The production box 10e As Ave begins making his sixth animated film, he faces an unprecedented challenge. The storm ship, a film shot entirely in Quebec.
New because the special effects required for this free cinema adaptation of a novel by Yves Meynard have nothing to do with what 10e Ave had to create for its previous films such as Katak, the Brave Beluga or even Felix and the Treasure of Morgäa, says producer and co-director Nancy Florence Savard.
“It's a fantastic film. We’ve never been in that direction before,” she says.
The Ship of Storms follows Lydia's search for her missing brother. She finds herself aboard a boat sailing in the Sea of Fog, whose crew, led by an astromagician, is on the lookout for missing children.
“It’s outside of our usual conventions. If you tell me about Katak, I can tell you where the action takes place, but no. We invented everything,” says Ms. Savard.
Three-way production
To achieve this, three minds will share the making of the film. In addition to Nancy Florence Savard, the artistic director Philippe Arseneau Bussières and the screenwriter Émilie Rosas are at the helm of this “heavy” project, which is expected to arrive safely in early 2026.
Unlike the recent 10th Ave films, which were partially filmed in Montreal, The Ship of Storms will be produced entirely in Quebec at the Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures animation studio.
With a budget of under $10 million, the film is already available to international buyers during the Berlinale, a film festival currently taking place in the German capital.
Katak, the brave beluga, was released in winter 2023 and features the voices of Alexandre Bacon, Émilie Josset, Ginette Reno and Ludivine Reding. It grossed $1.8 million at the Canadian box office and was distributed in more than 125 countries and territories.