mation about the film might help build an audience as well. Potentially successful sound-
tracks or toys on a website can help attract financing. Often studios participate in co-
productions to split the costs and the risks and speed the process along the way.
The completed film may then be taken to markets like Cannes in hopes of garnering
awards and good buzz in order to get distribution. Or a film can qualify for an Oscar® nom-
ination in the Feature Animation category if it has had a short prerelease showing.
Production Schedule
Most features will take anywhere from eighteen months to four years to produce. CGI fea-
tures take about the same amount of time as a traditionally animated film. Serge Elissalde’s
French production Loulou and the Other Wolveswas completed in only two months of pre-
production (including the script), five months of production, and one month of post-
production. Dario Picciau’s Italian production of L’Uovowas completed by a crew of only
six people, including the writer and producer, working on their Macintosh computers. A tel-
evision feature will probably take less time than the average theatrical feature and will prob-
ably be produced more like any other television show. Budget, experience, and the number
of full-time staff working on the film determine the time it takes. Because the lead time can
be much longer than that of a TV show or a game, it’s more important to have an idea that
will still be popular years down the road.
The Structure Needed for a Feature Audience
Although animated features are usually assumed to be for children, the film must appeal to
all ages, including teenage boys (the primary demographic group targeted for films). A story
with universal appeal means the kind of story that people of all ages everywhere can under-
stand and appreciate. These stories, and the characters in them, resonate in some way in our
own lives. Basic human needs and emotions are found in the myths, legends, religious stories,
folktales, and fairy tales humans have loved since the beginning of time. Without some sub-
stance—some importance—an animated film may not be worth taking the time, money,
and effort to make. Many look for a timeless quality that will keep the feature popular for
generations.
An original project with a high concept, something that will hook the executives with
its obvious marketability, may be easier to sell as long as the characters and story are com-
pelling. The premise of a film, like that of a television show or a game, should be simple
enough that you can communicate it in a logline. In the United States the film should have
a “cool” factor. Teens may feel that an animated film is only for kids, so your film needs
something extra to get them to the theater. In recent years this something extra has often
been CGI animation. However in the United States it’s usually women who make the deci-
sion to go see an animated film. Mothers don’t want to take their young kids to something
that will give them nightmares or model behavior that’s too negative. The kids themselves
want writing that respects them rather than writing that talks down to them. They usually
look for something familiar. The major companies have discovered that the big-budget
feature needs be an event.
278 Animation Writing and Development