During the design of Katak, the brave belugathe new animated film from the production company Quebec 10e Ave, directors Christine Dallaire-Dupont and Nicola Lemay had to answer a trickier question than it looks: do you want the waters of the Saint Lawrence River to appear blue on screen?
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They had two options and Ms Dallaire-Dupont does not hide that the debate caused “little friction”.
First: Follow the global consensus and show crystal clear blue water.
Secondly, be realistic and present our river as it is, i.e. anything but mirror-like.
Conclusion: “We thought nenon, the water in the river is green. People all over the world will learn it,” laughs the director, who also used the color of the water as an indicator of how the story unfolded.
Photo courtesy of 10th Ave Productions
“The further north you go, the clearer and bluer the water becomes. It’s an index that allows viewers to position themselves,” adds Christine Dallaire-Dupont.
Photo courtesy of 10th Ave Productions
Katak, the hero of this sea tale written by Andrée Lambert, which mixes the initiation narrative with environmental concerns, is in fact a young beluga who, wanting to show what he is capable of, decides to leave his corner of the river at front Tadoussac to find her grandmother’s lover in the Arctic. On his way, he obviously faces many dangers, including a massive killer whale.
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Other visual cues include the iconic Tadoussac Hotel, which can be seen in all its glory.
As in most 10th Ave films (the Far North in The Legend of Sarila, the countryside in Le coq de Saint-Victor, Old Quebec in Mission Yéti, the Magdalen Islands in Félix, and The Treasure of Morgea) the beauty of the Landscapes of Quebec Featured in Katak, the brave beluga.
That’s a plus, says the other director, Nicola Lemay.
“I don’t know why, but there’s a great tradition in animation of inventing places and cities. Even big things like Disney movies often take place in imaginary places. For my part, I like it when we take places that exist, a house that exists. It anchors your story and your characters,” he says.
It’s a vein that 10e Ave won’t stop exploiting as their next projects involve exploiting the Val-d’Or area and the Saint Lawrence Islands.
beluga teeth
In addition to the color of the water, the artisans of Katak had to overcome another challenge: making sure that belugas become characters that little ones can bond with.
Again, easier said than done.
“It’s an emotional scenario, says Christine Dallaire-Dupont, but in the end we had guys with little flippers, a bit like a potato pocket. They have a beautiful face but no eyebrows and we didn’t want to misrepresent the beluga whale and humanize it to give us tools for acting.”
The directors believe they’ve succeeded and admit a minor sprain. “We cheated in one place. We decided to give them nice teeth,” reveals the director.
♦ Katak, the brave beluga In cinemas from February 24th.
♦ Alexandre Bacon, Yves Jacques, Émilie Josset, Ginette Reno and Ludivine Reding are among the long list of Quebec artists who have lent their voices to the characters.