| Max & Co | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Samuel Guillaume, Frédéric Guillaume |
| Produced by | MAX-LeFilm Sàrl and Cinémagination SA |
| Written by | Emmanuel Salinger, Christine Dory |
| Starring | Lorànt Deutsch, Amélie Lerma, Virginie Efira, Patrick Bouchitey, Micheline Dax, Denis Podalydès (voices) |
| Music by | Bruno Coulais |
| Cinematography | Renato Berta |
| Release date(s) | 6 February 2008 (Belgium) 13 February 2008 (France) 14 February 2008 (Russia) |
| Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | Belgium Switzerland France United Kingdom |
| Language | French |
Max & Co is a stop-motion animated feature film released in Belgium, France, and Switzerland in February 2008. It won the Audience Award at the 2007 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. With its budget of CHF 30 million (€14 million), of which CHF 1.5 million were subsidised by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, it was the most expensive Swiss film ever.[1]
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15-year-old Max sets off for Saint-Hilare in search of his father, the famous troubadour Johnny Bigoude, who disappeared shortly before Max's birth. He is waylaid by Sam, a rascally fairground entertainer, and introduced to the delights of the amazing Fly Swatter Festival. When Max finally gets there, Saint-Hilaire turns out to be the private kingdom of Bzzz & Co., infamous manufacturers of flyswatters, run by the degenerate Rodolfo. Musical virtuoso Max makes a big impression, especially on smart, lovely, resourceful Felicie, who convinces Rodolfo to hire him.
Although well-received critically, the "anti-capitalist ecological fable"[1] was a commercial failure. Only 16,000 tickets were sold instead of the projected 110,000, and the production companies filed for bankruptcy in August 2008.[1]