Shooting of PETTERSSON AND FINDUS II - THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER is currently taking place at MMC Studios Cologne. On March 23, 2015, the film was presented to the press on the film set at MMC Studio 53.
During the visit to Pettersson's snowed-in farm in the studio, the press representatives met, among others, the actors Max Herbrechter, Marianne Sägebrecht and Stefan Kurt as well as director Ali Samadi Ahadi.
Shooting of the sequel to the successful children's film PETTERSSON UND FINDUS - KLEINER QUÄLGEIST, GROSSE FREUNDSCHAFT, also shot at MMC Studios, will continue until the end of March.
Production Notes:
Two and a half years ago, filming began in Erfurt on the first live-action adaptation of the Pettersson and Findus stories. When PETTERSSON UND FINDUS - KLEINER QUÄLGEIST, GROSSE FREUNDSCHAFT was released in German cinemas in March 2014, the lovable duo of the likeable, grumpy real-life character (Pettersson) and his cheeky animated cat delighted many fans young and old. To date, the film has attracted over 700,000 visitors to theaters.
The first take for the second part was made in Erfurt on February 3: PETTERSSON AND FINDUS II - THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER. The interior shots of Pettersson's home were shot in the studios of the KinderMedienZentrum. In the cozy kitchen, they baked and cooked, and Findus, surfing on the mop, cleaned the soaped floor. The studios also housed the lovingly designed and detailed sets such as the bedroom with the beds of the two main characters and the good room, where - made from wooden slats and decorated with kitchen utensils - a very special Christmas tree was created.
As with the first part, the production then moved to Cologne to continue filming in the highest studio of MMC Studios Cologne. Here in the 2,000-square-meter, 26-meter-high MMC Studio 53, the entire yard of the oddball Pettersson was recreated, and beyond that, the crazy, tiny parallel world of the little Mucklas. All the outdoor scenes are also filmed in MMC Studio 53. For example, the scenes in which Findus falls into a hole in the ice, or how Pettersson and Findus build an igloo for the wish list.
A VFX crew is also back on the set. With special attention to the visual effects, they always keep an eye on the planned image for the finished film. Filming is also a special challenge for the actors. They have to interact with the little cat Findus, even though he is not even present on the set. The computer-generated Findus is subsequently brought to life in CHIMNEY's animation studios.
Only after editing is the mischievous cat animated there and inserted into the shot material by means of compositing.
For the leading role of the lovable, but shy and stubborn Pettersson could be Stefan Kurt can be won. Acting at his side are Marianne Sägebrecht in the role of the warm-hearted Beda Andersson and Max Herbrechter as grumpy neighbor Gustavsson.
The Script once again comes from the pen of Thomas Springer. Whereas the first film featured four of the popular children's books by Swedish children's author and cartoonist Sven Nordqvist Springer used the stories PETTERSSON KRIEGT WEIHNACHTSBESUCH and MORGEN, FINDUS, WIRD'S WIRD'S WAS GEBEN as the basis for his screenplay.
The well-known Swedish bestselling author and illustrator Nordqvist has not only conquered the hearts of little ones with his lovingly described and drawn characters since the 1980s, but equally appeals to the children's souls of adults. Nordqvist, who accompanied the filming of PETTERSSON UND FINDUS - KLEINER QUÄLGEIST, GROSSE FREUNDSCHAFT and also visited the shooting at the MMC Studios in Cologne, expressed his great satisfaction with the finished film and thanked the filmmakers in a heartfelt personal letter for their successful realization.
But it was not only the spiritual father of Pettersson and Findus who showed great interest in the film - his Swedish compatriots were also enthusiastic about the German film adaptation of their children's book heroes.
In its very first weekend, the film conquered No. 3 on the Swedish cinema charts, in Norway it came in at No. 5, and also achieved great notoriety at numerous national and international festivals.
PETTERSSON UND FINDUS - KLEINER QUÄLGEIST, GROSSE FREUNDSCHAFT was invited to Germany's largest children's media festival, the Goldener Spatz, and to the most extensive German platform for international children's films, the Chemnitz Festival SCHLINGEL. The film was also enjoyed by audiences young and old at the International Film Festivals for Children and Young People in Zlin, Czech Republic, and Giffoni, Italy. Director Ali Samadi Ahadi also received the Children's Media Award DER WEISSE ELEFANT for best director at the Munich Film Festival and a nomination for the Hessian Film Award.
The multiple award-winning Ali Samadi Ahadi - winner of the German Film Award in Gold, the Grimme Prize and the Bernhard Wicki Peace Prize, among others - is directing the second part again.
PETTERSSON AND FINDUS II - THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS EVER is a Production by Tradewind Pictures and Senator Film Munich in coproduction with the ZDF. The film will promoted from the Film and Media Foundation NRW, DFFF, MDM, HessenInvest, MFG and FFA. On the part of MMC the project is supervised by Bastie Griese (Managing Director MMC Movies Cologne) and Tobias Velmans (MMC Project Manager Film & TV Production).
Senator Film Verleih will PETTERSSON UND FINDUS II - DAS SCHÖNSTE WEIHNACHTEN ÜBERHAUPT probably at November 2016 in the cinemas bring
More information: www.tradewind-pictures.de
PETTERSSON AND FINDUS II - THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER in the press:
Die Welt, 03.04.15: More glitter to make it look like Hollywood
Almost every child knows the adventures of Pettersson and Findus. Large parts of the second feature film are made in Cologne. The elaborate production makes it one of the most expensive children's films in Germany.
You can find the complete report on www.welt.de
Photo: Press meeting on the set of PETTERSSON AND FINDUS II - THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER at MMC Studio 53 in Cologne. © MMC Studios / Guido Ohlenbostel
