"Laimīgie": Edmunds Jansons' new animated film takes viewers into the Venezuelan jungle
Latvian director Edmunds Jansons' feature animation "Laimīgie" ("The Happy Ones") had its world premiere at the Annecy festival, a Latvian-Polish-Czech co-production for children inspired by the life story of Latvian adventurer Aleksandrs Laime.
Animation director Edmunds Jansons, who seven years ago teamed up with artist Elīna Brasliņa on "Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs," has now released a new feature film titled "Laimīgie" ("The Happy Ones"). The film had its world premiere at the prestigious Annecy animation festival, in the "Annecy Presents" programme, and was produced as a joint venture between Latvia, Poland and Czechia.
The story
At the centre of the film is nine-year-old Elizabete, or Zizī, whom her mother takes away from Caracas during a school holiday to Orchid Island, where the girl's father and younger brother Leo live. The family's idea of entertainment revolves around nature and expeditions, even though Elizabete would rather stay in the city with her friends. When Leo sets off on his own expedition, Elizabete must go looking for him, discovering along the way the wonders of the jungle and an unusual, furry creature living there.
Source of inspiration
The film draws on writer Luīze Pastore's book "Laimes bērni" ("Children of Happiness"), based on the life of legendary Latvian adventurer Aleksandrs Laime, who spent much of his life in Venezuela's jungles. However, Jansons said he was less interested in the myth surrounding Laime's own adventures and more in the question of how children would experience such an environment — as a result, Laime's name is never mentioned in the film, with only scattered facts and stories retained.
Visual approach
Unlike the currently dominant 3D animation, "Laimīgie" was made in 2D digital animation using the Moho software. The director cited French painter Henri Rousseau as one visual inspiration, noting that Rousseau painted his famous exotic jungles largely from imagination rather than direct experience — a similar approach is reflected in the film's visual style.
The film is aimed primarily at children roughly five to nine years old and offers a more traditional, dramatically simpler adventure story compared to other notable recent Latvian animated works, including Gints Zilbalodis' "Flow."
