Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 28, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The film combines live-action elements with state-of-the-art CGI effects. Shooting continues until August 9, 2007 in Berlin-Babelsberg, Potsdam and around Vienna, with completion planned for mid-2008.
The old witch Surulunda (PILAR BARDEM) has finally had enough. The thoroughly nasty sorcerer Hieronymus (INGO NAUJOKS) has once again sneaked into her idyllic witch’s cottage to seize her carefully guarded spell book. Fortunately, her small, rather gluttonous and consequently somewhat overweight flying dragon Hektor arrives in time. Surulunda must act: the time has come for a successor. Hektor sets out to find a worthy guardian of the spell book and lands, book and all and with plenty of commotion, in the home of Lilly (ALINA FREUND). As soon as she discovers the wonderful book, chaos begins…
Lilly casts nothing but nonsense, floods her classroom and conjures tails onto her annoying schoolmates. Hektor therefore has his hands full explaining that with such wicked magic she can never become Surulunda’s successor. While Lilly hurriedly tries to become a good witch during her probationary period, Hieronymus and his equally devious pug Serafim are already approaching again, determined to seize the spell book and subjugate the world once and for all…
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LILLY THE WITCH is based on the popular children’s books by successful author KNISTER, whose works have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Following an animated series whose episodes attracted almost half a million viewers each, Lilly finally makes her big-screen appearance. Munich-based blue eyes Fiction produces together with TRIXTER. The versatile, successful Austrian filmmaker Stefan Ruzowitzky (ANATOMY, THE COUNTERFEITERS) directs and co-wrote the screenplay with Ralph Martin and Armin Toerkell. Dragon Hektor, voiced by comedy star Michael Mittermeier, becomes a CGI character through keyframe animation and interacts with the actors on screen. The cast includes newcomer Alina Freund as Lilly, Anja Kling, Ingo Naujoks, Spanish actress Pilar Bardem and Yvonne Catterfeld in a guest role.
LILLY THE WITCH is a blue eyes Fiction and TRIXTER production produced by Corinna Mehner and Michael Coldewey.
Financing was substantially supported by FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Filmförderungsanstalt Berlin, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Media, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, Bayerischer Bankenfonds, the Austrian Film Institute, Filmfonds Wien and ORF. Buena Vista International will release LILLY THE WITCH in cinemas.
Further Links:
- Film website
