#Uli Meyer

[teenagedirtstache]

[fyeahfailedcartoonpilots]

The Discarded

A short film that imagines scrapped animated characters having a life of their own, directed by Uli Meyer (The Duck)

[hustledimension]

The Filmmakers of The Road to El Dorado

From here

DON PAUL (Director) most recently served as co-head of the visual effects department for DreamWorks’ first traditionally animated feature, "The Prince of Egypt."

He was previously head of effects for Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he worked on such hits as "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," which earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Visual Effects, and "Pocahontas."

Paul began his career right out of college when he was accepted into Disney’s training program. His earliest credits at Walt Disney Feature Animation include "The Fox and the Hound" and "The Great Mouse Detective." He also worked on such projects as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "An American Tail," "The Land Before Time" and "Amazing Stories."

Eric "Bibo" Bergeron (Director) previously worked as an animation supervisor on such films as "The Adventures of Pinocchio" and "The Goofy Movie." He worked at Amblimation in London, where he served as an animation supervisor on the features "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West" and "We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story." In addition, Bergeron founded his own animation studio, Bibo Films, in 1993, which is located in his native France.

Hailing from Paris, Bergeron studied art at the Ecole de la rue Madame. He graduated from the animation school CFT- Gobelins in Paris, where he later taught classes. He went on to serve as a director and animator on various commercials at several different studios in Paris. He also worked in London at Passion Pictures and ULI Meyer studios as a commercial animator. While at ULI Meyer, Bergeron animated a sequence from "FernGully: The Last Rainforest."

Bonne Radford (Producer) became one of the first employees at DreamWorks when it was founded in 1994. She served as Head of Feature Animation until 1996.

Prior to joining DreamWorks, Radford worked for Amblin Entertainment, beginning as a controller and subsequently being promoted to vice president of finance and production. She became head of animation at Amblin in 1990, overseeing the animation studio Amblimation in London.

During her tenure at Amblin, she worked on such hit films as, "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "Back to the Future I, II, and III," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," "The Color Purple," "Empire of the Sun," "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West" and "The Land Before Time." She made her producing debut as an executive producer on the animated film "Balto."

BROOKE BRETON (Producer) was instrumental in launching Jim Cameron’s effects house Digital Domain, where she held the post of senior vice president of production for several years. During her tenure, Digital Domain created the visual effects for such blockbusters as "True Lies," "Interview With the Vampire" and "Apollo 13." They also created the effects for the "Terminator 2 - 3D Attraction," which is currently featured at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Prior to joining Digital Domain, Breton served as the associate producer on three Star Trek features: "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country." She also produced the visual effects for Warren Beatty’s "Dick Tracy."

A 20-year Hollywood veteran, Breton began her career at Paramount Television, where she worked on such shows as "Happy Days," "Laverne & Shirley," "Angie" and "Call to Glory." Years later, she returned to television to serve as supervisor of post production on the first season of the popular series "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

JEFFREY KATZENBERG (Executive Producer) is a principal partner in DreamWorks SKG, a multi-faceted entertainment company, which he co-founded with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen in October 1994.

He previously served as the executive producer of DreamWorks animated epic "The Prince of Egypt," which grossed over 225 million dollars worldwide, and won an Oscar for Best Original Song ("When You Believe"). The film more recently enjoyed a hugely successful release on video and DVD.

BILL DAMASCHKE (Co-Executive Producer) is executive in charge of production at DreamWorks Animation, overseeing day-to-day operations for all feature animation projects.

He began his animation career working on the feature "Pocahontas." Coming to DreamWorks, he served as production manager on "The Prince of Egypt."

A graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, Damaschke has a BFA in Music and Theatre.

TED ELLIOTT & TERRY ROSSIO (Screenwriters) previously co-wrote the Oscar-winning animated musical "Aladdin," starring the voice of Robin Williams, which became the top-grossing film released in 1992. They more recently scripted Martin Campbell’s action adventure hit "The Mask of Zorro," starring Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins.

Elliott and Rossio’s earlier live-action credits include "Small Soldiers," Roland Emmerich’s "Godzilla," on which they shared story credit, "Little Monsters," starring Fred Savage, and "The Puppet Masters," starring Donald Sutherland.

In 1996, Elliott and Rossio became the first writers signed to an overall deal at DreamWorks SKG. They are currently working on DreamWorks’ upcoming computer animated feature "Shrek," based upon the children’s book by William Steig, and starring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow.

ELTON JOHN (Songs) has been a creative force in the music industry for over three decades. In addition to his status as a legendary recording artist, he was honored with an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from "The Lion King," shared with lyricist Tim Rice. In addition, John and Rice co-wrote the Oscar-nominated songs "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata" for "The Lion King," which still reigns as the top-grossing animated feature and generated the top-selling album of the year.

Today, the songs from "The Lion King" are delighting Broadway and London audiences in the award-winning stage production of the musical. John and Rice have since teamed again on the Broadway-bound musical "Aida," based on the Verdi opera.

John began his domination of the music scene at the beginning of the 1970s, when his songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin resulted in a succession of gold and platinum albums and number one singles. In 1971, he became the first artist since the Beatles to have four albums in the American Top 10 simultaneously. Honky Chateau, released in July 1972, began a string of seven consecutive number one albums.

His long list of successful album titles also includes Elton John, Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, A Single Man, Victim of Love, The Fox, Jump Up!, Too Low for Zero, Breaking Hearts, Ice on Fire, Leather Jackets, Reg Strikes Back, The One, Duets, and The Big Picture. John’s extensive catalogue of hit songs includes "Your Song," "Daniel," "Bennie and the Jets," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me," "Candle in the Wind," "Philadelphia Freedom," "Rocket Man," "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," "On and On," "I Don’t Want to Go On With You Like That," "The One," "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" and many more.

In addition to his Oscar, John’s numerous honors include Grammys and American Music Awards. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and, in 1998, he was knighted by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. He was presented with a Grammy Legend Award at this year’s Grammys.

TIM RICE (Songs) is one of the music industry’s most renowned lyricists and a triple Oscar winner in the category of Best Original Song. He won his first Academy Award and a Golden Globe for the song "A Whole New World," written with Alan Menken, from the animated hit "Aladdin." He took home his second Oscar and Golden Globe, shared with Elton John, for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the blockbuster "The Lion King," in addition to earning Oscar nominations for "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata" from the same film. He won his most recent Oscar for "You Must Love Me," from the film version of "Evita," which he co-wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Rice has also enjoyed success on the stages of Broadway and London’s West End, and in theatres worldwide. His partnership with Andrew Lloyd Webber resulted in the musical hits "Evita," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." He also worked with Alan Menken on six new songs for the stage production of "Beauty and the Beast." Rice and Elton John again collaborated on the hugely successful Broadway production of "The Lion King," which won the Tony Award for Best Musical and recently opened in London. He and John more recently teamed on the musical "Aida," based on Verdi’s opera, which is about to open on Broadway.

Rice’s other notable stage musicals include "Blondel," with music by Stephen Oliver, and "Chess," with music by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson from the group ABBA. The latter spawned an internationally successful album that featured the hit songs "One Night in Bangkok" and "I Know Him So Well." In addition, Rice has collaborated with such notable composers as Marvin Hamlisch, John Barry, Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and the late Freddie Mercury on songs not written for the stage.

In 1994, Rice was knighted by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.

HANS ZIMMER (Composer) earned dual Oscar nominations last year for his score for the animated musical "The Prince of Egypt" and Terrence Malick’s World War II drama "The Thin Red Line." In 1994, he won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for his score for the blockbuster "The Lion King," which marked his first collaboration with Elton John and Tim Rice. The highest-grossing animated film to date, "The Lion King" also spawned one of the most successful soundtrack albums ever, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. The composer has also been honored with Oscar nominations for "As Good as it Gets," "Rain Man" and "The Preacher’s Wife."

Currently, his music for "The Lion King" is again drawing applause in the award-winning Broadway production of the musical. The show earned the 1998 Tony Award for Best Musical, as well as the Grammy Award for the Best Original Cast Album.

Over the last 15 years, Zimmer has composed music for over 60 feature films, as well as television projects. His credits include "The Peacemaker," "The Rock," "Broken Arrow," "Nine Months," "Crimson Tide," for which he won a Grammy, "Beyond Rangoon," "Cool Runnings," "A League of Their Own," "Black Rain," "Thelma & Louise," "Backdraft," "Green Card," "True Romance," "Days of Thunder," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "My Beautiful Launderette," to name only a portion. He is currently scoring DreamWorks’ upcoming epic drama "Gladiator," for director Ridley Scott, and "Mission: Impossible 2," directed by John Woo.

In addition to his composing work, Zimmer heads DreamWorks’ film music division. His appointment marks the first time that a composer has headed the music department of a major studio since the days of Dimitri Tiomkin at MGM and Alfred Newman at 20th Century Fox.

JOHN POWELL (Composer) created the score (with Harry Gregson-Williams) for DreamWorks’ computer animated hit "Antz," and more recently scored the comedy "Forces of Nature," starring Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck. He made his film scoring debut with John Woo’s action thriller "Face/Off," starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. He also composed the score for the film "Endurance" about Olympic champion runner Haile Gebrselassie, which fused African, Arabic and Western music. Powell is currently re-teaming with Harry Gregson-Williams to score DreamWorks’ upcoming animated comedy "Chicken Run."

A native of England, Powell graduated from Trinity College of Music in London. In 1988, he landed a job composing music for commercials and television at London’s Air-Edel Music. There he also made his first foray into feature films, assisting Patrick Doyle on "Into the West," and working as an electronic music programmer for Hans Zimmer on "White Fang." He left Air-Edel in 1995 to co-found his own studio with fellow Trinity College alumnus Gavin Greenway, where they wrote music for over 100 commercials and independent films, as well as the opera "An Englishman, Irishman and Frenchman."

Moving to the United States, Powell scored the DreamWorks Television series "High Incident" and the pilot "For the People." In addition, he arranged songs written by Stephen Schwartz for DreamWorks’ animated epic drama "The Prince of Egypt."

RAYMOND ZIBACH (Art Director) previously worked as a background key and production painter on animated portions of the hit basketball comedy "Space Jam," which blended live action and animation. He also worked as a background key on such popular Nickelodeon cartoons as "Ren and Stimpy" and "Rocko’s Modern Life." His other credits include the television and direct-to-video projects "Darkwing Duck," "Aladdin and the King of Thieves," "Timon and Pumbaa" and "Shnookums and Meat."

Zibach is a graduate of the Otis/Parsons School in Los Angeles, where he majored in design and illustration. In addition to his work on the screen, he has lent his artistry to book illustrations for such titles as Around the World With Timon and Pumbaa, Aladdin’s Quest Series, The Lion King Series, Princess’ Collection and The Genie’s Tale.

Paul Lasaine (Art Director) previously worked as a background supervisor and visual development artist on DreamWorks’ "The Prince of Egypt."

Before coming to DreamWorks, Lasaine worked as a matte painting artist on a variety of live action films, including "Mortal Kombat," "The Santa Clause," "The Jungle Book," "The Pelican Brief" and "Dick Tracy."

Lasaine grew up in Encino, California, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California State University, Northridge.

WENDELL LUEBBE (Art Director) counts among his other art directing credits the animated films "A Goofy Movie" and the upcoming "Return to Neverland."

Luebbe holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Design from the University of Kansas. He also studied character animation at the California Institute of the Arts.

Christian Schellewald (Production Designer) previously served as a visual development artist on DreamWorks "The Prince of Egypt." He began his animation career at Amblimation in London, where he worked as a layout artist on "Balto."

Hailing from Essen, Germany, Schellewald studied graphic design at the University of Essen. He went on to work as a comic strip artist and freelance illustrator, before segueing into animation.

DAN PHILIPS (Digital Supervisor) joined DreamWorks Animation in 1995, and helped to establish the visual effects department for the division. He most recently served as co-visual effects supervisor on "The Prince of Egypt."

Philips began his career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation working in graphic, set, and production design. He then worked for Omnibus Computer Graphics as creative director and art director. Segueing to freelance work, he worked on the visual design and art direction for film and video advertisements for Diet Pepsi, Digital Computers and Rubbermaid.

In 1990, Philips joined Walt Disney’s Feature Animation as the head of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), where he worked on the animated hits "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," "The Lion King" and "Pocahontas."

James Baxter (Senior Supervising Animator - Tulio) was an animator on the central character of Moses in DreamWorks’ "The Prince of Egypt." Presently, he is the supervising animator on the wild mustang Spirit, the main character in DreamWorks’ tentatively titled "Spirit," due out in 2001.

Baxter previously served as a supervising animator on such characters as Quasimodo in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," Rafiki in "The Lion King," and Belle in "Beauty and the Beast." He also worked on such animated films as "The Rescuers Down Under" and "The Little Mermaid."

Born in England, Baxter attended West Surrey College of Art and Design. He began his career at Walt Disney Studios London as an in-between artist and animator on Jessica Rabbit and Roger for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."

DAVID BREWSTER (Senior Supervising Animator – Miguel) recently served as the supervising animator on the pivotal role of Older Rameses in "The Prince of Egypt." He was previously an animator on "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and a supervising animator on "FernGully: The Last Rainforest." His additional credits include "Rock-A-Doodle," "All Dogs Go to Heaven," "The Land Before Time," "The Grinch is Back" and "Rock and Rule," among others. Early in his career, he did several years of series work on such cartoons as "Scooby Doo" and "The Flintstones."

In addition, Brewster has worked on numerous commercials and special projects, including spots for Burger King, Nestle’s Quik, Alpha Bits, Shake & Bake, and Rice Krispies.

Rodolphe Guenoden (Supervising Animator – Chel) formerly served as the supervising animator on the character Tzipporah in "The Prince of Egypt."

Prior to joining DreamWorks, Guenoden worked at Amblimation as a supervising animator and story artist on "Balto." He was also a senior animator on "We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story" and an assistant animator on "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West."

Guenoden comes from France where he attended CFT - Gobelins in Paris.

KATHY ZIELINSKI (Supervising Animator – Tzekel-Kan) served as an animator on several character in "The Prince of Egypt." She is presently working as an animator on DreamWorks’ upcoming film, tentatively titled "Spirit."

Zielinski was previously the supervising animator on Frollo in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," various incarnations of Jafar in "Aladdin," Hexxus in "FernGully: The Last Rainforest," and Frank, the frill-necked lizard in "The Rescuers Down Under." She also served as an animator on such projects as "Mickey’s Christmas Carol," "The Black Cauldron," "The Great Mouse Detective," "Oliver & Company" and "The Little Mermaid," and as a character designer on "Pocahontas."

FRANS VISCHER (Supervising Animator – The Chief) previously served as a directing animator on such features as "Cats Don’t Dance," "Bebe’s Kids" and "Rover Dangerfield." He also worked as an animator or storyboard artist on the features "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "The Goofy Movie."

In addition, he was an animator or storyboard artist on a variety of other projects, including the shorts "Tummy Trouble," "Michael and Mickey," "Back to Neverland," "The Duxorcist" and "Night of the Living Duck."

Kristof Serrand (Supervising Animator – Altivo and Cortes) was the supervising animator for older Moses and Pharaoh Seti in "The Prince of Egypt." He is currently working on DreamWorks’ tentatively titled "Spirit," due out in 2001.

Prior to joining DreamWorks, Serrand worked at Amblimation in London as a supervising animator for "Balto," "We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story," and "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West." Serrand also worked as an animator on such features as "The Big Fight," "Asterix in Britain" and "The Cesar’s Surprise."

A native of France, Serrand studied at CFT- Gobelins in Paris, where he later taught classes for five years. He also worked as an animator in the military service for the Army’s cinema department.

(note from me: spirit actually came out in 2002, but it looks like it was planned for 2001)

[shinanemone]

GFM Animation Has Acquired Global Rights To Uli Meyer’s Debut Feature ‘Molesworth’

Adapted from the popular books of the same name, Meyer was hand-picked by illustrator Ronald Searle to bring the franchise to the big screen. from Cartoon Brew https://ift.tt/HhYGEFC

[nicefoodfornicefoodies]

GFM Animation Has Acquired Global Rights To Uli Meyer’s Debut Feature ‘Molesworth’

Adapted from the popular books of the same name, Meyer was hand-picked by illustrator Ronald Searle to bring the franchise to the big screen. from Cartoon Brew https://ift.tt/qoctz3H

[jeffmerghart]

Uli Meyers “MOLESWORTH”

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/uli-meyer-is-adapting-molesworth-into-a-feature-exclusive-teaser-and-interview-187165.html

[jollyfoxanimations]

AX1000: Contextual Studies in Animation (Semester 1) Week 5

Starting week 5 of conceptual studies, we watched a short animation called UBU by Geoff Dunbar, I must admit once again m not a massive fan of this animation, for me the designs of the characters we unexciting out of proportion and the story left me wondering what it was I just watched, I understand that the animation is based on a play called UBURO! by Alfred Jerry but the animation doesn’t explain really what is going on. I get the gist that it’s about a slob who is coaxed by his mother to perform a coo on their king, which he does and then a battle ensues which he loses to the king’s son who acts in revenge but that was it, sadly I found it confusing and somewhat boring, I did like the way the slob was cocky arrogant and evil when in power but  a wimp the second something goes wrong, I also enjoyed the scene where the prince is visited by his ancestor, who gives him a sword to help him avenge his family, I found that this scene was good because of the narrators effect and the lighting and use of scale.

The second animation I watched was called The Pearce Sisters by Luis Cook. In contrast to the previous animation I really enjoyed this, the animation itself was brilliant; the movement of the characters, the way harsh rain is used to create atmosphere, the various perspective camera shots that are utilised and the size difference of the two characters which matches their physical capabilities. I also enjoyed how towards the end of the story it ends with a dark twist that leaves you questioning whether you are disgusted by the two women or if in some way leaves you feeling like you can’t help but feel sorry for them.

The following animations I watched after where animations from Banksy the infamous street graffiti artist, it is interesting to see how his art has been used in animations to tell an even larger story, more so than his still images can tell alone.

Next, I looked at the work by an animator named Uli Meyer, this animator is famous for his (uncredited) work on the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit and was character designer for An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, he was the key animator and layout artist for the film FernGully: The Last Rainforest. Meyer is also known for having created many award-winning movies for advertising, television and other feature films in 2D, 3D and as well as some live action hybrids for example his animations on the film Space Jam. I have always a fan of Uli’s work since a child and am in awe at his abilities to animate. Highly inspirational.

The second to last animation we watched was by Aleksandr Petrov called Old Man and The Sea. This film is visually stunning: the use of colours, realistic looking characters, the art style is beautiful the way the colours blend and merge to create the setting with an appearance as if they were created with acrylic paints, each frame is a piece of art; individually outstanding but when animated creates a magical visual experience, the motion of the characters looks real and highly detailed, you can instantly see the animators have an inconceivable understanding of physical motion and anatomy plus the story is captivating (although a little confusing at times). 

[feathers-ruffled]

So anyone remember that canned animation/live action hybrid movie The Duck that was floating around the net for a while? Apparently the producer uploaded the whole proof of concept short online.

I gotta say this still makes me wish we could have movies like this. The animation is godly compared to most these days. 

[downthetubes]

Cartoons on Film: Molesworth Trailer

Cartoons on Film: Molesworth Trailer

Here’s a trailer for Molesworth, an upcoming animated feature film based on the books by Geoffrey Willans, illustrated by Roald Searle.

Announced earlier this year, the film stars Matt Lucas, who gives voice to the anarchic post-World War Two public boarding school boy Nigel Molesworth – and from the trailer, it looks like feature will perfectly capture the spirit of the original books.

MO…

[jessicarabbitworld]

The Duck (full length)

[teenagedirtstache]

polyester-polo, hose aus leinen mit baumwolle und sneakers, alles Dolce & Gabbana Jeans

[frauenvomfcb]

Lina im Interview

[fyeahfailedcartoonpilots]

The Duck

Model sheets for Clarence, designed by Uli Meyer

[spnshameblog]

Dieter Wuppertal hört Neue Deutsche Welle, aber ist heimlicher Helene Fischer Fan.

Er hasst den Tatort, ist aber in david seidel aus verliebt in berlin verknallt. K11 findet er auch scheiße, Cobra 11 ist aber gut. Außerdem ist er in Henning Baum in der letzte Bulle verknallt. Samuel guckt gerne Aktenzeichen XY.

Er hat seinen Bulli von seinem Vater Johann Wuppertal. (Alternativ fährt er einen Mercedes 450, aber ein Bullis ist einfach witziger)

Karsten versteht dieses Gleichnis nicht.

Samuel sagt in Bielefeld ja zu Luzifer.

Florian Silbereisen ist der Trickster.

Der BER ist der Platz des showdowns in Staffel 2, denn er ist eigentlich schon seit 10 Jahren ein Tor zur Hölle.

Robert Sänger ist der verschollene 5. Ludolf Bruder.

Jakob Klein ist der Sohn von Kerstin klein und äh.... markus söder.

Kalle ist ein Autobahnkreuzdämon und später König der Hölle. Einer seiner prominentesten Klienten ist uli Hoeneß.

Einer ihrer Erzfeinde ist Viktor Hendrickson, ein übereifriger Angestellter im Einwohnermeldeamt. (Der BND hat keine Ahnung, dass es überhaupt ein Problem mit den Wuppertal brüdern gibt)

Karsten stellt sich und Dieter einmal als Kommissare Thiel und Boerne vor und sie müssen deshalb den Fall abbrechen.

Beliebte Pseudonyme sind Falco, Westernhagen, Grönemeyer, Lindenberg, Urlaub, B, Gonzales und Campino.

Im Rückblick im Finale läuft immer “Wahnsinn”.

Karsten und Jakob stellen sich als “Kaulitz und Meyer-Landrut” vor.

Dieter findet Traumschiff Surprise zum schießen komisch, aber Samuel findet die stereotypische Darstellung von Schwulen nicht so ok.

Samuels StudiVZ Username war JuraBubi.

Karsten und Dieter siezen sich bis zur emotionalen Szene in der Karsten Dieter das Du anbietet und dann prompt stirbt.

[thebreemationstationyt]

My top 5 favorite animators :3

5. Glenn keane

4. Uli meyer

3. Milt kahl

2 Eric goldberg

1. Richard williams

[michelangelofortuzziupdates]

Amazon, Constantin Reboot German '80s Classic 'Bahnhof Zoo' (THR)

The teen drug drama, set in David Bowie's West Berlin, screened for buyers at MIPCOM 2020.

Sex, drugs, and rock and roll, it seems, never go out of style.

We Children from Bahnhof Zoo, one of the hottest new television series being screened for buyers at this year's MIPCOM international television market, looks back on the hedonist world of West Berlin in the late 1970s and early '80s. It's a world, says series producer Sophie von Uslar (NSU: German History X), that even before coronavirus changed everything, is almost unimaginable for today's younger generation.

"The late '70s were a wild time of freedom that in the current climate, where young people are constantly striving for political correctness, for self-optimization, and seem constantly under observation via Instagram and social media, must seem like another world," she says.

The high-end series is inspired by the 1978 non-fiction book of the same name about teenage drug users in Berlin. We Children from Bahnhof Zoo was previously adapted by Uli Edel as the shocking 1981 film Christiane F. Edel's feature was famed for using street kids to play the main characters and its near-documentary approach.

Annette Hess, head writer and creative producer on the We Children from Bahnhof Zoo series, took a different tack. Returning to the original book, she expanded the world of these teenage addicts, to tell a broader, and deeper, coming-of-age story.

"The film focuses on Christiane's story, but we wanted to tell a story of this group of six kids, who are all lost in different ways, but who all find each other, and in the group they feel free and strong," says Von Uslar. "The drugs accelerate everything, make it all more intense."

The series, she says, also avoid the moralizing tone of Edel's film, by plotting both the highs and lows of drug addiction. "It acts like a drug itself," notes Oliver Berben, producer and executive board member at Constantin Film, "it's drawing you in."

Only by episode four of the eight-part series, do the drugs "begin to demand their tribute," notes Von Uslar. "That's when the drugs begin to be stronger than friendship."

The look of We Children from Bahnhof Zoo, which Constantin Television and Amazon Prime Video produced, and which Fremantle is selling internationally at Mipcom, is also a world away from Edel's Christiane F.  Gritty documentary realism has been swapped for a brighter palette of colors and images.

The production team built an entire club in Prague for the shoot, which finished principal photography shortly before Europe went into COVID-19 lockdown.

"We wrapped on February 6, it was a blessing," says von Uslar. "We've been able to spend the lockdown doing post."

The series' soundtrack is also a mash-up of tunes from the period —David Bowie's music plays a major role, as it did in Christiane F—with current EDM-style tracks.

It took nine months to cast the series' nearly 300 roles. The main clique at the heart of the show are played by Jana McKinnon (Christiane), Michelangelo Fortuzzi (Benno), Lena Urzendowsky (Stella), Bruno Alexander (Michi), Jeremias Meyer (Axel) and Lea Drinda (Babsi).

"Finding young actors who look like they belong in this world, who don't look out of place, was a major challenge," says Von Uslar. "But it gives the series a broader appeal. This is a show that has the potential to cross generations, to appeal both to the younger audience and to the 70s generation that grew up with the book."

Jens Richter, CEO of Fremantle International notes the appeal of the We Children from Bahnhof Zoo brand. "The book was a best-seller and translated into more than 20 languages and the film is extremely well known, particularly in Europe and Latin America," he says.

Fremantle is clearly targeting premium pay-TV and streaming services with the series, which will go out on Amazon Prime in German-speaking Europe.

"The market for this kind of non-English-language, high-end series has really opened up, it wasn't there in the same way even just 2-3 years ago," Richter says.

We Children from Bahnhof Zoo is set to premiere early 2021.