Some great Quebec performers take their first plunge into the world of animated film with Katak, the Brave Beluga
After two years of keeping the information secret, 10th Ave Productions and Maison 4:3 are happy to be sharing, at last, the names of the cast members on Katak the Brave Beluga, the fifth animated feature produced by the Quebec City production company. They are also unveiling the official trailer, as well as the poster for the film, which is set for release during Spring Break 2023.
With its original version in French, Katak the Brave Beluga has enabled numerous performers to realize their dream of breathing life into an animated character from the very outset of production, when only a few character illustrations were in existence.
“I travelled to Quebec City from Montreal. I was so eager, I was so happy to be participating in a Quebec-made animation project,” recalls Ludivine Reding. “It was my first time showing up in a studio with no image having been shot yet,” notes Alexandre Bacon. “I’ve voiced characters like Andy in Toy Story 3, but this was something really special for me, because I had incredible freedom,” adds Alexandre Bacon, who lends his voice to Katak, the young grey Beluga whale who is the central character of the film.
“The creative freedom at the beginning of the process was unlimited,” observes Émilie Josset, an experienced dubbing performer who has lent her voice to dubbed French versions of Moana, Beauty and the Beast, and Cars. “It offered a freedom of performance that we don’t normally have,” spontaneously points out Yves Jacques, who provides the voice of Cyrano the sturgeon. “I feel really lucky making an original French-language version. I really love that,” adds Ludivine Reding, who voices the enthusiastic Lulu.
Speaking of his first participation in an animated film, Yves Jacques confides: “I’ve always dreamed of this.” Encountered during the final recording session, a month ago, Ginette Reno, who voices Katak’s Grandma, adds: “It’s very gratifying. I want to go see it with my great-grandson.”
A terrific cast has brought to life this first 3D animated film set among the plants and animals of Quebec’s maritime environment.
Synopsis of the film
Katak the Brave Beluga tells the story of a young Beluga whale who is still grey, though at his age he should have turned white. Because of his colour, he must live among the females, who make things worse by overprotecting him.
Affected by his ailing grandmother’s confession that she wishes she could see her old true love – whom Katak has never met – one last time, Katak decides to make her wish come true and sets out on a secret journey along the shore of the St. Lawrence toward the Arctic, intent on finding his legendary grandfather.
Over the course of this dangerous journey, Katak teams up with Cyrano, a sturgeon who’s embarrassed about his big nose. Tracked by the river’s most fearsome predator, the notorious killer whale Jack-Knife, Katak forms an unlikely friendship with Jack-Knife’s daughter, Jack-Lyn, a vegetarian who can’t stand the sight of blood.
Katak the Brave Beluga is a story of filial love, trust, independence and the right to be different, with environmental overtones. It’s a thrilling, moving and funny tale, set amidst the unsuspected beauty of the marine world.
Written by Andrée Lambert, illustrated by Philippe Arseneau Buissières, directed by Christine Dallaire Dupont and Nicola Lemay, and produced by Nancy Florence Savard, Katak the Brave Beluga will be released across Quebec on February 24, 2023.
Watch the official trailer
YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kdBn9zeyiU
