Fox and Hare Save the Forest (Dutch: Vos & Haas redden het bos) is a 2024 animated adventure drama film directed by Mascha Halberstad and written by Fabie Hulsebos. Adapted from Flemish author Sylvia Vanden Heede’s Vos en Haas en de Bosbaas book series, it tells the story of a forest where, strange things begins to happen.[1][2]
| Fox and Hare Save the Forest | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| German | Fuchs und Hase retten den Wald |
| Directed by | Mascha Halberstad |
| Written by | Fabie Hulsebos |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | André Dziezuk |
| Animation by | Jasper Kuipers |
| Layouts by | Leo de Wijs |
| Color process | Color |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Urban Sales |
Release date |
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Running time | 71 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
A European co-production, it was selected in the Generation Kplus section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 18 February and compete for Crystal Bear for the Best Film.[3]
Story outline
editBeaver, a small and arrogant creature, proudly unveils his huge dam in a big clearing in the woods. He and two Rats have stopped the river from flowing. The water quickly fills up the area and creates a massive lake. Beaver is very pleased with himself, but he is sad that no one is there to praise his work. Meanwhile, Fox and Hare have been having fun with their friends at a party. Owl goes back to his home after the party and sees weird water currents near his tree. He gets scared and runs away into the forest. The next day, Fox and Hare notice that Owl is gone. They and their friends go looking for him, but they only find the strange lake. How did the water get there? As they keep looking for Owl, the water level keeps rising, putting the forest in danger. Their mission to rescue the forest will challenge their friendship like never before!
Production
editThe film was produced by Submarine, Doghouse Films and Walking The Dog. The film is distributed by Doghouse Films in the Netherlands and Urban Sales has global sales rights of the film.[4] The film is adaptation of Sylvia Vanden Heede’s children book series illustrated by Thé Tjong-Khing.[5][6]
Voice cast
edit- Rob Rackstraw for Beaver, Rat, Tusk, Jack
- Dan Renton Skinner for Fox, Rat
- Jamie Quinn for Owl
- Teresa Gallagher for Hare
- Sarah Madigan for Pingwin, Mermaid
Release
editFox and Hare Save the Forest had its world premiere on 18 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in Generation Kplus.[7][8][9]
Urban Sales has sold the film into more than 50 territories including France, Germany, Poland, Russian Report, Baltic Countries, Norway and Denmark and Sweden, Ex-Yugoslavia, Czech Republic & Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Romania and Benelux.[10]
It featured in the International Competition of Feature Films in the children’s category on 30 May 2024 in the 64th edition of the Zlín Film Festival, also known as the International Film Festival for Children and Youth held in the Czech Republic.[11]
Reception
editMarta Bałaga reviewing for Cineuropa criticised the story of the film, writing, "the story is thin" also found the 3D animation lacking in comparison to the director's stop-motion delight Oink stating "not as charming, or as quirky". Bałaga opined, "Mascha Halberstad’s animated characters really do need to save the forest – but before that, they have to deal with massive egos and tiny underwear."[12]
Accolades
edit| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 25 February 2024 | Generation Kplus Crystal Bear for Best Feature Film | Mascha Halberstad | Nominated | [7] |
References
edit- ^ "Fox and Hare Save the Forest". Film Fund Luxembourg. Archived from the original on 26 December 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Halberstad, Mascha (18 January 2024). "Fox and Hare Save the Forest". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ Economou, Vassilis (18 January 2024). "Berlin unveils the entirety of its Generation line-up". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Fox and Hare Save the Forest". Cartoon Media. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Ramin Zahed (3 March 2023). "'Fox and Hare Save the Forest': A Sneak Peek at Submarine's Friendship-Fueled Adventure". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Jamie Lang (3 September 2023). "Go Behind The Scenes Of Mascha Halberstad's Upcoming Feature 'Fox And Hare Save The Forest' In This Exclusive First-Look Video". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ a b Goodfellow, Melanie (17 January 2024). "Berlinale Unveils Full Panorama, Forum & Generation Line-Ups With New Films By Nathan Silver, Levan Akin, André Téchiné & Bruce LaBruce". Deadline. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Dalton, Ben (17 January 2024). "Berlinale unveils complete 2024 Panorama, Generation, Forum sections". ScreenDaily. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Fox and Hare Save the Forest". Berlinale. 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (17 February 2024). "'Fox & Hare Save The Forest' Sells To 50+ Territories For Urban Ahead Of Berlinale Premiere – EFM". Deadline. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ Kudláč, Martin (13 May 2024). "The Zlín Film Festival set to showcase diverse youth cinema from around the globe". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Bałaga, Marta (26 February 2024). "Review: Fox and Hare Save the Forest". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
