Available on DVD, Pil recounts the eventful adventure of a clever and fearless heroine to save a prince in danger. Before seeing it or seeing it again, here are 5 things to know about this animated film for young and old by Julien Fournet!
WHAT DOES IT SAY?
Pil, a little orphan, lives in the streets of the city of Roc-en-Brume. With her three tame weasels, she survives by going to steal food from the castle of the sinister regent Tristain, who usurps the throne.
One fine day, to escape the guards pursuing her, Pil disguises himself by putting on a princess dress. Here she is then embarked in spite of herself on a mad and delirious quest to save Roland, the heir to the throne victim of an enchantment and transformed into… chapoul (half cat, half hen). An adventure that will turn the whole kingdom upside down and teach Pil that nobility can be found in each of us.
Discover the animated film Pil now on DVD.
A FILM MADE IN FRANCE
After having feasted young and old at the cinema this summer, she is preparing to delight the whole family at the end of the year: the intrepid heroine Pil is now available on DVD. The perfect opportunity to (re) discover this animated film behind which hides a French team: the director and screenwriter Julien Fournet and the Toulouse production company TAT Productions by David Alaux, Éric Tosti and Jean-François Tosti.
Names that may not mean anything to you, and yet: we owe them the very successful animated series Les As de la Jungle à la Rescue and the feature film which also features Maurice and his gang. In the vein of these successes, Pil addresses both children and their parents: “I wanted to send nods to an adult audience, while creating endearing characters who live a strong story,” says Julien Fournet.
A MODERN HISTORY
With her reckless and cunning heroine, Pil sets himself apart from traditional animated films by featuring an outsider character in the title role. “I wanted to develop this female character in a register that is not that of combat and the warrior, but more anchored in the political and the social: she contributes to straighten out the politics of the kingdom and understands that we can redistribute the riches, ” explains the screenwriter.
The feature film also makes fun of stereotypes: the prince is in danger here, the unicorn is not as friendly an animal as one might imagine and the witch turns out to be a very nice woman. Thanks to his modern history, Julien Fournet aspires to highlight values such as solidarity and the acceptance of difference.
TAT productions, SND – Groupe M6, France 3 Cinema / 2021
A FIRST FOR THE STUDIO!
After the adventures of a gang of completely crazy animals in The Beasts of the Jungle, and the discovery of an unknown planet populated by amazing creatures in Terra Willy, TAT Productions sets out for the first time to create a entire city and an exclusively human universe. Pil is therefore a real challenge for the team, overcome nevertheless brilliantly!
A CAREFUL RESULT
Although the production company does not have the same resources as the big animation studios, it does everything it can to offer viewers films that meet its ambitions. Scenario, brightness, color grading, music … nothing is left to chance.
“In technical matters, we are smart: we know how to create beautiful images with few resources. We are aware that we don’t have the resources to animate as much as the big American studios and we are therefore focusing on lighting, photography and compositing, ” says producer Jean-François Tosti.
THE DIRECTOR’S INSPIRATIONS
To write and direct Pil, Julien Fournet was inspired by readings that marked his childhood, such as comics Johan and Peewit by Peyo, but also from the world of role-playing games and great classics of literature such as the works of JRR Tolkien. What about the heroine’s hairstyle? The Vikings series was a source of inspiration for the graphic designer of the film!
Discover the result in pictures in the animated film Pil, available on DVD.
