Hansel and Gretel (2021 film)

In 2018, the press service of the animation studio revealed the news that they are planning on a Hansel and Gretel film.[13] On 6 November 2019, American FIlm Market, at Santa Monica, California, Wizart revealed the exclusive poster and preliminary collection of artwork for the film Hansel and Gretel. The film is featured as a building block to the Wizart's previous series, The Snow Queen as Wizart already has prior experience in adapting 19th century fairy tales for the film industry. It is intended that Wizart will utilize their inspiration and knowledge from their previous series to adapt a story from the globally recognized brand known as Brothers Grimm fairy tales.[14][15]

At the 2019 MIPCOM in Cannes, Wizart showcased a preview of Hansel and Gretel to the cinema industry. The events coincided with Made in Russia event that earned a spot in the mipcom News magazine.[16][17] On 13 October 2019, a presentation of domestic animation projects under the banner Made in Russia was held at MIPJunior. Presented by Evgenia Markova an official representative of the international markets MIPCOM, MIPJunior, and MIPTV, new material for Hansel and Gretel was featured.[18]

Shortly thereafter, Wizart engaged with American-based film production studio QED International.[19] As a major international distributor under the parent company Media Content Capital, QED has managed to release such critical films as District 9. Both companies agreed to creatively bolster the prospects for an international distribution collaboration, as Hansel and Gretel became their first joint-project.[14][20]

Yuri Moskvin, producer for Wizart, was in attendance as the managers from both sides signed a production pact. The arrangement is intended to assist Wizart in obtaining distribution targets to countries quickly with more quality than was once possible earlier. Sasha Shapiro, managing director of MCC and CEO of QED, stated: “We have been looking into both investment possibilities and creative expansion within the family/kids’ genre, and I believe that Wizart has all necessary potentials we have been looking for.”[21] The collaboration is Wizart's first foray into the American film market, as they never had thorough motion picture theatrical release in the United States due to the countries' high throughput.[11]

At the September 2019, Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the 2020 EFM film market in Berlin, Wizart was one of the animation studios that represented Russia who presented work on the film.[22][23] At the 2020 Miami Kidscreen Summit, Wizart presented materials for the film. The marketplace ventures comes at a time when the animation industry in Russia is finding its footing again in retrospect to the last ten years. The Soviet Union dissolution of the industries in 1991 was a major economic downturn for the animation industry in Russia. However the industry has been revived ever since 2010.[24]

The scriptwriters focused on character development.[1] In context to their previous films, Wizart is honing on the key areas of story integrity and humor. While the fairy tale is historically known for the different horror films adaptations, Wizart took a different route and based an adaptation of the fairy tale within the genres of comedy and film family.[25][1]

The writers intend to keep the main characters Hansel, Gretel, and Gingerbread House sorceress intact while expanding the magic forest and Gingerbread House universe. Wizart noted the scale at which they developed the fairy tale universe is intended to keep the knowledgeable viewers of the fairy tale engaged.[14]

Ever since Wizart revealed Hansel and Gretel was in development stage, the media has come to the public knowledge that the animation quality for the film will be beyond what was used in The Snow Queen series.[11] Animation for the film was considerably influenced by works from prominent artists. The gingerbread house will be based on the work of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. The animators were influenced by Tim Burton's ability to transform horror elements to charming characters featured in such films as the stop-motion animated film Corpse Bride.[1]

Furthermore, the film is based on a new animation operating system, the animation studio itself engineered. The system is based on the studio's own pipeline. Developed as a unique Russian technology, the prototype was used in The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands. The graphics technology will avail of new special effects and facial and skeleton setup.[14][11] Wizart is willing and ready to share the system to other independent studios.[11]

The grand release of the fairy tale epic animation movie Secret Magic Control Agency was confirmed by the press service of Sony Pictures on 27 January 2021. The press emphasized the audience will be able to comprehend a new look to the classic fairy tale of Brothers Grimm.[26] The mystery film will involve spies and agents.[27] The film will delve on the effects of fraud and the concept of gentleman thief conceptualized by the character Hansel. The heroine of the film will be Gretel.[28] The script was a collaboration between the Russian team and a script writing team from abroad.[29]

Secret Magic Control Agency will have a wide release in the Russian Federation by Sony Pictures Productions and Releasing on 18 March 2021.[30][31]

• Gruel-Apert, L.; Ivanova, Tatiana Grigorevna (2011), Du côté des frères Grimm et d'Alexandre Afanassiev [Around brothers Grimm and Alexander Afanasyev] (in French), Bibliothèque nationale de France
• Zipes, Jack (2016), Grimm Legacies, Princeton University Press
• McGavran, James; Azadovsky, Mark (1936), The Sources of Pushkin's Fairy Tales., Vremennik Pushkinskoi Kommissii/Pushkin Review
• Chandler, Robert (2011), A Tale About A Fisherman and a Fish, Cardinal Points