Aria Ungerer: 'Labour of love' for Cork animator to adapt late father's book for TV
Aria Ungerer, and her father, the late Tomi Ungerer, lived in West Cork.
A new animated TV series to be produced in Munster will bring to life a book by a renowned French artist and author who lived in Cork for many years.
Flix, adapted from storyteller and artist Tomi Ungerer’s novel, has been commissioned by RTÉ and will be produced in Tralee, Co Kerry, by Pictor Productions in partnership with Avalon Films. The late author’s adaptation for TV will be produced by Ungerer’s daughter, Aria, who lives near Midleton in East Cork.
Born in Strasbourg, France, Tomi lived and worked from Ireland since he moved here in 1976 until his death in 2019. He lived with his family on the Mizen Peninsula in West Cork for most of this time. Two of his books have been made into feature films but Flix is the first to be made into a TV show.
The series is a comedy adventure about Flix, the only dog in Cat Town, and his two best cat friends Tabby and Munchkin, as they grow up and try to find their way in the world. The series is light-hearted and quirky but carries a message about the importance of celebrating diversity.
Flix was one of Ungerer’s most-celebrated works, and following its release in 1996, he was given the Hans Christian Andersen Award which is often described as the Nobel Prize of children’s books.
Flix is being produced in Ireland by Tomi’s daughter, Aria Ungerer and executive produced by Deirdre Barry of Avalon.
“Developing Flix has been a real labour of love,” said Aria. “The series will be Pictor’s first production and we are thrilled to be doing it in Tralee with around 40 professionals working on the project.
“The series is made up of thirteen eleven-minute episodes and we hope to see it on RTÉ towards the end of 2022. We are thrilled to have such great support from RTÉ, Screen Ireland and BAI, who have funded the project. It is based on a book written over 25 years ago, but its message is as relevant today as ever. It's a real pleasure to be bringing it to life on screen for new audiences.”
The series was co-developed with Eye Present in the UK and is being distributed by Serious Lunch. The original book, Flix, is published by Diogenes Verlag AG.
“Working alongside Pictor and with access to such wonderful and inspiring source material, our viewers can expect a visually stunning, incredibly funny and intelligent series,” said Suzanne Kelly, head of children's & young people's content at RTÉ.
Tomi Ungerer has sold over 16 million books worldwide, while his work has been translated into over 40 languages. His books are taught in French and German schools. He worked tirelessly throughout his life for children's rights and was named as the first ever European Council Ambassador for Childhood and Education.
In 2007 the Tomi Ungerer Museum in Strasbourg opened its doors, becoming the first ever public museum in France to be dedicated to the work of a living artist. As well as producing Flix, Aria manages her father’s estate and curates his exhibitions. She and her father first started working on the adaptation in 2015.
