7 min animated short film (1982)

Synopsis

At the very top, an inaccessible princess.

At the very bottom, a hunchback who everyone despises.

Between them lie people with their selfishness, habits and petty-mindedness.

However, the hunchback has a secret that he is not aware of...

Notes

I shot "The Legend of the Poor Hunchback" after "The 3 Inventors". It is at the other end of the scale. "The 3 Inventors" required such intense work, dainty to an extreme. For the "Poor Hunchback", there was no animation, no coloring, no dialogue, no voice-over, no camera movement, and since there is no justice in this world, the film won a Cesar award for the best animated short film.
Once again, it is paper cut outs, but this cannot be seen. It looks like a 15th century wood engraving, when in fact I only used a felt-tip pen and white paper. Then, I greyed the drawing with charcoal and pastel, and inserted some light effects, by wiping it with a chammy cloth or an eraser. The characters are just laid onto the backgrounds. No animation, but a story. The story is always essential.

M.O.

Productionaaa production

Distribution

World sales: Agence du Court Métrage (DCP, 35 mm)

French cultural network: Institut Français (Blu-Ray)

Technical data

Technique: mixed

Image format: 1,33

Screening format: DCP, Blu-Ray, DVD and 35 mm

Language: no dialogue

Credits

Director: Michel Ocelot

Screenplay and graphic design: Michel Ocelot

Tracing-Poster painting: Polly Quincetre, Marie-Pierre Journet, Marc Gréa, Xavier Icardo

Sound effects: Joël Simon

Filming: Pierre Mialaret, Philippe Benoit

Music: Christian Maire

Clavier: Claire Pradel

Trumpet: Alain Faucher

Voices: Joël Simon, Muriel Simon, Michel Ocelot

Recording studio: O & B

Mixing: Jean-Claude Voyeux

Production Manager: Marcelle Ponti

Awards

•CESAR award for the Best Animated Short Film, Paris (France), 1983
•“Best of Annecy” tour, USA and Canada