Distributor Bontonfilm (www.bontonfilm.cz) announced that 30 prints have been released in Czech cinemas.

Budgeted at 35 million crowns, Goat Story is the first 3D computer-animated movie in history of Central and East European cinamatography.

"Preparation started in 2003, when the project received a support in the form of a grant from the EU Media programme," said Jan Tomanek, director, screenwriter and producer of the film.

According to Tomanek, a small team of ten people from Prague-based family film studio Art and Animation (www.goatstorymovie.com) worked on the project for more than five years.

"Since the summer of 2006, animation on the film has been taking place in our studio, which was established especially for this project," said Tomanek. The computer animation was created by Maya 3D technology, which was used on the Pixar's Toy Story and DreamWorks' Shrek series among others.

Classic Czech animation in the tradition of Jiri Trnka and Bretislav Pojar inspired the visual concept. The story, set in the 14th century, revolves around a poor boy and his friend, a talking goat, with the plot adapting famous old Prague legends.