A film about two mortal enemies – a little mouse called Whizzy and Whitebelly the fox, who after an unfortunate accident, meet in animal heaven. They lose their natural instincts and become best friends. Their wish to stay together after they return to earth comes true, but they are reborn into opposite roles. Thanks to the power of friendship they can even overcome what seems to be impossible.

Directors: Denisa Grimmová & Jan Bubeníček
Producers: Fresh Films & Hausboot (CZ), Les Films du Cygne (FR), Animoon (PL), Cinemart (SK)

Year of production: 2021

Screenplay: Alice Nellis & Richard Malatinský, based on a novel by Iva Procházková

Length: 87 minutes
Technique: stop-motion puppet animation combined with 3D and CGI

Vladimír Lhoták is a graduate from the FAMU film school in Prague and also attended the audiovisual programme at Paris 3, Sorbonne Nouvelle. Vladimir is an EAVE producers workshop graduate. His producer’s filmography lists creative documentaries Hotelier (2013), Jenica & Perla (2015) and Jiří Trnka – A Long Lost Friend (2019), and the short film Austerlitz Advent (2017). He is s a founder of the production company Hausboot based in Prague, which is primarily dedicated to development and production of films, series and interactive content with a focus on animation, creative documentaries, VFX-driven live-action projects and transmedia genres. Hausboot is also participating in the production of the stop-motion animation film Even Mice Belong in Heaven. Vladimir is also working as a producer with Fresh Films, an established production company working with young Czech talent.

Jan Bubeníček is a graduate from Bretislav Pojar’s ateliers at FAMU Film School in Prague. He also attended workshops at the Shintoku film festival, Kobe animation festival, Kyoto University of Art and Design, Yamagata film school and Tokyo University of Art and Design, the latter as a tutor. His film The Three Fuo was selected among Kodak European talents at the Cannes film festival. His filmography includes successful short films Lewis’ Watch, The Three Fuo and The Pirate. His animation feature length debut Murderous Tales was released in 2016. Jan has also extensive experience with CGI animation and VFX: for several years, he worked as the Head of 3D in the Emmy-award-winning studio Universal Production Partners in Prague.

Aneta is the artistic director of the Kaboom Animation Festival, a film curator and an education expert. She has extensive experience in production of film events, educational workshops, exhibitions and festivals in the Polish and European markets. She is also a programme advisor to the Cinema in Sneakers Film Festival in Warsaw and a film section curator for the Street Art Festival in Katowice. She is the Polish Ambassador for the European Animation Awards and a member of the European Children Film Association and the Board of the Short Film Conference. She has been a jury member at Berlinale, Odense Film Festival, Anibar, Primanima, Dresden Short FF, Zlin Film Festival, Baltic Pitching Forum and others.

The event is a part of CEE Animation Experience @AnimatekaPRO.