GKids has acquired North American rights to Jeremie Perin’s Cannes and Annecy selection Mars Express.
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‘Mars Express’: Annecy Review
Perin’s debut feature is set in 2200 as private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker.
On Mars, they descend into the underbelly of the planet’s capital city where they uncover a darker story of brain farms, corruption, and a missing girl who holds a secret about the robots that threatens to change the fate of the universe.
Mars Express combines 2D and 3D animation and will receive its US premiere at the upcoming Animation is Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Perin previously served as producer and director on various series such as CO2, Nini Patalo and Socks, and most recently wrote and directed the Lastman series, based on the French comic of the same name.
GKids will release Mars Express theatrically in its original French language and a new English dub in 2024, following a domestic release in France in November.
The acquisition marks a new collaboration between GKids and Perin, following the company’s local distribution of The Rabbi’s Cat, which Perin collaborated on in development.
The Mars Express deal was negotiated between Rodney Uhler of GKids and Olivier Barbier of mk2 Films.
“Mars Express is a film we have been excited about for years, since we saw the very first footage,” said GKids president David Jesteadt. “This is a timely and provocative story set in one of the greatest animated sci-fi worlds I’ve seen, and we are thrilled to help bring it to North American audiences.”
“mk2 Films is thrilled to initiate this collaboration with GKids, one of the best independent distributors for animation in North America,” said mk2 Films head of acquisition Olivier Barbier. “Mars express couldn’t dream of finding a home and support from a fully dedicated team.”
