Captain Morten and the Spider Queen (Estonian: Kapten Morten lollide laeval)[2] is a 2018 Estonian English-language stop motion animated film directed by Kaspar Jancis and co-directed by Riho Unt and Henry Nicholson, from a screenplay by Jancis, Mike Horelick, Paul Risacher, Robin Lyons and Andrew Offiler.[3][4] An international co-production between the Estonian Nukufilm, Irish Telegael, Belgian Grid VFX and British Calon, the film had its world premiere at the Animafest Zagreb in Croatia on 5 June 2018,[3] before being released in Estonian cinemas on 21 March 2019.
| Captain Morten and the Spider Queen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Estonian | Kapten Morten lollide laeval |
| Directed by | Kaspar Jancis |
| Cinematography | Ragnar Neljandi |
| Edited by | Keith Garvey |
| Music by | Pierre Yves Drapeau |
Production companies | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 79 minutes |
| Countries | Estonia Ireland United Kingdom Belgium |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $11,300,000[1] |
Premise edit
Ten-year-old Morten lives with his reluctant, mean-spirited guardian, Anna, as his father, Captain Viks, is away at sea. One day, Morten has a chance meeting with the inept magician Senór Cucaracha, and is accidentally magically shrunken down to the size of an insect and trapped aboard the deck of his own toy ship, alongside a wicked Spider Queen and Scorpion Pirate.[2]
Release and reception edit
The film had its world premiere at the Animafest Zagreb in Croatia on 5 June 2018,[3] before being released in Estonian cinemas on 21 March 2019.[5] It was the only Estonian animated film to be released in 2018.[6]
Vladan Petković of Cineuropa gave the film a positive review and praised its puppet animation and character design, but criticised the number of characters and lack of character development.[7] Vassilis Kroustallis, writing for Zippy Frames, gave the film a positive review, giving particular praise to the puppet animation and plot, calling it "a film easy to like and harder to cherish."[8]
Accolades edit
| Award | Date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emile Awards | 8 December 2018 | Best Direction in a Feature Film Best Character Design in a Feature Film |
Kaspar Jancis, Riho Unt and Henry Nicholson Mart Kivi and Sam Turner |
Nominated | [9] |
References edit
- ^ Blaney, Martin (12 June 2019) How Central and Eastern European animation is thriving thanks to international co-production. Screen Daily. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ a b Captain Morten and the Spider Queen (Kapten Morten lollide laeval) at Cineuropa – the best of European cinema. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Koppel, Eda; Mikk, Mirjam; Aasa, Aurelia: Estonian Films 2018-2019. Estonian Film Institute. p. 66. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Grater, Tom (1 December 2017) Irish stop-motion animation 'Captain Morten' with Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds nears completion. Screen Daily. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Filmide esilinastused 2019. Estonian Film Institute. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Hankewitz, Sten (24 October 2019) Thirty-four movies produced in Estonia in 2018. Estonian World. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Petković, Vladan (7 July 2018) Review: Captain Morten and the Spider Queen. Cineuropa. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Kroustallis, Vassilis (8 June 2018) Captain Morten and the Spider Queen Review: A Sea Journey Back Home. Zippy Frames. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ AWN Staff Editor (9 November 2018) Nominees Announced for 2018 Emile Awards. Animation World Magazine. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
External links edit
- Captain Morten and the Spider Queen at IMDb
- Captain Morten and the Spider Queen at Rotten Tomatoes
- Captain Morten and the Spider Queen at Eesti Filmi Andmebaas–Estonian-language film database
