Although the primary historical setting of the Nobel Prizewinning novel Quo Vadis is the rise and martyrdom of the followers of Christ during the time of the infamous despotic emperor Nero, the filmmakers present a broader testament to the Eternal Love that God the Father shares with all humanity.
“It does not matter whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu. Everyone finds something meaningful in this story because God is the Father of each of us,” is what viewers expressed after the test screenings of Quo Vadis—the full-length 3D animation feature.
The first Quo Vadis has already seen the light of day in 1901. The black and white milestone of silent cinema was shown to the public by Lucien Nonguet and Ferdinand Zecca at Pathé Frères Studios in France. Later, the Nobel Prize winning novel by Polish literary superstar Henryk Sienkiewicz, was brought to life five more times. (French, Italian, Polish and US movies as well as a UK TV series).
To this day, the most famous Quo Vadis is the 1951 version directed by Mervyn LeRoy. He conducted a Hollywood mega production, starring Deborah Kerr, Robert Taylor and Peter Ustinov and effectively made a picture worth eight Academy Awards nominations. All previous versions of Quo Vadis soared to the top of the box office, creating high expectations for any new adaptation.
Fully aware of this challenge, Anira Wojan, determined to convey the timeless message of love to a new generation, was relentless in assembling her dream team. What she couldn’t find in Europe—where funding often relies on public sources, making it less competitive in terms of cost and timelines— she built in collaboration with her Indian friend and business partner, Sukankan Roy, an animation professional, director, and producer.
Together, they established a partnership that aimed to create a global hit — one that would be a financial success and introduce a new format to the global, remote world.
Wojan explained:
When people ask me how it was possible that we produced the epic Quo Vadis in just 12 months, I tell them to add twenty years of experience and ten years of reflection on how to build this industry anew. What pushes and challenges us is no longer Pixar or Disney, but AI. The workflow is a game changer. The best talents can appear ten thousands miles from where you are. So what? Call them. We have created a unique system of work in an international team of people who work remotely in different time zones around the globe. It ensures the film being worked on almost 24/7. This is our know-how and the foundation of our success.
To bring the vision of a modern animation to life, Barnali Roy of Roy Holdings, a production company, joined forces with Ssoftoons, one of the most prominent animation studios in India, with locations in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Howrah. Oliwia Kossakowska, representing the younger generation as CEO of Mobipictures UK, was appointed Art & Creative Director.
Read the rest of the article online on the fall issue of The European Animation Journal.
