Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest (2006) Azur et Asmar (original title)

Director:

Michel Ocelot

Writer:

Michel Ocelot (written by)

Release Date:

25 October 2006 (Belgium)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

Once upon a time there were two children nursed by same woman. Azur, a blonde, blue-eyed son of a noblewoman and Asmar...

Plot Keywords:

Fairy | Blue Eyes | Surrealism | Tolerance | Fable

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Cyril Mourali	...	Azur (voice)
Karim M'Riba	...	Asmar (voice)
Hiam Abbass	...	Jénane (voice)
Patrick Timsit	...	Crapoux (voice)
Rayan Mahjoub	...	Azur enfant (voice)
Abdelsselem Ben Amar	...	Asmar enfant (voice)
Fatma Ben Khell	...	La Princesse Chamsous Sabah (voice) (as Fatma Ben Khelil)
Thissa d'Avila Bensalah	...	La Fée des djinns (voice) (as Tissa Bensalah d'Avila)
Sofia Boutella	...	La Fée des elfes (voice)
Olivier Claverie	...	Le Sage Yadoa (voice)
Jacques Pater	...	Le Père (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Imogen Bailey	...	La Princesse Chamsous Sabah (voice: English version)
Sean Barrett	...	Le Sage Yadoa (voice: English version)
Tayeb Belmihoub	...	(voice)
Freddie Benedict	...	Asmar enfant (voice) (as Frederick Benedict)
Leopold Benedict	...	Azur enfant (voice: English version)
Franck-Olivier Bonnet	...	(voice) (as Franck Olivier Bonnet)
Carlos Chahine	...	(voice) (as Carlos Chahime)
Mohamed Damraoui	...	(voice)
Suzanne David	...	La Fée des elfes (voice: English version)
Michel Elias	...	(voice)
Bouchra En Nasser	...	(voice)
Steven Kynman	...	Azur (voice: English version)
Nigel Lambert	...	Crapoux (voice: English version)
Nicolas Lormeau	...	(voice)
Tassadit Mandi	...	(voice)
Sonia Mankaï	...	(voice)
Hamid Nasser	...	(voice) (as Hamid Nasser)
Suzanna Nour	...	Jénane (voice: English version)
Mohamed Ourdache	...	(voice)
Albert Pariente	...	(voice) (as Al Pariente)
Nigel Pilkington	...	Asmar (voice: English version)
Lahcen Razzougui	...	(voice)
Hichem Rostom	...	(voice)
Mahmoud Said	...	(voice) (as Mahmoud Saïd)
Emma Tate	...	La Fée des djinns (voice: English version)
Myriam Tekaïa	...	(voice)
Djemal Touidjine	...	(voice)
Keith Wickham	...	Le Père (voice: English version)
Hichem Yacoubi	...	(voice)
Omar Yami	...	(voice)

Directed by
Michel Ocelot

Writing credits
Michel Ocelot		(written by)

Produced by
Philippe Boeffard	....	associate producer (as Philip Boëffard)
Patrick Juarez	....	co-producer: Intuitions Films
Ève Machuel	....	executive producer (as Eve Machuel)
Ian McIntyre	....	documentary producer
Andrea Occhipinti	....	co-producer: Lucky Red (as Andréa Occhipinti)
Patrick Quinet	....	co-producer: Artémis Productions
Christophe Rossignon	....	executive producer
Christophe Rossignon	....	producer
David Shead	....	documentary producer
Stéphane Sorlat	....	co-producer: Zahorimédia
Viviana Turchi	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Gabriel Yared

Production Design by
Anne-Lise Koehler		(as Anne-Lise Lourdelet-Koehler)

Art Direction by
Daniel Cacouault

Production Management
Julien Azoulay	....	post-production manager
Aziza Ghalila	....	consultant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Éric Serre	....	assistant director

Art Department
Ghislaine Amiglio	....	animatic (as Ghislaine Serre-Améglio)
Christel Boyer	....	background painter
Samuel Dhaussy	....	research and development (as Samuel Daussy)
David Encinas	....	background designer
Emmanuel Guille-Vuora	....	background designer (as Emmanuel Guille)
Emmanuel Guille-Vuora	....	prop designer (as Emmanuel Guille)
Boris Jacq	....	research and development
Lionel Kerjean	....	background designer
Pascal Lemaire	....	research and development
Christophe Lourdelet	....	research and development
Ahmidou Lyazidi	....	research and development
Thierry Million	....	research and development
Juliette Nardin	....	background painter
Thierry Noguera	....	background painter (as Thierry Ngo)
Khalil Rachid	....	research and development
Isabelle Ramnou	....	background painter
Xavier Riffault	....	background designer
Xavier Riffault	....	character designer
Denis Rousseau	....	background painter
Éric Serre	....	character designer
Éric Serre	....	prop designer
Anne-Laure To	....	background painter

Sound Department
Philippe Amouroux	....	sound re-recording mixer
Yves Barsacq	....	animatic voice artist (as Yves Barsaq)
Nicolas Becker	....	foley artist
Jim Betteridge	....	dubbing mixer: English version
Philippe Cheytion	....	animatic voice artist
Tom Deane	....	sound re-recording mixer
Thomas Desjonquères	....	sound editor
Thomas Desjonquères	....	sound
Philippe Dongé	....	sound mix technician
Séverin Favriau	....	assistant sound editor
Samy Gharbi	....	voice recordist: Arabic language
Cyril Holtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Denis Jaillet-Marsigny	....	sound recordist
Arlette Mirapeu	....	animatic voice artist
Michel Ocelot	....	voice director: English version
George Roubicek	....	voice director: English version
Lionel Strutt	....	adr supervisor

Visual Effects by
Alexandra Added	....	visual effects coordinator
Nicolas Renou	....	rendering

Animation Department
Kyle Badla	....	animation director
Christel Boyer	....	background designer
Nicolas Combecave	....	character modeling
Xavier Coyere	....	character designer (as Xavier Coyère)
Julien Depoortere	....	rigging artist
Guillaume Glachant	....	CG animator: Mac Guff Ligne
Emmanuel Guille-Vuora	....	animation layout artist (as Emmanuel Guille)
Alexandre Heboyan	....	animator
Lionel Kerjean	....	animation layout artist
Anne-Lise Koehler	....	background designer (as Anne-Lise Lourdelet-Koehler)
Anne-Lise Koehler	....	character designer (as Anne-Lise Lourdelet-Koehler)
Jean-Marc Ky	....	animator
David Liebard	....	character modeling
Francis Mallette	....	background designer (as François Mallet-Petiot)
Xavier Riffault	....	animation layout artist
Éric Serre	....	animation layout artist
Éric Serre	....	layout supervisor
Ken Shimizu	....	rigging set-up & skinning sr artists
Malek Touzani	....	animation team leader

Casting Department
Hiam Abbass	....	casting: France
Gigi Akoka	....	casting: France
Hanane Ben Mahmoud	....	casting: children, Tunisia
Hervé Jakubowicz	....	casting assistant

Editorial Department
Thomas Jacquet	....	video post-production
Guillaume Bauer	....	editor: pan & scan TV version (uncredited)

Music Department
Jean-Pierre Arquie	....	music supervisor
Edouard Dubois	....	music consultant
Thomas Jamois	....	soundtrack coordinator
Kirsty Whalley	....	music editor

Other crew
Nairye Apelian	....	secretary to producer (as Naïrye Apelian)
Sebastien Boiteux	....	accountant
Marielle Duigou	....	assistant: producer
Marielle Duigou	....	development manager
Thomas Foncelle	....	lead render wrangler
Pierre Guyard	....	assistant to associate producer
Jessica Jacques	....	assistant accountant (as Jessica Jacques-Sebastien)
Thomas Laffin	....	assistant to executive producer
Pascal Pestel	....	chief accountant
Faïza Zeghadi	....	post production intern

Production Companies

• Nord-Ouest Productions (as Nord-Ouest Production)
• Mac Guff Ligne (co-production)
• Studio O
• France 3 Cinéma
• Rhône-Alpes Cinéma
• Artémis Productions (as Artemis Production)
• S2 International
• Zahorí Media (as Zahorimedia)
• Intuition Films (as Intuitions Films)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Lucky Red
• TPS Star (participation)
• Eurimages (support)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)
• Région Ile-de-France
• Cofinova 2 (in association with)

Distributors

• Cathay-Keris Films (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2006-2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Gkids (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rosebud (2007) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Studio Ghibli (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Twin Film (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Diaphana Films (2006) (France) (all media)
• Genius Products (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Odeon (2007) (Greece) (DVD)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2007) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cinéphase  voice recording studio
• Film Music Services  music supervision
• Mayflower Studios  voice recording studio: English version
• Pro Cuts Media  epk production: English version (uncredited)
• Pumpkin 3d  research and development
• Studio O  pre-production
• Studio Objectif  voice recording studio: Tunisia
• The Station House  sound mix: English version (as Stationhouse)
• The Station House  titles: English version (as Stationhouse)

Also Known As:

"Azur et Asmar" - France (original title)
"Azur & Asmar" - Spain (video box title), USA (poster title)
"Azur and Asmar" - International (English title) (informal literal English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic material, some mild action and peril

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

France | Belgium | Spain | Italy

Language:

Arabic | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Netherlands:AL | Ireland:G | USA:PG | Finland:K-3 | India:U | UK:U

Company:

Nord-Ouest Productions

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Michel Ocelot] [silhouettes] A woman singing under a canopy is seen only in profile, rendered as a solid black silhouette. Later, when Azur and Chamsous Sabah climb a tree to get an overview of the city, they and the branches of the tree are similarly silhouetted against the blue twilight sky.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jénane:Azur...

"Impossibly gorgeous" animated French film AZUR & ASMAR opens in San Francisco Friday!

"Impossibly gorgeous" animated French film AZUR & ASMAR opens in San Francisco Friday! Film director Michel Ocelot will be attending both the 4:15 and 7pm shows on Friday at the Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema. The 4:15pm show is an audience Q&A, while the 7pm show is an introduction to the film.

The film has received wonderful reviews for its remarkable visual beauty and timeless story of multicultural friendship and adventure.

In English - Recommended for ages 6+

Set in the Middle Ages, Azur and Asmar is the story of two boys raised as brothers. Blonde, blue-eyed, white skinned Azur and black-haired, brown-eyed, dark-skinned Asmar are lovingly cared for by Asmar's gentle mother, who tells them magical stories of her faraway homeland and of beautiful, imprisoned Fairy Djinn waiting to be set free. Time passes, and one day. Azur's father, the master of the house, provokes a brutal separation. Azur is sent away to study, while Asmar and his mother are driven out, homeless and penniless.

Years later, as a young adult, Azur remains haunted by memories of the sunny land of his nanny, and sets sail south across the high seas to find the country of his dreams. Arriving as an immigrant in a strange land, Azur is rejected by everyone he meets on account of his "unlucky" blue eyes, until finally he resolves never to open those eyes again. The once-beautiful child clad in gold is reduced to a blind beggar. Yet, blind though he is, little by little and step by step, he discovers a beautiful and mysterious country. Meanwhile, back in her homeland, Azur's nanny has become a wealthy merchant and Asmar has grown into a dashing horseman. Reunited but now as adversaries, the two brothers set off on a dangerous quest to find and free the Fairy of the Djinns.