"A sparkly little gem."
Leslie Felperin, VARIETY

"An adventure story as fast-paced and exciting as any currently in theaters. (...) The film's humor, simultaneously giddy and satirical, is reminiscent of South Park and the Wallace & Gromit movies, but more poetic."
THE NEW YORK TIMES

"There is really very little to say about this film beyond that it's absolutely brilliant."
Peter Brunette, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"A blast of freewheeling inventiveness."
Allan Hunter, SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

"The most pleasant surprise of the Cannes festival was A TOWN CALLED PANIC a drop-dead wacky animated feature by Belgian filmmakers Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar. (...) An absurdist romp, it has a primitive/sophisticated style all of its own (...)"
LOS ANGELES TIMES

"Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar, prodigiously gifted, have come up with something truly special here. A TOWN CALLED PANIC is the first ever stop-motion animated feature film included in the official selection. (...) Even if you don't normally like animation, you should give this film a look."
Peter Brunette, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"A deliriously wild and totally charming ride from start to finish."
SCREENWIZE

Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar are both cult favorites and leading names in European animation. The pair met as art students, graduating in 1991 from the visual arts academy in Brussels. Their multiple award-winning 20-episode TV series A TOWN CALLED PANIC, in which simple plastic toys get into monumental trouble, has been shown all over the world.
 

Two years of work went into the feature film of the same name, which world premiered in the Official Selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Brimming with wry internal logic and a virulent strain of Belgian surrealism, everything they animate overflows with imagination and energy.

FILMOGRAPHY

2009 A TOWN CALLED PANIC, Animation, 75 min.
2001 A TOWN CALLED PANIC - TV SERIES, Animation, (20x) 5 min.
2000 LA RUPTURE, Animation, 2 min. 20
1999 PIC PIC ANDRE SHOOW "4 MOINS 1", Animation, 12 min.
1999 UFO BOVEN GEEL, Documentary/Animation, 12 min.
1998 LES BALTUS AU CIRQUE, Animation, 6 min. 40
1997 PIC PIC ANDRE SHOOW "LE DEUXIEME", Animation, 11 min. 30
1995 PIC PIC ANDRE SHOOW "THE FIRST", Animation, 7 min. 30
1993 LE VOLEUR DE CIRQUE, Animation, 13 min.
1991 A TOWN CALLED PANIC, Animation, 4 min.
1991 SAINT-NICOLAS CHEZ LES BALTUS, Animation, 5 min.
1988 PIC PIC ANDRE SHOOW, Animation, 13 min.

Crew

Directors: Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar
Script: Stéphane Aubier, Guillaume Malandrin, Vincent Patar, Vincent Tavier
Producers: Philippe Kauffmann & Vincent Tavier
Production Companies: La Parti Production, Made In Productions, Mélusine Productions, Beast Productions, Gebeka Films, Les films grognons, RTBF 
Director of Photography: Jan Vandenbussche
Editing: Anne-Laure Guégan
Sound Edit: Fred Piet
Sound Design: Valène Leroy
Sound Mix: Franco Piscopo, Benoit Biral
Story Boarder: Jean-Philippe Dugand
 

PREMIERE

Cannes 2009, Out of Competition

MAIN AWARDS

Lund International Fantastic Film Festival 2009, Méliès d'Argent
Austin Fantastic Fest 2009, Audience Award
Sitges 2009, Best Animated Feature Film for Kids

ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS

Annecy 2009, Opening Film
Toronto 2009, Midnight Madness
Viennale 2009, Competition
Buster 2010, Competition
César Awards 2010, Best Foreign Film