For centuries, readers (and later, moviegoers) have imagined what it would be like to witness the events of Greek mythology and ancient legend. Epic Tails, the latest 3D CG-animated feature from The Jungle Bunch studio TAT Productions offers a fresh, furry POV on these fantasies as it follows a little mouse from Ancient Greece who sets out on an incredible sea quest. Desperate to save her city, Pattie will defy the odds, gods, her feline father figure and a slew of strange creatures from the Greek myth bestiary.
With the film opening in U.S. theaters this Friday, April 5 through Viva Pictures, we heard some more background on this Olympian effort from David Alaux, the director of Epic Tails and Co-Founder of TAT Productions. (We also snagged a sneak peek clip, which you can check out below.):

Animation Magazine: Can you tell us how you got involved with this project?
David Alaux: Epic Tails is TAT productions’ fourth feature film. I am one of the co-founders of the company with Eric and Jean-François Tosti.
I had already directed the studio’s first movie (The Jungle Bunch) and after the success of this movie, I went on with the scriptwriting and the development of a second movie in partnership with my associates.
What was it about the Epic Tails concept that really appealed to you?
As far back as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology’s universe. I loved those insane epics where heroes face creatures that are as varied as they are incredible. And with all these gods as well, who fight amongst themselves at the expense of humans… After my first movie, it was very natural for me to throw myself into the scriptwriting of a new, original story that takes place in such a rich and fabulous universe.
When did you start production and how long did it take to complete?
The scriptwriting process of Epic Tails spanned from mid-2017 to mid-2019. The movie’s production started in October 2020 and ended in October 2022.
Which studios produced the animation?
The movie was made at TAT Studio, in Toulouse. All of TAT productions’ movies are made there. TAT Studio takes care of all the production steps. Because everyone is gathered in one place, we can communicate and change things very quickly.
How was the film received in France and Europe?
Epic Tails was released in France on January 25. It was a great success. The other European countries will release the movie later this year. It has already proven to be a great success in Ukraine, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The rest of the world will follow soon — by the way, the movie was recently released in Vietnam.
What were your biggest production challenges?
From a technical point of view, the biggest challenge with Epic Tails, compared with our other movies, was the tremendous number of characters and species: In the movie, we have crowds made of several different species of animals, but also human crowds and a great number of mythological creatures. Every species has a very different scale, from a small mouse (a few centimeters) to the Kraken (several dozens of meters). It was a colossal work. Another challenge was the SFX management, especially with sea shots and with clouds and lava simulations, but in the end, everything went extremely well. (The COVID pandemic essentially had an impact on the end of the storyboard because we had to change our work routine right in the middle of this stage, but our teams were extremely responsive and, once again, in the end everything went extremely well.)

How would you describe the visual style of the movie?
Epis Tails is, above all, very bright and colorful. The story of our heroes is new and original, but we try to respect, as much as possible, the universe in which they evolve: Ancient Greece. We did quite a lot of research to get closer to the current state of knowledge about this historical period. I have also tried to direct the movie in such a way that young audiences will never be visually lost. I have removed the shots that were too dark and the designs that were potentially scary. The idea was to get the attention of the audience by mostly playing with comedy, suspense and action.
What were your inspirations for the overall look of the animation?
I was not really looking forward to getting away from the look of our previous productions, which were driven by our affinity for American family adventure-comedies (Shrek, Kung Fu Panda…). Epic Tails is in line with the classical look of our previous productions, but maybe with a look that is slightly more cartoonish.
What do you hope audiences will take home from the movie?
Above all, “a big smile on their face”! And for those who are not familiar with Greek mythology, I hope that Epic Tails will make them want to discover more about it.
What is your take on the state of animation in Europe this year?
It is an extremely active industry. There are more and more projects being developed in many studios, for both cinema and American platforms, which are multiplying. If we look at the results of animated movies in theaters early this year, it seems like the market is regaining its strength. It is very stimulating.
Who are some of your animation heroes?
I love Po from Kung Fu Panda. He is, in my opinion, one of the most endearing characters in cinema. But I am also quite impressed by the character evolution of Puss in Boots from Shrek 2 up until now. On the young audience side, I like to show my children Totoro, which has a truly unique storytelling style. Among the latest heroes, when I allow myself to turn off my brain, I must admit that I have a soft spot for Saïtama from One Punch Man.
What is next for you and TAT productions?
I will keep an eye on the four feature films that are under development and in production here at TAT Productions, and maybe I will start writing a new comedy adventure!
Epic Tails is now playing in theaters nationwide; tickets are available through Fandango. Visit tatprod.com and vivafilmco.com for more info.