First Trailer for ‘Living Large’ – A Czech Stop-Motion Animation Film
by Alex Billington
June 17, 2024
Source: YouTube
“I am hungry for life, and I say that’s okay, so eat your fill today…” Barletta Productions has unveiled a promo trailer for an indie stop-motion animation film titled Living Large, a Czech production directed by Kristina Dufková. This just premiered at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival earlier this month, and it will next screen at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czechia, kicking off at the end of June. 12-year-old Ben has just hit puberty and suddenly his weight’s a problem – for him and for everyone else. The other kids bully him, his divorced parents don’t know what to do. Even the school nurse is worried about him. So, despite his love of food and his emerging talent as a chef, Ben decides to take drastic action. He goes on a diet, attempting to win over the girl of his dreams. Will it work? The voices are in English though there’s no voice cast available yet. The main kid Ben sounds a lot like Michael Cera. I’ve never seen an animated film like this tell the story of an overweight kid, which is why this one is special. It’s definitely worth watching out for – the animation is distinct, and it’s an endearing coming-of-age story. Catch it at other festivals this year before it’s released.
Here’s the first look promo trailer for Kristina Dufková’s film Living Large, direct from YouTube:
Intro via KVIFF: “Ben is a normal 12-year-old boy: he goes to school, plays in a band with his friends, and looks after a monkey with his veterinarian mother. But most of all, he likes food – both cooking and eating it. He ignores comments about his weight – until, that is, he is told it could cause serious health problems. What’s it like to grow up being called fat? And is a diet the answer for everything? Dufková’s feature-length stop-motion debut, based on Mikaël Ollivier’s novel La Vie, en gros, was shown at the Annecy Film Festival. Working with a sympathetic sense of humor, this sensitive family film characterized by a remarkable use of music & visuals explores the issue of childhood obesity without slipping into stereotyped views of the topic.”
Living Large is directed by Czech animation filmmaker Kristina Dufková, director of the films Fimfarum – The Third Time Lucky and Grim Reaper Does Not Bite (Zubatá Nekouše!) previously, plus a few other short films and animation projects. The screenplay is written by Petr Jarchovský; based on the novel La vie, en gros (Life in a Nutshell) by Mikaël Ollivier. Produced by Matěj Chlupáček. Made by Barletta Productions, Novinski, and Novanima Productions. This initailly premiered at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival, and next plays at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czechia. No US release date is set yet – stay tuned. Who’s curious?
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