Gulliver Returns

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Gulliver Returns
Gulliver Returns poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byIlya Maksimov
Screenplay byMichael Ryan
Based on Gulliver's Travels
by Jonathan Swift
Produced by
  • Oleg Khodachuk
  • Eugene Yarmilko
  • Igor Nikolaev
  • Andrey Yakovlev
  • Sergey Shefir
  • Boris Shefir
Edited byAlexandr Synko
Music by
  • Dmytro Shurov
  • Yuriy Melnychuk
  • Andriy Golovan
Production
companies
  • 95 Animation Studio
  • Gulliver Films Ltd.
Distributed by
  • B&H Film Distribution (Ukraine)
  • All Rights Entertainment (international)
Release dates
  • June 18, 2021 (2021-06-18)(SIFF)
  • August 19, 2021 (2021-08-19)(Ukraine)
Running time
90 minutes [1]
Countries
  • Ukraine
  • Cyprus
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million [2]

Gulliver Returns is a 2021 animated comedy film produced by 95 Animation Studio and Gulliver Films. Based on an original idea by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Borys and Serhiy Shefir, and Andriy Yakovlev, it is directed by Ilya Maksimov, with a screenplay by Michael Ryan. The film is a loose adaptation of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

Contents

The film premiered at the 2021 Shanghai International Film Festival on 18 June, [3] and was later released in Ukraine on 19 August.

Premise

World traveler and adventurer Gulliver is invited to return to Lilliput, the town he previously saved from the enemy fleet of the neighboring Blefuscu.

When he arrives, he only finds indignation, panic and a hopeless crowd, as the King of Lilliput made his people believe that the legendary Giant Gulliver was returning. Instead, they discover an ordinary man, when the whole town had been getting ready and building accommodation to welcome a giant. Disappointed, the King orders Gulliver's execution. Meanwhile, the invincible Blefuscu armada is at the gates of the city and threatening again.

During his adventure, Gulliver discovers that time moves faster in Lilliput and Blefuscu than anywhere else in the world, meaning the grown Lilliputians that Gulliver met on his first adventure are now elderly or have passed away. The now-adult Lilliputians, like the current king, only remember Gulliver as a giant and have passed on that belief to their children.

Gulliver will prove that it is not necessary to be a giant to do great things, but that friendship and love can prevail, with a little bit of luck, a quirky mind and a disarming smile, a charismatic athletic body trained to be a master of swords. [4]

Voice cast

Production

Development

Gulliver Returns was originally submitted alongside a film sequel to Servant of the People by Kvartal 95 Studio at the 2016 pitching of the Ukrainian State Film Agency for state funding. However, following a controversy related to a Kvartal 95's performance in Jurmala where Volodymyr Zelenskyy –parodying the then-president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko– referred to the government of Ukraine as "a beggar", the studio withdrew both projects from the event the next day. [5]

According to producer Oleg Khodachuk, the final budget for the film was of $10 million USD, more than half of it coming from his own account. [6]

Animation

A team consisting of 35 Ukrainian animators and 30 foreign animators (from countries such as Germany, Brazil, United States, Canada and Australia) worked on the creation of the animated film, under the supervision of American animator Tony Bonilla. [7]

Release

In 2019, the international rights to the film were acquired by the French-Chinese company All Rights Entertainment, which subsequently organized the screening of the project at the American Film Market (in 2019 [8] ) and the European Film Market (in 2021 [9] ).

Critical reception

Ukrainian film critics gave Gulliver Returns a lukewarm review. [10] The reviewer of focus.ua Konstantin Rylev called the weak script the biggest drawback of the film, saying that in his opinion "the big flaws of the film lie not in the technical side, but in the script". According to Rylev, due to the weak script, the film does not reveal the motives of the main character and his social status, does not develop a clear coordinate system of the cartoon's inner world, and also that there are almost no funny jokes in the film. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Gullivers Travels</i> 1726 novel by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver's Travels, or Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift, satirising both human nature and the "travellers' tales" literary subgenre. It is Swift's best-known full-length work and a classic of English literature. The English dramatist John Gay remarked, "It is universally read, from the cabinet council to the nursery." The book has been adapted into films, movies and theatrical performances over the centuries.

The year 1902 in film involved some significant events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilliput and Blefuscu</span> Fictional island states in Gullivers Travels

Lilliput and Blefuscu are two fictional island nations that appear in the first part of the 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. The two islands are neighbours in the South Indian Ocean, separated by a channel 800 yards (730 m) wide. Both are inhabited by tiny people who are about one-twelfth the height of ordinary human beings. Both nations are empires and the capital of Lilliput is Mildendo.

<i>The Adventures of Gulliver</i> 1968 American TV series or program

The Adventures of Gulliver is a 1968 television cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show is loosely based on the 1726 satirical novel Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. The show aired Saturday mornings on ABC-TV and lasted for one season in its original broadcast. Flirtacia appeared in the third season of Jellystone!.

<i>Gullivers Travels</i> (miniseries) 1996 American TV miniseries

Gulliver's Travels is an American-British TV miniseries based on Jonathan Swift's 1726 satirical novel of the same name, produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment. This miniseries is notable for being one of the very few adaptations of Swift's novel to feature all four voyages. The miniseries aired in the United Kingdom on Channel 4, and in the United States on NBC in February 1996. The miniseries stars Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Tom Sturridge, James Fox, Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole, Alfre Woodard, Kristin Scott Thomas, and John Gielgud.

The 3 Worlds of Gulliver is a 1960 American Eastmancolor fantasy adventure film loosely based upon the 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. The film stars Kerwin Mathews as the title character, June Thorburn as his fiancée Elizabeth, and child actress Sherry Alberoni as Glumdalclitch.

<i>Gullivers Travels</i> (1939 film) 1939 animated film

Gulliver's Travels is a 1939 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Max Fleischer and directed by Dave Fleischer for Fleischer Studios. Released to cinemas in the United States on December 22, 1939, by Paramount Pictures, the story is a very loose adaptation of Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel of the same name, specifically only the first part of four, which tells the story of Lilliput and Blefuscu, and centers around an explorer who helps a small kingdom who declared war after an argument over a wedding song. The film was Fleischer Studios' first feature-length animated film, as well as the second animated feature film produced by an American studio after Walt Disney Productions' Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as Paramount had commissioned the feature in response to the success of that film. The sequences for the film were directed by Seymour Kneitel, Willard Bowsky, Tom Palmer, Grim Natwick, William Henning, Roland Crandall, Thomas Johnson, Robert Leffingwell, Frank Kelling, Winfield Hoskins, and Orestes Calpini.

<i>Gullivers Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants</i> 1902 French silent film by Georges Méliès

Le Voyage de Gulliver à Lilliput et chez les Géants, released in the United States as Gulliver's Travels Among the Lilliputians and the Giants and in the United Kingdom as Gulliver's Travels—In the land of the Lilliputians and the Giants, is a 1902 French silent trick film directed by Georges Méliès, based on Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels.

<i>Gullivers Travels</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Rob Letterman

Gulliver's Travels is a 2010 American fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Rob Letterman in his live-action directorial debut, produced by John Davis and Gregory Goodman, written by Joe Stillman and Nicholas Stoller with music by Henry Jackman. It is loosely based on Part One of the 1726 novel of the same name by Jonathan Swift, though the film takes place in the modern day and contains references to modern pop culture. It stars Jack Black in the title role, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Chris O'Dowd, T.J. Miller, James Corden and Catherine Tate, and is exclusively distributed by 20th Century Fox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilliput (actor)</span> Indian actor and writer (born 1950)

M. M. Faruqui, known professionally as Lilliput, is an Indian actor and writer, known for the TV series Vikram Vetaal and Bollywood films. He adopted his screen name taking a cue from Lilliput and Blefuscu, two island nations in Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels where Gulliver lands onto an island inhabited by little people.

<i>Love in the Big City</i> (2009 film) 2009 Russian-Ukrainian romantic comedy film by Marius Vaisbergas

Love in the Big City is a 2009 Russian-Ukrainian romantic comedy film directed by Maryus Vaysberg. It is based on the first full-length film project by Kvartal 95 Studio with the support of ICTV. This is the first film of a trilogy about the adventures of three friends in search of true love. It stars Aleksey Chadov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Ville Haapasalo.

<i>Love in the Big City 2</i> 2010 film by Marius Vaisbergas

Love in the Big City 2 is a 2010 romantic comedy film directed by Maryus Vaysberg. This is the second film in the trilogy about the adventures of three friends in search of true love. This film is a project by Kvartal 95 Studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</span> President of Ukraine since 2019

Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who is serving as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019, most notably during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, ongoing since 2022.

<i>8 First Dates</i> 2012 film by David Dodson and Aleksandr Malyarevsky

8 First Dates is a 2012 Russian-Ukrainian romantic comedy directed by David Dodson and Aleksandr Malyarevsky. It stars Oksana Akinshina and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

<i>8 New Dates</i> 2015 film by Maryus Vaysberg

8 New Dates is a 2015 Russian-Ukrainian romantic comedy directed by Maryus Vaysberg. It is a sequel to the 2012 film 8 First Dates. The film stars Oksana Akinshina and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

<i>8 Best Dates</i> 2016 film by Maryus Vaysberg

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kvartal 95 Studio</span> Ukrainian production company

Kvartal 95 Studio is a publicly held television entertainment production company operating in Ukraine since 2003. The company was founded by now-President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some of his school friends. The company produces audio and visual content in Russian and Ukrainian, and organises concerts.

Cultural influence of <i>Gullivers Travels</i>

The cultural influence of Gulliver's Travels has spanned centuries.

<i>Me. You. He. She</i> 2018 film by Volodymyr Zelenskyy and David Dodson

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References

  1. ↑ British Board of Film Classification. "Gulliver Returns". Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "Генеральний продюсер "Гуллівер повертається" Олег Ходачук: Ми продали цей мультфільм для половини світу" [General producer of "Gulliver Returns" Oleg Khodachuk: We sold this cartoon for half the world]. New Ukrainian Cinema (in Ukrainian). 13 August 2021. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "24-ий Шанхайський міжнародний кінофестиваль" [24th Shanghai International Film Festival]. Consulate General of Ukraine in Shangai (in Ukrainian). 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "Gulliver Returns". All Rights Entertainment. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Petrenko, Galina (15 September 2016). "Жарт "Кварталу 95" вартістю 50 млн грн., або Другий день пітчингу Держкіно" [Kvartal 95 joke worth UAH 50 million, or the second day of pitching of the State Cinema]. Detector Media. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  6. ↑ Savchenko, Oksana. "Кроки Гуллівера. Хто і навіщо зібрав $10 млн для мультфільму, який придумав Зеленський" [Gulliver's steps. Who and why raised $ 10 million for a cartoon invented by Zelensky]. LIGA.net (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  7. ↑ Kvartal 95 Studio. "Перший повнометражний мультфільм Студії «Квартал 95» вийде на екрани 29 квітня 2021 року" [The first full-length cartoon of the Kvartal 95 Studio will be released on April 29, 2021]. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "AFM: 'Gulliver' Animation Returns at All Rights Entertainment - Variety". 15 August 2021. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "All Rights Teams With Reface App For 'Gulliver Returns' Market Launch - Variety". 15 August 2021. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "Гуллівер повертається". Варіанти (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Прем'єра "Гуллівер повертається". Що не так з сумною мульт-казкою про Зеленського за $10 млн". ФОКУС (in Ukrainian). 21 August 2021. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
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