Max & Co
Encyclopedia
Max & Co is a stop-motion animated feature film released in Belgium
, France
, and Switzerland
in February 2008. It won the Audience Award at the 2007 Annecy International Animated Film Festival
. With its budget of CHF 30 million (€14 million), of which CHF 1.5 million were subsidised by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, it was the most expensive Swiss film ever.
" was a commercial failure. Only 16,000 tickets were sold instead of the projected 110,000, and the production companies filed for bankruptcy in August 2008.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in February 2008. It won the Audience Award at the 2007 Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998...
. With its budget of CHF 30 million (€14 million), of which CHF 1.5 million were subsidised by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, it was the most expensive Swiss film ever.
Plot
15-year-old Max sets off for Saint-Hilare in search of his father, the famous troubadour Johnny Bigoude, who disappeared shortly before Max's birth. He is waylaid by Sam, a rascally fairground entertainer, and introduced to the delights of the amazing Fly Swatter Festival. When Max finally gets there, Saint-Hilaire turns out to be the private kingdom of Bzzz & Co., infamous manufacturers of flyswatters, run by the degenerate Rodolfo. Musical virtuoso Max makes a big impression, especially on smart, lovely, resourceful Felicie, who convinces Rodolfo to hire him.Reception
Although well-received critically, the "anti-capitalist ecological fableFable
A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
" was a commercial failure. Only 16,000 tickets were sold instead of the projected 110,000, and the production companies filed for bankruptcy in August 2008.