nWave’s ‘Yugly’ Opens Annecy Presents With Global Distribution Deals
8 reported
The nWave team traveled from Brussels to the Annecy Animation Festival for the third consecutive year, bringing their latest feature “Yugly” for its world premiere. The film opens the non-competitive Annecy Presents section at the Bonlieu, the festival’s main venue. “Yugly” is a CG animated dog comedy about the world’s ugliest mutt who dreams of competing in the Best in Dog Show while seeking a family. Co-directed by Jérémie Degruson and Yanis Belaid, and written by Greg Brooker, the film is a Belgian-French co-production between nWave and Octopolis, produced by Matthieu Zeller. The studio announced distribution deals across Europe, West Africa, and parts of Asia, with rights still available for the U.K., Germany, Italy, the Americas, and other territories. The film had a budget of €25 million ($28.7 million) and a team of 150 people.
What’s reported
“Yugly” makes its world premiere at the Annecy Animation Festival’s Annecy Presents section.
The film is nWave’s twelfth feature and is co-directed by Jérémie Degruson and Yanis Belaid.
The screenplay was written by Greg Brooker, who wrote “Stuart Little.”
The film is a Belgian-French co-production between nWave and Octopolis, produced by Matthieu Zeller.
Distribution deals include France (SND), Benelux (Independent Films), Spain (ACF), Scandinavia (Scanbox), the Baltics (Ad Astra), and African territories split between Les Films 26 and Pathé.
Rights are available for the U.K., Germany, Italy, North and Latin America, Australia/New Zealand, and Asian territories excluding Vietnam and Mongolia.
The film’s budget was €25 million ($28.7 million), with 150 people working on it.
Annecy artistic director Marcel Jean praised the film for its heartfelt story and relatable characters.
Key figures
Jérémie Degruson, co-director
Yanis Belaid, co-director
Greg Brooker, screenwriter
Matthieu Zeller, producer
Christopher Grao, CG and backgrounds supervisor
Kevin Hermans, character design/storyboard artist
Marcel Jean, Annecy artistic director
Sources: Variety
