Synopsis

The Painting is a charming French animated film whose action takes place within a painting. There are three kinds of living characters in it. The first are the Toupins, painted in detail, who live in a castle and have declared themselves superior to others while the painter was absent. Then there are the Pafinis, unfinished characters in colour who are forbidden to enter the castle and live deep in the forest. The third kind are the Reufs, living on the edge of the painting, chased by the Toupins for fun. A love story emerges when Lola’s friend falls in love with a character ‘out of her category’. They are forced to run away and search for their maker – the painter.

Jean-François Laguionie

Jean-François Laguionie honed his animation skills alongside Paul Grimault, the director of The King and the Bird, which is still setting the tone of French animation today. He created his first short films, which were awarded many prizes, in the legendary Les Gémeaux studio. He has made seven in all and five features, from Gwen, the Book of Sand in 1985 to his latest, Louise by the Shore. He is a faithful follower of the dreamlike animation initiated by Paul Grimault, where noble and often solitary characters live out their adventures in worlds full of beauty and poetry.