in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais,” said Melo. “It is also among the very few Brazilian animated features created specifically for young children. Inspired by the landscapes, folklore and traditional craftsmanship of the sertão of Minas Gerais, the film introduces an authentic Brazilian heroine while celebrating one of Brazil’s richest yet least represented cultural regions.

“Visually, the project draws inspiration from the legacy of Giramundo, Brazil’s legendary puppet theater company, through the work of art director Ulisses Tavares,” Melo added.

An independent production company focused on auteur cinema and animation with international appeal, Cup Filmes’ productions include Marcelo Caetano’s acclaimed 2024 relationship drama “Baby,” which premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, and the 2021 award-winning stop-motion feature “Bob Spit – We Do Not Like People,” directed by Cesar Cabral.

For Nicolas Schmerkin, founder and CEO of Paris-based Autour de Minuit, “The March of the Sunflowers” represents an ideal international stop-motion co-production.

“Autour de Minuit is celebrating this year its 25th anniversary,” said Schmerkin. “After several shorts and TV specials in stop motion, including the five last adventures from the ‘A Town Called Panic’ franchise, Autour de Minuit is very pleased to join Cup Films and Spamflix for the co-production of a first feature film with this wonderful technique.

“We fell in love with the story and visuals when Ivan Melo and Erick Ricco pitched the project at Ventana Sur last year and we hope to contribute by sending French talent to the animation sets in Brazil, but also bringing our expertise in CGI (for the crowd scenes for example) and compositing.”

Indeed, with Autour de Minuit, the project has gained as a partner one of Europe’s leading animation production companies, internationally recognized for its innovative films, series and hybrid productions, among them the Goya Award-winning “Psychonauts, the Forgotten Children” and “Unicorn Wars.”

“The March of the Sunflowers” is likewise bolstered by the addition of Lisbon-based Spamflix, a burgeoning and admired producer of original animated films and the distributor of selected animation titles in Portugal.

Penned by Rafael Assunção, “The March of the Sunflowers” marks the first feature film project from Ricco’s Tubz Studio and Ricco Filmes shingles, which develop and produce original animated projects. 

The project is supported by the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil’s Ministry of Culture, Energisa and Animaparque, part of the Polo Audiovisual in Minas Gerais’ Zona da Mata region.