| Toys in the Attic | |
|---|---|
 Original Czech theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jiří Barta |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Miloslav Šmídmajer |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ivan Vít |
| Edited by | Lucie Halabová |
| Music by | Michal Pavlíček |
Production companies | At Armz Česká Televize Continental Film Eurocine Films Eurociné Krátký Film Praha Universal Production Partners (UPP) Bio Illusion[2] |
| Distributed by | CinemArt |
Release date |
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Running time | 75 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Czech |
| Box office | $64,918 |
Toys in the Attic (Czech:Na půdě aneb Kdo má dneska narozeniny?; festival title:In the Attic or Who Has a Birthday Today?) is a 2009 internationally co-producedstop-motionanimatedfantasy film directed byJiří Barta and written by Edgar Dutka and Barta which depicts a community oftoys and other objects in anattic who come to life when no human is around.[2] It is aninternational co-production between theCzech Republic,France,Japan andSlovakia.[1] The film was released first in the Czech Republic on 5 March 2009 and has been shown subtitled atfilm festivals internationally. AnAmericanEnglish dub – adapted, produced and directed byVivian Schilling and performed by actors includingForest Whitaker,Joan Cusack,Cary Elwes[3] and Schilling herself – has been recorded, which the film was first shown with on 3 March 2012 at theNew York International Children's Film Festival and was released nationally on 24 August 2012 byHannover House.[4]
In an attic full of discarded junk, a pretty doll called Buttercup lives in an old trunk together with her friends, the marionette Sir Handsome, the lovable Teddy Bear, a Mechanical Mouse and the plasticine creature, Laurent. When Buttercup is snatched and taken off to the Land of Evil, her pals set out on a wondrous and daring adventure to rescue her from the all-powerful Head of State. Originally produced in Czech, the meticulously crafted animated feature is set in a magical world of toys and knick-knacks stored in the attic of a home in Prague. Following the symbolism of the Cold War era that impacted director Barta and the Czech Republic, the world of the attic is divided into the land of happy toys in the west and the land of evil in the east. The despotic Head of State rules over the evil empire of the east with a band of sinister minions, insects and rotted vegetables.
| Character | Czech voice actor | English voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Branko Smiljanić | Douglas Urbanski |
| Buttercup | Jelena Martinović | Vivian Schilling |
| Sir Handsome | Marko Jelić | Cary Elwes |
| Teddy | Boris Barberić | Forest Whitaker |
| School Boy & Monkey | Darije Somi | Roy Vongtama |
| Laurent | Marko Juraga | Marcelo Tubert |
| Tomcat | Nikola Marjanović | Rico Simonini |
| Madam Curie | Mirjana Sinožić | Joan Cusack |
| Rosie | Jelena Martinović | Joy Ellison |
| Mrs. Nemačhkova | Mirjana Sinožić | Sandy Holt |
| Andreja | Nikica Viličić | Emily Ricks Hahn |
| Majmun | Nikola Marjanović | Roy Vongtama |
Jiří Barta and Edgar Dutka wrote the script, originally titledWhose Birthday is it Today before it was renamedToys in the Attic, from 1998 to 2000 with the intention of creating a story that was family-orientated, sellable to producers, and having elements of a child's imagination: "When I found an old exercise book with my drawing of a train made from old train tickets with a piece of cigarette for the smokestack, the kid in my imagination reappeared. Edgar and I remembered the games we used to play in strange forbidden places we found in our attics."[5]
Due to very short deadlines set by the producer, multiple stages of makingToys in the Attic, including pre-production, production, and post-production, happened at the same time.[5] The film was made by a total of ten to fifteen of Prague art school graduates and Barta's colleagues and friends.[5] Pre-production began in January 2007; it involved not only storyboarding but also creating the puppets and sets from a "huge amount of junk and antique stuff."[5] The filming and animation took place from June 2007 to September 2008, which the final product contains 1,200 stills; and post-production was finished by early 2009.[5]
The main part of the film's animation is that of puppets animated by stop motion but there are also examples ofclay animation in the character Šubrt and the objects of his room,special effects such as steam intraditional animation and the face of theplasterbust Hlava ("Head") was performed inpixilation and voiced in the original Czech audio by actorJiří Lábus.[1]
The film was theatrically released on 5 March 2009 by CinemArt and was premiered at theNew York International Children's Film Festival. It was released on DVD and VOD on November 23, 2009 by Magic Box (in Czech with optional English subtitles). In early 2013, the English version (with English soundtrack, and with the Czech signs in the film replaced by English ones) was released on DVD and Bluray by Hannover House.[6]
CinemaArt released the film in the Czech Republic on 6 March 2009.[7] Peter Debruge compared the film toToy Story in a reviews forVariety, and complimented the animation: "despite their inflexible faces, Barta conceives all sorts of inventive ways to bring these inanimate objects to life. […] Should a given shot prove too tricky to accomplish practically, Barta has no qualms about using digital compositing to blend multiple stop-motion plates. Though rudimentary, fire and water effects are especially effective." About the film's commercial prospects, Debruge wrote: "For all its charms,In the Attic feels vaguely sinister and may prove too intense for younger kids – a testament to the film's pacing and score, as well as how deeply auds emotionally connect with these occasionally macabre toy characters."[8] The film has been honored with awards including an Excellence Prize for animation at the 2010Japan Media Arts Festival,[9] those for best feature at the 2010 New York International Children's Film Festival and the 2011 Tehran International Animation Festival,[10] in both winning overThe Secret of Kells,[11][12] and the Kecskemét City Award at the 7thFestival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials in 2011.[13] The film has a 70% onRotten Tomatoes.
| Award | Category | Winner | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Lion | Best Art Direction (Nejlepsí výtvarný pocin) | Jirí Barta | Won |