Box-office receipts surpass $1.5 million for Katak the Brave Beluga
Starting its fifth week of release on over 65 screens across Canada – of which 43 carry the French-language version and 22 carry the English-language version – Katak the Brave Beluga remains the most popular Quebec film since the beginning of 2023, with box office receipts surpassing $1.5 million.
10th Ave Productions’ fifth animated feature, Katak the Brave Beluga proves that it’s possible to create an original story and loveable characters with contributions from Quebec creatives and performers, and to win the hearts of local and international audiences with a new adventure that reflects universal values.
“What an extraordinary month it’s been! What an outpouring of love, dear audiences, dear kids, dear parents, dear animation fans. Thank you for diving into this adventure, for having come and for continuing to come to movie theatres to see the film. Thank-you to Canada’s cinema owners from coast to coast, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, for offering 10th Ave’s fifth feature film to your customers! Bravo to the teams behind Katak the Brave Beluga! Congratulations once again to all our actresses and actors who lent their voices to our characters.
Bravo to screenwriter Andrée Lambert, to directors Christine Dallaire-Dupont and Nicola Lemay, to art director Philippe Arseneau Bussières, to animation director Yann Tremblay, to editor René Caron, to music composer Uberko and to sound designer Jérôme Boiteau. Thank-you to all the team members at 10th Ave Animation, N’Genious, Studio Élément, Studio Expression and La Belle Équipe. Bravo to the 200 talented people who participated in the production of the film! A very special thank-you to my team at 10th Ave Productions: Ginette Poulin, Valérie Mignault, Pierre-Olivier Fortin, Jennifer Chabot, Maude Morin and Émilie-Rose Couture.
Thank-you to our partners who supported this film: the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), Telefilm Canada, the Shaw Rocket Fund, the City of Quebec, the Provincial Government of Quebec, the Harold Greenberg Fund, the Canada Media Fund, the federal and provincial tax credit programs, the Société Radio-Canada, Crave, Attraction Distribution, 10th Ave Studio and Maison 4:3. What extraordinary work, and what a great journey it’s been with Chantale Pagé’s distribution team. What wonderful generosity from Alexandre Bacon, Ludivine Redding, Jérémie Desbiens, Jeff Boudreau, Maxime Le Flaguais and Ginette Reno during the memorable promotional events!
It’s a tsunami of happiness to share again and again. Thank you!”
Nancy Florence Savard, Producer, 10th Ave
It’s a real delight to see the public coming out in large numbers across Canada to discover this 100% Quebec-made story. Congratulations to the entire creative team, and to Nancy Florence Savard for her vision in offering children stories with which they can identify, in which they can see themselves and grow, while having fun. Bravo!
Chantale Pagé, Distributor, Maison 4:3
Written by Andrée Lambert, illustrated by Philippe Arseneau Bussières, directed by Christine Dallaire-Dupont and Nicola Lemay, and produced by Nancy Florence Savard, Katak the Brave Beluga was released across Quebec on Friday, February 24, 2023.
A terrific cast has brought to life this first 3D animated film set among the plants and animals of Quebec’s maritime environment. Featuring the vocal talents of Alexandre Bacon, Yves Jacques, Emilie Josset, Ginette Reno, Ludivine Reding, Mario Saint-Amand, Jeff Boudreault, Jérémie Desbiens, Maxime Le Flaguais, Guylaine Tremblay, Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Martin Drainville, Benoit Brière, Justine Major, Carolanne Foucher, and many others, Katak the Brave Beluga was originally recorded in the French language.
The English version features performances from Robert Naylor, Terrence Scammel, Richard M. Dumont, Arthur Holden, Skyler Clark, Mark Camacho, Angela Galuppo, Eleanor Noble, Wyatt Bowen, Ilana Zackon, Pauline Little, Jennifer Seguin and Ginette Reno.
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 late development, he must live among the females, who make things worse by overprotecting him.
When his ailing grandmother confides 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 neurotic sturgeon. 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-Lynn, who is a vegetarian.
Katak the Brave Beluga is a story of filial love, trust, independence and the right to be different, playing out against an ecological background. It’s a thrilling, moving and funny tale, set amidst the unsuspected beauty of the marine world.
Watch the official trailer
English version:
YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kdBn9zeyiU
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French version:
YT: https://youtu.be/4bx6_XhKOfM
About 10th Ave Productions
10th Ave Productions is passionate about animated films. The company was behind the creation of the first 100% Canadian 3D animated feature, The Legend of Sarila, released in 2013. It also produced the hit film Rooster Doodle-Doo, the first Canadian animated feature produced in French; and Mission Kathmandu: the Adventures of Nelly and Simon. Rights to its most recent animated production, Felix and the Hidden Treasure, released in 2021, have been sold in over 170 countries and territories. Katak the Brave Beluga is 10th Ave Productions’ fifth animated feature film.
About MAISON 4:3
MAISON 4:3 is a film distribution company that was founded in 2014. This boutique distribution company places all its know-how at the service of creators and their films, so as to elaborate effective release strategies and accompany the works at various stages of distribution. MAISON 4:3 promotes deeply human projects that are at once promising and singular.
