Animated Movies

LILACS OF PEACE [2015] [link]
Lilacs tells the story of the Second World War to children aged 5-9.
In May 1945, Russian tanks rolled into Prague. People lined the streets cheering, and decorated the tanks with pink and blue lilac flowers. Why were they happy? To find out, we need to go back in time six years… 1. The Second World War The Second World War began in 1939. It started in Europe, and spread until almost the whole world was fighting: 61 countries were at war! It was the most deadly war in history, killing about 60 million people.

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl from the Netherlands. In 1942, her family hid in a secret room hidden behind a bookcase to escape the Nazis. Anne, who was thirteen, kept a diary. Her dream was to become a writer. She wrote: “When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears! But will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or a writer?”

LET’S DRAW THE OLYMPICS! [2012] [link CZ] [link EN]
An animated film by Zuzana Jungmanová and children from the London Borough of Islington.
‘Let’s Draw the Olympics!’ is an Olympic project by the Czech School Without Borders, London for Czech-English bilingual children and children based in Islington, London. It represents a child’s eye view of the world while mediating London reality and the idea of the Olympic Games to children who are not familiar with it. 180 Czech and British children aged 2 – 12 from five London-based institutions created their own images of the Olympics during a series of 56 art workshops. The children used recycled material and various techniques like drawing, painting, doubling/backing, frottage and collage to create 500 pictures and art pieces for the visual aspects of the film. The resulting film by the artist Zuzana Jungmanová is a 2D art montage which uses the principles of animation to illustrate a child’s naïve view of the world.

The film is dedicated to Jessie, a former pupil of the Czech School without Borders, who is seriously ill. The main character in the story is Jessie, a little girl who due to her illness cannot go and see the Olympics. A group of animals living in the neighbourhood of the British Museum – Cockroach, Pigeon, Squirrel, Fox and Mouse, decide to organize their own Olympic Games to make her happy. They build the Olympic stadium right in front of her window. Cockroach in red races on a bike, Mouse in green competes in the high jump, black fencers Fox and Squirrel fight fair, Pigeon in gold sprints and the grand finale is horse racing in blue when all the animals participate.

Five stories in the five colours of the Olympic rings are related to topics such as London, the Olympic Games and friendship. Even though the film takes place in London in summer 2012, it is inspired by the British Museum and especially by Olympic scenes from ancient Greek vases. Reimagined images of wrestling or disc throwing remind us of the ancient history of the games which intertwine with the modern event. Another inspiration comes from František Kupka, especially from his painting Fugue in Two Colours.

Another important element is the connection between Czech and British cultural traditions. Jessie is a bilingual Czech-British girl, in her bedroom there are both Czech and English books, in the telephone booth the ads are in both languages and the main musical theme is created through the Czech song Pod našimi okny teče vodička and the English song Horsey, Horsey sung by children. The film itself has two language versions. The Czech one is narrated by Pavel Soukup, the English one is accompanied by the voice of Michael Griffiths.

The film was created thanks to a financial contribution from the Czech School Without Borders, London, Czech Centre London, Cambridge Education@Islington and Islington Council’s Community Chest. The project was created in collaboration with four Islington based partner organizations: Beckett House Montessori Nursery, Highbury Quadrant Primary, St Mary Magdalene Church and Academy, and Light Project International.

LOST IN LONDON TOWN [2011] [link]
Animated film Lost in London Town by Dora Martínková, Zuzana Jungmanová and children from Malorees Junior School in London.
The story is about a new girl Ana at school who has recently moved to London with her parents. In one history lesson the teachers tell the pupils that their project is to be about famous London landmarks and linked to famous people. Ana is worried that she will fail. Suddenly the ghost of Charles Dickens flies from a picture on the wall. He takes her to Buckingham Palace and introduces her to Queen Victoria…

JUST FIVE OF US LEFT [2009] [link]
Children of Kids’ Art Club and Zuzana Jungmanová participated, with the help of the Prague ZOO, in the European Carnivore Campaign 2008/2009 – ‘Living together’ organised by the European Association of ZOOs and Aquaria (EAZA) with the aim of raising awareness of nature in Europe.
We tried to find out more about the twelve charismatic threatened carnivores selected for this campaign and made an animated film about them. Children created the main characters, interiors and exteriors for the film and recorded the dialogues.

THE EMPIRE OF THE SUN [2009] [link]
Animation about the planets by Dora Martínková, Zuzka Jungmanová and the pupils of Malorees Junior School who drew the pictures and got the planets talking in the their own words.
The Empire of the Sun, animated story, was created by primary school pupils aged between 6 and 12 years. The story focuses on the solar system as we know it. After the Big Bang the planets turn into characters, who introduce themselves to the audience through a series of short dialogues and monologues. The plot evolves around the kidnapping of the Sun by Robot Destroyers.