Even Mice Belong in Heaven

Even Mice Belong in Heaven (Czech: Myši patří do nebe) is a 2021 coproduction animated film directed by Jan Bubeníček and Denisa Grimmová. It is based on the book Mice Go to Heaven by Iva Procházková. It received two Czech Lion Awards - for Best animated film and for Best music.[4] It also on Czech Film Critics' Award for Best audiovisual creation.[5] The film was presented at Shanghai International Film Festival where it received award for the Best animated film.[6] It is the most expensive Czech animated film.[7]

Even Mice Belong in Heaven
Directed by
  • Jan Bubeníček
  • Denisa Grimmová
StarringPavlína Balner, Matouš Ruml
Production
companies
Fresh Films
Les Films du Cygne
Animoon
CinemArt SK
Canal+ Polska
EC1 Lódz - Miasto Kultury
Distributed byCinemArt
Release date
  • 7 October 2021 (2021-10-07)[1]
Running time
87 minutes
CountriesCzech Republic
France
Poland
Slovakia
LanguageCzech
Budget92 million CZK[2]
Box office18,013,522 CZK[3]

Plot

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After a fatal accident, the cheeky mouse Whizzy and the fox Whitebelly meet again in animal heaven.

Voice cast

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Character Original Actor Dub Actor
Whizzy Pavlína Balner Simona Berman
Whitebelly Matouš Ruml Graham Halstead
Muzzle Martin Stránský Major Attaway
Frog Barbora Hrzánová Erica Schroeder
Cat Martha Issová Emily Cramer
Crab Martin Dejdar Billy Bob Thompson
Snake Ondřej Brousek
Moley Lukáš Pavlásek Marc Thompson
Crocodile Jiří Klem
Hippo ¿?
Pig ¿?
Raccoon Jiří Lábus Graham Halstead
Parrot Matěj Ruppert Wayne Grayson
Raven
Chameleon Jan Bubeníček
Peacock Miroslav Donutil Tom Wayland
Sheep ¿?
Badger Jiří Schwarz
June Bug Captain David Novotný
Crayfish Miroslav Etzler Tyler Bunch
Owl Miroslav Donutil
Goat Ludmila Molínová Mary O'Brady
Whale ¿? Elinor Vanderburg
Mama Mouse ¿? Simona Berman
Papa Mouse Ondřej Vetchý Ryan Andes

Additional Voices

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Production

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The film is based on the children's book Mice Go to Heaven by Iva Procházková with illustrations by Marine Ludin. In it, a little mouse called Whizzy flees from the hungry fox Whitebelly, misses a root, stumbles and falls off a high rock. Arriving in animal heaven, Whizzy finds swings, carousels and many other attractions.[8]

Born in Paris, Ludin studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Art in Nancy and illustration at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg with Rüdiger Stoye, graduating as a qualified designer in 2005. Since then, Ludin has worked as a freelance illustrator for German and French publishers . The Czech Procházková lived with her family in Germany for ten years. before returning to Prague. Her children's and youth books have been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal and the Catholic Children's and Youth Book Prize and have been awarded the Friedrich Gerstäcker Prize, the Evangelical Book Prize and the German Youth Literature Prize. Ivan Pokorný had already filmed Procházková's youth novel Orange Days, which is set in the Lusatian mountains.[9]

Even Mice Belong in Heaven was adapted for the film by director and screenwriter Alice Nellis, who has won several Český lev awards, and Richard Malatinský, who previously worked mainly on teleseries. Directed by Jan Bubeníček and Denisa Grimmová. For Grimmová it is the first full-length film. Bubeníček previously directed the feature film Smrtelné historky.

Myši patří do nebe, the original title of the film,[10] was made in the Barrandov Studios in Prague. In addition to stop motion, CGI was also used.[11][12] Animators include Frantisek Vasa, Piotr Ficner, Vojtech Kiss, Michal Kubíček, Katarzyna Okoniewska, Viliam Vala and Matous Valchar. The production design was created by director Denisa Grimmová and Jan Kurka. Radek Loukota acted as cameraman.

The film premiered in June at the Annecy Festival d'Animation.[13][14] Performances at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival and the Edinburgh International Film Festival followed in August 2021. In October 2021 it was shown at the Hamburg Film Festival and the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur.[15] It was released in Czech cinemas on October 7, 2021, and in French cinemas on October 27.[16] Launch in Slovakia was scheduled for January 13, 2022. It will be screened at the Leeds Film Festival in April 2022. The theatrical release in Poland took place on April 29, 2022.[17] It will be screened at the Revolution Perth International Film Festival in July 2022.[18]

Soundtrack

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The film music was composed by Krzysztof A. Janczak. In October 2021, MovieScore Media released the soundtrack album with a total of 35 tracks as a download.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Loutkový klenot Myši patří do nebe byl nominován na francouzského Césara". Totalfilm.cz (in Czech). 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Snímek Myši patří do nebe uvedl producent Lhoták". Letní filmová škola Uherské Hradiště 2022 (in Czech). 11 August 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Myši patří do nebe - Tržby a návštěvnost". KINOMANIAK (in Czech). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  4. ^ "29. Český lev upřednostnil výrazně Zátopka před Okupací. Akademici vsadili na jistotu". Kinobox.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Ceny české filmové kritiky ovládl komorní snímek Okupace od režijního debutanta. Trumfnul i Zátopka, jenž se chystal na Oscary". Kinobox.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Polish Animations: "Even Mice Belong in Heaven" Called Best Animated Film in Shanghai – international promotion of Polish animations". Polish Animations. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Jak se dělaly nejdražší Myši patří do nebe. Tradiční animace může konkurovat Hollywoodu, míní tvůrci". CzechCrunch (in Czech). 12 February 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Auch Mäuse kommen in den Himmel (2011)". ivaprochazkova.com. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Orangentage". programmkino.de (in German). Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Even Mice Belong in Heaven". lucas-filmfestival.de (in German). Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Even Mice Belong In Heaven (2021) Movie Review from Eye for Film". eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Even Mice Belong in Heaven review – stop-motion voyage to animal afterlife". the Guardian. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Annecy > Programme > Index". annecy.org. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  14. ^ "My Sunny Maad & Even Mice Belong in Heaven to world-premiere in Annecy". filmcenter.cz. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Darum Geht's in... "Im Himmel ist auch Platz für Mäuse"". michelmoviekids.de (in German). Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Le livre jeunesse Même les souris vont au paradis adapté en film d'animation". ActuaLitté.com (in French). Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Nawet myszy idą do nieba". Repertuary.pl. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  18. ^ "Even Mice Belong In Heaven". Revelation Perth International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2022-07-06. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  19. ^ "'Even Mice Belong in Heaven' Soundtrack Released". Retrieved 15 August 2022.
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