Sola Media Boards CGI Animation ‘Rufus – The Sea Serpent Who Couldn’t Swim’ – AFM

EXCLUSIVE: Sola Media has acquired international sales rights to $10M Norwegian-produced feature animation Rufus – The Sea Serpent Who Couldn’t Swim ahead of the AFM next week.

Revolving around a community of sea serpents living on a secret island in the middle of the ocean, the feature is based on the children’s book series by Tor Åge Bringsværd and illustrator Thore Hansen, which ran across nine books from 1972 to 2019, creating a cross-generational brand.

The film is produced by Cornelia Boysen at Oslo-based Maipo Film, whose credits include the Louis and Luca stop motion trilogy and WW2 family film The Crossing, with co-producer Peter Voelkle at Belgian company NeXtFrames.

It will be ready for delivery in Q3 2025, with Nordisk Film due to release the film in Norway in the fall of that year.

The studios behind the film are NeXtFrames (Mistfall) and Finland’s award-winning studio Anima Vitae, known for its work on the internationally sold Niko trilogy.

The production combines 3D CGI with the aesthetic of traditional hand-drawn animation, to give a similar look to recent DreamWorks hit The Wild Robot, and before that, Puss in Boots.

At the heart of the story is a young sea serpent called Rufus, who does not fit in especially because he cannot swim. Disaster strikes when the community’s protector Uncle Ludovic, who is part monster, part dragon with magical smoke, loses his powers.

Rufus had to step up to save his family, but first he needs to overcome his deepest fear.

Sola Media will present first footage of the film at the upcoming AFM, running from November 5 to 10.

“Our buyers can look forward to an amazing project and first scenes from it. We immediately fell in love with Rufus, the very unusual but adorable sea serpent who is afraid of water,” said Solveig Langeland, Managing Director of Sola Media.

“The story is filled with humor, adventure, and important values, and we believe it will inspire young and old to face their fears and stick together when it matters most. The budget of 9.5 million euros ensures that the film is not only convincing in terms of content but also quality and wonderful character designs.”