Urban Sales has nabbed world rights to “Hug Me – The Move,” an English-language animated feature directed by Anna Błaszczyk. The pre-school movie is produced by Animoon, the Polish company behind “Even Mice belong in Heaven.”
Urban Sales, the Paris-based banner previously known as Urban Distribution International, will host the market premiere of the movie at Cannes’ Marché du Film.
An eco-friendly tale, “Hug Me” follows the adventures of a bear cub and his papa bear as they search for honey to prepare a birthday cake for the little one. With the den’s honey reserves and surrounding hives running out, Teddy convinces papa bear sets off to find the Golden Land which is believed to harbor an endless source of honey. “Hug Me – The Movie” is co-produced by the Chinese company Animex.
The film marks the feature debut of Błaszczyk, a visual artist who previously directed the shorts “Trzej królowie” and “Caracas,” as well as the documentary “Darling I Lowe Ju.”
“’Hug Me – The Movie’ is a sweet addition to our animation line up and allows us to embark on a new adventure: the conquest of a pre-school audience. Hopefully the first title of many,” said Urban Sales’ head of acquisitions Agathe Corbin.
The film is a movie spin-off of the popular animated series “Hug Me” which was itself adapted from the book “Hug Me, Please” by Przemysław Wechterowicz and Emilia Dziubak. The series sold to over 40 territories worldwide, including Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. and Netflix in Poland.
Urban Sales’s Cannes slate also includes “Plan 75,” Chie Hayakawa’s Japanese-French dystopian drama which is set to world premiere at Un Certain Regard. The company is also selling José Miguel Ribeiro’s “Nayola” which is believed to be first animated feature to be mainly produced out of Portugal, and Floor van der Meulen’s “Pink Moon,” a drama comedy set to compete at Tribeca.