(Status: In Development)
Synopsis
In 1910, following dramatic circumstances that led to the death of her two parents, Rose and her grandfather Hoffman find themselves trapped in a remote shack, far from the civilized world, where they must struggle for survival. Despite being only twelve years old, Rose quickly realizes that Hoffman, overwhelmed, no longer has the physical and moral resources to react, and it is up to her to find a way out. When two marmots that had escaped capture allow themselves to be tamed, Rose decides to go down to the town to present her musical act as a marmot trainer. When she returns with pockets full, Hoffman and she will go back to the world to write a new chapter in their lives.
Rose and the Marmots
Director: Alain Ughetto
Authors: Alexis Galmot and Alain Ughetto
Main Producer: Alexandre Cornu (Les Films du Tambour de Soie, France)
Co-Producers: Shiraz Bazin-Moussi (WeJustKids, France), Enrica Capra (Graffiti Film, Italy), and Luis Correia (Ocidental Filmes, Portugal)
Target audience: Family
Technique: 3D digital
Format: 80’
Rose and the Marmots is the third animated feature film of Alain Ughetto, following the multi-award-winning stop-motion films Jasmine (2013) and No Dogs or Italians Allowed (2022). It is his first 3D CGI animation project and was pitched at Cartoon Movie 2025 in front of a large audience in a packed theatre.
We interviewed Alain Ughetto on the story behind Rose and the Marmots.
Interview with Alain Ughetto
Hideki Nagaishi (HN): Could you please let us know the key points of Rose and the Marmots that you aim to appeal to the prospective global audience, such as the messages and experiences that you want to deliver to the audience through the film?
Alain Ughetto: In 1910, school in France was not mandatory, and children worked like adults. Children at that time had to earn a living. I wanted to remember that and report on it.
HN: How did this film project start? And where did the initial idea of the film’s story come from?
Alain Ughetto: This project was born from the testimony of a woman from the poor Piedmont region of the Italian Alps, recorded by Italian sociologist Nuto Revelli.
Here are some excerpts:
“I could neither read nor write, to my misfortune; I never went to school. There were seven of us in the family. Only the eldest knew a little, but the others knew nothing, of all the alphabet.”
She explains why she went to France:
“Well, I was forced to go to France. Many went to France to beg for alms or as shepherds to look after animals in Barcelonnette. We couldn’t live in Ferrière, with little bread and little barley, when we had any… We had to leave.”
She explains why marmots:
“My mother died when I was seven years old, leaving five children. That was when I started making the marmots dance. I was the mistress of the marmots, and I trained them with a stick and made them dance. I quickly trained the marmots. By the time autumn came around, the marmots were trained. Then I went to France to beg for alms.”
HN: What are you taking care in the most during the film’s story development?
Alain Ughetto: I focus on the lives of the characters, making sure that they are endearing, and also always in ‘danger’ within the narrative.
HN: Why did you decide to use 3D CGI as the film’s medium, rather than stop-motion animation?
Alain Ughetto: In this film, having about forty panicking marmots run through a store would be impossible to do in stop-motion.
HN: What do you feel are the unique advantages of the 3D CGI medium?
Alain Ughetto: With 3D, all of scriptwriting, panning shots, framing and lighting is easier.
HN: What are you taking care in the most on designing visuals of the characters and the story’s universe? What do you think are the important characteristics of the visual designs for the film?
Alain Ughetto: For the visuals, I want to design all the characters as a family, to be able to see them and approach them all in their sizes, thicknesses, colors, and outfits.
For the animation, a big and fat character will not move like a thin and frail character. A marmot moves very quickly and then stops, so how will they dance, get into the bag and come out, and be aggressive? The importance of their relationship with Rose is crucial for the film. We need to go as far as possible to place the characters in action within the narrative.
