The Legend of the Sky Kingdom
| The Legend of the Sky Kingdom | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Roger Hawkins |
| Produced by |
Phil Cunningham Jacqui Cunningham |
| Written by | Phil Cunningham |
| Starring |
Jason Linforth Miriam Hamblin Gabriel Phillips Wina Msamati Rodney Newman |
| Music by | Andrew Baird |
Release date | October 2003 (South Africa) |
Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | Zimbabwe |
| Language | English |
The Legend of the Sky Kingdom is a 2003 animated feature film by Sunrise Productions. Produced in Zimbabwe, the film was the first full length animated feature film to come out of Africa[1]. It was based on a children's book of the same name by Phil Cunningham, who was also the film's producer. It premiered at the Durban International Film Festival in October 2003.[2]
Plot
Three orphans escape from the Underground City ruled by the Evil Emperor and search for the Sky Kingdom while facing many challenges along the way.
Production
The film was animated using stop motion animation. The puppets and all of the sets were built from pieces of junk that the filmmakers found - a necessity of the low budget as well as an artistic choice inspired by Africa's folk artists, who often turn things that others have thrown away into works of art. The filmmakers call this animation style "junkmation".
The filmmakers also spent two years custom-building a motion camera out of bicycle parts because they did not have the money to buy a professional one.