Annecy Player ‘Diplodocus’ Introduces Classic Polish Comics to the Wider World With Debut Trailer: ‘It’s Like a Lost Spielberg Movie’ (EXCLUSIVE)
07.06.2024 - 11:25
/ variety.com
Marta Balaga In 1980s Poland, Tadeusz Baranowski’s comic books stood out by a mile, full of color, absurd humor, and odd characters. Now, director Wojtek Wawszczyk is referencing them in his hybrid CG/live-action animated feature Diplodocus, which screens in this year’s Annecy Presents sidebar at the iconic French festival. “That’s how I started to draw – I was copying these comics! I discovered them as a 6-year-old.
Without them, I wouldn’t be doing this,” he told Variety ahead of the film’s debut. He first met Baranowski – who has a cameo in the film – as a student. Soon, a friendship was forged.
“I actually approached him back then, 20 years ago, and said I would like to bring his comics to the screen one day. Last December, I showed him and his wife Ania the almost-finished film. They told me the spirit of Baranowski is present in every frame.
It was very touching,” he admited. “I feel like I’ve been making this film all my life.” However, Wawszczyk, who also wrote the script, was interested in something other than a faithful adaptation. “I see his comics as something complete.
My idea was to befriend the author and then ask him if he would let me tell this story in my own way,” he laughed. The battle between the past and the present is mirrored in the film’s plot as well. An artist, forced to “make room for something new” by his money-oriented employer, starts to erase his old drawings, unaware he is destroying little Diplodocus’ world.
“I believe that if something was valuable to me once, it can be valuable to the next generation as well. I’m establishing a dialogue with these comics, with animated films I grew up on, but also with my childhood. With the young me, still developing as an artist,” said Wawszczyk.
.