Now Upon a Time Animation Takes Prestigious Award at Chicago International Children’s Film Festival

The animated short film Lil' Ruby, developed for a project Now Upon a Time, was recognised at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. Produced jointly by the BAFTA-winning Polish production and postproduction studio Platige Image and the US-based The Martin Agency, Lil' Ruby took first prize for best short animated film at the Festival.

The acclaimed animation is a part of a broader initiative – Now Upon a Time, which emphasises a modern approach to traditional stories and tales, to include strong female characters and updated relationships, reflecting contemporary sensibilities. Now Upon a Time was commissioned by The Martin Agency. Platige’s contribution was not limited solely to the technical aspects of production, but also covered areas such as directing and art direction. Platige Image staff involved in the project included: Bartek Kik – director, Hanna Drewek – producer, Marek Gajowski – CG supervisor, Tomasz Karelus – Art Director, and Aurélien Simon – executive producer.

Already in the early stages of the project, the Platige team quickly realised the incredible potential of the production – which blends 2D and 3D animation to elevate the end result both technologically and artistically. The ensuing richness of detail and depth of the animation enabled a more faithful representation of the lead character’s expressive personality, resulting in a stylised production with a highly distinct, unique visual style.

The nine-minute-long animation has been developed entirely using Unreal Engine 5, marking the first ever use of the engine at Platige at such a scale. “From the outset, the project was a major challenge for us. When work began on the project, there were no available tools that could expedite or make the process easier – everything was developed on the fly, in response to arising issues” says Marek Gajowski, CG Supervisor at Platige Image.

Creating a unique set of approaches and technological solutions was necessary to combine the classic CGI animation pipeline with Unreal. The process resulted in the development of new tools and technologies that not only expedited the production of Lil' Ruby, but will definitely become a staple of the studio’s in-house workflow.

The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival is a major film industry event focused on productions aimed at younger audiences. One of the biggest events of its kind in the world, the Festival attracts filmmakers, animators, and artists from around the globe – while promoting creativity and educational values in cinematography and the film arts.