Grupa Smacznego/GS Animation is a Gdańsk based studio most renowned for their work on the BBC Worldwide animated series Harry and Toto. The creators of the new animated film are Robert Jaszczurowski, Łukasz Kacprowicz and Marcin Wasilewski. Their new story is set in 1980 and it follows the life of Kliper, an honest and diligent mouse working with his crew at the shipyard. They are underpaid and face constant abuse from a pack of rats that have taken control. When the rat bullies cross a line and the mice announce a strike. The project will be presented during the prestigious Cartoon Movie animation forum on 5-7 March 2014.
"Mice on Strike is not a story about the Gdańsk Shipyard and Kliper isn’t the figure of Lech Wałęsa. It’s a film about an individual fighting for freedom and his self-respect, with the real events -- breaking the soviet domination in Eastern and Middle Europe in the background. It’s about totalitarianism and the dreamers who never lose hope," the producers told FNE.
The project is in its development stage with a trailer and animation test in the works. Norwegian screenwriter Gisle Normann Melhus is working on the final version of the script along with a crew of film professionals. The film will be a fusion of 2D and 3D animation techniques.
"We are great admirers of animations made with the use of traditional drawing techniques, like the ones used in Triplets of Belleville directed by Sylvain Chomet. The producer of this film is interested in getting involved with Mice On Strike," producer Robert Jaszczurowski told FNE.
The project is planned as an international coproduction and has already received financial support of 80,000 EUR from the MEDIA Development Programme. The planned budget is 2.3 m EUR and the producers will apply for a Polish Film Institute grant in the upcoming session.
The film is created with the support of SPOT Sound Studio and German sales agent Sola Media. The producer told FNE that several foreign companies have expressed interest in the project including Walking The Dog (Belgium), Storm Film (Norway), Anima Vite (Finland) and Copenhagen Bombay (Denmark). The interested companies are waiting for the trailer of the film to be completed.
Production contact:
Grupa Smacznego
Łąkowa 35/38, 80-769, Gdansk, Poland
tel: + 48 58 342 35 57
mobile: + 48 660 747 226
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
web: www.g-s.pl
