Azur et Asmar
Encyclopedia
Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest is a 2006 French animated fairytale fantasy
film written and directed by Michel Ocelot
and animated at the Paris animation and visual effects studio Mac Guff Ligne. It is Ocelot's fourth feature, though his first wholly original creation since Kirikou and the Sorceress
, and his first use of 3D computer graphics
, albeit an atypical employment of this medium with two-dimensional, painted backgrounds and non-photorealistic rendering
. Like most of his films it is an original fairy tale, in this case inspired by the folklore (including, but not limited to, the One Thousand and One Nights) and decorative art
of North Africa and the Middle East and with an increased degree of characterisation relative to his previous works which pushes it into the genre of fairytale fantasy.
-fairy waiting to be released from her chamber by a good and heroic prince
. Brought up together they are as close as brothers until the day Azur's father cruelly separates them, banishing the nurse and Asmar from his home and sending Azur away to the city to receive schooling from a personal tutor.
Years later, Azur is haunted by memories of the legendary Djinn-fairy, and takes it upon himself to journey all the way to Asmar's homeland to seek it out. Now reunited, he finds that Jénane has since become a successful merchant, while Asmar is now a member of the Royal Guard. However, Asmar also longs to find the Djinn-fairy, and only one of the two youths can be successful in their quest.
of the 15th century (in particular, Jean Fouquet
, the Limbourg brothers
and Jan van Eyck
), Persian miniature
s and Islamic civilization
from the Middle Ages until the 15th century and 16th century Safavid art
.
of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
and was released to French theatres nationwide on 25 October 2006. An English-subtitled version was shown at numerous film festivals including the Montreal Film Festival for Children and Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children – in both cases winning the festival's audience award.
The film was subsequently dubbed into English and distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland by Soda Pictures
, receiving a limited release which began on 8 February 2008 and lasted several months, most likely due to the small number of dubbed prints made (as of 27 June 2008, it was still showing at one cinema in Cleethorpes
). It was rated U by the British Board of Film Classification
for "mild fantasy violence" and an English-subtitled, region 2
DVD-Video
release followed on 28 July 2008.http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0015B04GI
The Japanese DVD http://global.yesasia.com/en/prdTransfer.aspx/pid-1005056074 and region A Blu-ray Disc
http://global.yesasia.com/en/prdTransfer.aspx/pid-1005056070 released on 19 December 2007 and the Korean
region 3 DVD released on 17 July 2008http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-k/section-index/pid-1011123262 include English subtitles.
on 13 February 2007, during European Film Market at the Berlin International Film Festival
. However, as of September 2008 – over a year later – no plans to release the film in the United States have been announced. Similarly, Seville Pictures announced that they would distribute the film to both English and French speakers in Canada, but as September 2008 they have only released a DVD with only the original French dialogue and no English subtitles.
Many suspected that a United States release would have proved impossible due to Jénane's nipples being visible during a breastfeeding scene early on in the film (Kirikou and the Sorceress
went unrated to avoid the PG-13 or higher rating it would received from the Motion Picture Association of America
despite the similarly non-sexual nature of the nudity in that film) and the director's refusal to allow his films to be distributed in a censored version; the Weinsteins' apparent dropping of the title seemed attributable to this. However, in early September 2008 it was revealed to been submitted to the MPAA by Genius Products
(home video distributor
for the Weinstein Company) and received only a PG rating for "thematic material, some mild action and peril," with no explicit reference made to the nudity.
The British-dubbed version had its American première at IFC Center
in New York City on 17 October 2008. It was originally planned to run for one week in New York, before touring to other cities. However, due to the success of the first week (all screenings were sold out) its residency was extended for a second week of screenings. When these too sold out, a "third and final" week was announced. Cities it will tour to are expected to include Chicago
, Columbus, Ohio
, Tucson, Hartford, Connecticut
, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
The film will screen at the San Joaquin Children's Film Festival, in Stockton, California from January 16 to 18, 2009.
-born composer Gabriel Yared
with the exception of one short song composed and performed by Afida Tahri; Souad Massi
contributes vocals and lyrics to the Yared-composed ending theme "." The score was nominated for the César Award for Best Music Written for a Film
at the César Awards 2007
.
Fairytale fantasy
Fairytale fantasy is distinguished from other subgenres of fantasy by the works' heavy use of motifs, and often plots, from folklore.-History:...
film written and directed by Michel Ocelot
Michel Ocelot
Michel Ocelot is a French writer, character designer, storyboard artist and director of animated films and television programs and a former president of the International Animated Film Association...
and animated at the Paris animation and visual effects studio Mac Guff Ligne. It is Ocelot's fourth feature, though his first wholly original creation since Kirikou and the Sorceress
Kirikou and the Sorceress
Kirikou and the Sorceress is a 1998 Franco-Belgian animated film written and directed by Michel Ocelot. Drawn directly from West African folk tales, it tells of how a newborn boy saves his village by ridding them of the evil witch Karaba...
, and his first use of 3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, albeit an atypical employment of this medium with two-dimensional, painted backgrounds and non-photorealistic rendering
Non-photorealistic rendering
Non-Photorealistic rendering is an area of computer graphics that focuses on enabling a wide variety of expressive styles for digital art. In contrast to traditional computer graphics, which has focused on photorealism, NPR is inspired by artistic styles such as painting, drawing, technical...
. Like most of his films it is an original fairy tale, in this case inspired by the folklore (including, but not limited to, the One Thousand and One Nights) and decorative art
Decorative art
The decorative arts is traditionally a term for the design and manufacture of functional objects. It includes interior design, but not usually architecture. The decorative arts are often categorized in opposition to the "fine arts", namely, painting, drawing, photography, and large-scale...
of North Africa and the Middle East and with an increased degree of characterisation relative to his previous works which pushes it into the genre of fairytale fantasy.
Plot
Once upon a time there were two children nursed by Jénane: Azur, a blond, blue-eyed son of a nobleman, and Asmar, the tan skinned and dark-eyed child of the Jenane. The nurse tells them the story of the DjinnGenie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
-fairy waiting to be released from her chamber by a good and heroic prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
. Brought up together they are as close as brothers until the day Azur's father cruelly separates them, banishing the nurse and Asmar from his home and sending Azur away to the city to receive schooling from a personal tutor.
Years later, Azur is haunted by memories of the legendary Djinn-fairy, and takes it upon himself to journey all the way to Asmar's homeland to seek it out. Now reunited, he finds that Jénane has since become a successful merchant, while Asmar is now a member of the Royal Guard. However, Asmar also longs to find the Djinn-fairy, and only one of the two youths can be successful in their quest.
Production
Ocelot describes the visual style of Azur & Asmar, as distinct from his earlier works, as being influenced by French art and Early Netherlandish paintingEarly Netherlandish painting
Early Netherlandish painting refers to the work of artists active in the Low Countries during the 15th- and early 16th-century Northern renaissance, especially in the flourishing Burgundian cities of Bruges and Ghent...
of the 15th century (in particular, Jean Fouquet
Jean Fouquet
Jean Fouquet was a preeminent French painter of the 15th century, a master of both panel painting and manuscript illumination, and the apparent inventor of the portrait miniature. He was the first French artist to travel to Italy and experience at first hand the Italian Early...
, the Limbourg brothers
Limbourg brothers
The Limbourg brothers, or in Dutch Gebroeders van Limburg , were famous Dutch miniature painters from the city of Nijmegen. They were active in the early 15th century in France and Burgundy, working in the style known as International Gothic...
and Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck was a Flemish painter active in Bruges and considered one of the best Northern European painters of the 15th century....
), Persian miniature
Persian miniature
A Persian miniature is a small painting on paper, whether a book illustration or a separate work of art intended to be kept in an album of such works called a muraqqa. The techniques are broadly comparable to the Western and Byzantine traditions of miniatures in illuminated manuscripts...
s and Islamic civilization
Islamic civilization
Islamic civilization may refer to:*Islamic Golden Age*Muslim world*Caliphate...
from the Middle Ages until the 15th century and 16th century Safavid art
Safavid art
Safavid art is the art of the Persian Safavid dynasty from 1501 to 1722, in present day Iran. It was a high point for the art of the book and architecture; and also including ceramics, metal, glass, and gardens...
.
Release
Azur & Asmar premièred on 21 May 2006 as part of the Directors' FortnightDirectors' Fortnight
Directors' Fortnight is an independent section held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. The section was created in 1969 after the events of May 1968, in which the Cannes festival was canceled in solidarity with striking workers....
of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
2006 Cannes Film Festival
The 2006 Cannes Film Festival ran from May 17, 2006 to May 28, 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over the jury....
and was released to French theatres nationwide on 25 October 2006. An English-subtitled version was shown at numerous film festivals including the Montreal Film Festival for Children and Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children – in both cases winning the festival's audience award.
The film was subsequently dubbed into English and distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland by Soda Pictures
Soda Pictures
Soda Pictures is a UK based film distributor of art house, independent and world cinema. They have provided distribution for many award-winning films such as Frostbite , Into Great Silence & Old Joy.- Releases :...
, receiving a limited release which began on 8 February 2008 and lasted several months, most likely due to the small number of dubbed prints made (as of 27 June 2008, it was still showing at one cinema in Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
). It was rated U by the British Board of Film Classification
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
for "mild fantasy violence" and an English-subtitled, region 2
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD-Video
DVD-Video
DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
release followed on 28 July 2008.http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0015B04GI
The Japanese DVD http://global.yesasia.com/en/prdTransfer.aspx/pid-1005056074 and region A Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
http://global.yesasia.com/en/prdTransfer.aspx/pid-1005056070 released on 19 December 2007 and the Korean
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
region 3 DVD released on 17 July 2008http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-k/section-index/pid-1011123262 include English subtitles.
North America
The film was licensed for distribution in the United States by the Weinstein CompanyThe Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
on 13 February 2007, during European Film Market at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. However, as of September 2008 – over a year later – no plans to release the film in the United States have been announced. Similarly, Seville Pictures announced that they would distribute the film to both English and French speakers in Canada, but as September 2008 they have only released a DVD with only the original French dialogue and no English subtitles.
Many suspected that a United States release would have proved impossible due to Jénane's nipples being visible during a breastfeeding scene early on in the film (Kirikou and the Sorceress
Kirikou and the Sorceress
Kirikou and the Sorceress is a 1998 Franco-Belgian animated film written and directed by Michel Ocelot. Drawn directly from West African folk tales, it tells of how a newborn boy saves his village by ridding them of the evil witch Karaba...
went unrated to avoid the PG-13 or higher rating it would received from the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
despite the similarly non-sexual nature of the nudity in that film) and the director's refusal to allow his films to be distributed in a censored version; the Weinsteins' apparent dropping of the title seemed attributable to this. However, in early September 2008 it was revealed to been submitted to the MPAA by Genius Products
Genius Products
Genius Products was an entertainment company based in Santa Monica, California, United States.On December 5, 2005, Genius Products, Inc. announced a distribution joint venture with The Weinstein Company called Genius Products, LLC, with Weinstein holding a 70% stake...
(home video distributor
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
for the Weinstein Company) and received only a PG rating for "thematic material, some mild action and peril," with no explicit reference made to the nudity.
The British-dubbed version had its American première at IFC Center
IFC Center
IFC Center is an art house movie theater in Greenwich Village, New York City in the United States of America. It is located at 323 Sixth Avenue, on the former site of the Waverly Theater, which was itself a well known art house movie theater...
in New York City on 17 October 2008. It was originally planned to run for one week in New York, before touring to other cities. However, due to the success of the first week (all screenings were sold out) its residency was extended for a second week of screenings. When these too sold out, a "third and final" week was announced. Cities it will tour to are expected to include Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Tucson, Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The film will screen at the San Joaquin Children's Film Festival, in Stockton, California from January 16 to 18, 2009.
Soundtrack
Music is by LebaneseLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
-born composer Gabriel Yared
Gabriel Yared
Gabriel Yared is a Lebanese composer, best known for his work in French and American cinema.Born in Beirut, Lebanon, his work in France included the scores for Betty Blue and Camille Claudel. He later began working on English language films, particularly those directed by Anthony Minghella...
with the exception of one short song composed and performed by Afida Tahri; Souad Massi
Souad Massi
Souad Massi , born August 23, 1972, is an Algerian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She began her career performing in the Kabyle political rock band Atakor, before leaving the country following a series of death threats...
contributes vocals and lyrics to the Yared-composed ending theme "." The score was nominated for the César Award for Best Music Written for a Film
César Award for Best Music Written for a Film
This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Music Written for a Film . Before 2000, the award was called "César Award for Best Music".-1970s:...
at the César Awards 2007
César Awards 2007
The 2007 César Awards were the 32nd edition of the biggest annual film awards in France. The ceremony took place in the Théâtre du Châtelet on 24 February 2007; it was presented by Valérie Lemercier.-Winners and nominees:...
.
External links
- Azur & Asmar official USA Web page with dates and locations for nationwide tour
- Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest official UK Web site
- Azur et Asmar at Le Palais des dessins animés
- Financial Times and GhibliWorld.com interviews
- Production sketches, stills and original trailer