Little Ollie and the Tiny Legs, which is produced by CUB Animation, is a participant in the Hungarian Animation Pitch Forum at the Annecy International Animation Festival (8 – 14 June 2025), in celebration of the 111th anniversary of Hungarian animation.

FNE: Please tell us about the project you are pitching here in Annecy.

Bálint Gelley and Bella Szederkényi: Little Ollie and the Tiny Legs is a 2D animated edutainment comedy series for preschool audiences. The first season consists of 26 stand-alone episodes, which are five minutes long. The story is about a 3-year-old boy who loves all types of cars, trucks, diggers and anything that rolls or flies. His life is full of everyday challenges and problems to solve. He knows how to change tires, where fire trucks sleep, and how to heal a sick excavator. He has a lot of toys, and sometimes he gets lost in the vast ocean of them. Things break or go missing... Life is hard sometimes. But luckily, his favourite toys are always there to help him get through the day.

FNE: How important is the support of the National Film Institute – Hungary (NFI) for your project and for Hungarian animation?

Bálint Gelley and Bella Szederkényi: NFI’s support is highly valued and important not just for our project, but for the entire Hungarian animation scene. Hungary is a small country, with a tiny market, this is why CUB Animation always has the idea of an international coproduction in their mind when creating something as big as a 26-episode TV series. Even so, although Little Ollie and the Tiny Legs is planned as a coproduction, it would be very challenging to raise our side of the budget without the NFI’s animation fund.

FNE: What is the difference in how you approach TV and web series as compared to a long animated film?

Bálint Gelley and Bella Szederkényi: There is a huge difference on many levels; for example, the production value is much higher on films that are meant for the cinema canvas than ones for smaller screens. But maybe the most important one is the storytelling, and the structuring of the story. Each episode of the Little Ollie project is a 5-minute-long stand-alone adventure so you can watch the episodes in any order, it will still make sense. The episodes are also written in a way to fit the target audience as they are about preschool children’s everyday lives and challenges.

FNE: Animation production is a marathon, it often takes many years to produce an animated film or series. How long will your project take and how do animators keep going over the long haul to the finish line?

Bálint Gelley and Bella Szederkényi: I agree with you, animation is indeed a marathon! Luckily the people who work in this field are used to that. Also, there are different stages of making a film from development to production and postproduction, and each stage has different challenges that keep the whole process exciting. Probably the hardest job is Kriszti’s one, because she will oversee all creative decisions, at all the stages. But it’s her vision we will see unfold, so I think it’s worth the effort.

FNE: How important is finding international coproducers for your project?

Bálint Gelley and Bella Szederkényi: It is very important, not just because of financial reasons. At CUB Animation we believe that an international coproduction partner always elevates the project to a higher level with their expertise and unique point of view. We are looking for two production companies, who would join us early in the development process, so they will also have a real impact on the series.