Aug 6, 2024

Beyond the Beard: Classic Dutch Character Tummy Tom Stars in Theater in New Hand-Drawn Feature

Tammy Tom, aka Dickie Dick, went from television to print in 1983 with the help of Dutch publisher Gotmar and has since sold millions of copies worldwide. Now, in a Dutch-Belgian co-production between Phanta Animation, BosBros, and Eyeworks Film TV & Drama, this adorable and mischievous fluffy fellow has been brought to the big screen as Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear. The film has appeared on the big screen as "Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear.

The first 60-minute feature film with a budget of 2.25 million euros is aimed at children aged 3 to 5. It is the first of a four-film project that will take preschoolers through the four seasons with Tammy Tom and her friends. The first two films were directed by Joost van den Bosch and Erik Verkerk, who were chosen by the late producer, screenwriter, actor, and Dutch television legend Bernie Bosch (1944-2023) to work on the project.

"Bernie was the Godfather of Dutch family and children's television and he really wanted to make a film about Tummy Tom. When he asked us to come, we brought our own 'Tammy Tom' books. In Holland, everyone has an average of four books. As we were discussing this adaptation, Bernie felt there was a good connection between us, and a week later we were working on a project together."

However, they explain that turning "Tummy Tom" into a feature film was no easy task. 'Bernie, who wrote the script for the film, did a really good job. A milkman delivers milk, a letter arrives in the mailbox, and that becomes the story. It was important to keep the narrative style and pace of Jett Beke, the author of "Tummy Tom," while expanding the scope of the story. All of these little stories happen in the film, but at the same time there is a larger arc of the search for Tammy Tom's teddy bear, so every story becomes part of this larger adventure. The songs and dances that color the journey and the children's voices that interact with the stories are also designed to keep the children's interest. We wanted to create a theatrical experience that would appeal to this restless and energetic audience while paying homage to our favorite kitty."

For younger audiences accustomed to the glitz and glamour of CG, the hand-drawn 2D of "Tammy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear" may seem out of step with the modern age. During our first meeting, we immediately said let's stick with the original design of "Tammy Tom,"" said Mr. Krause. Everyone knows and recognizes this nostalgic picture book by the way it looks. To change it would mean creating something new, and we would lose a lot. So we stuck to Boeke's beautiful style and dubbing with real cat meows for the characters. But we still had to animate and build a world around them. Realism was one of our key points."

They added, "We wanted them to move 70% like real cats, 20% like children, and 10% like cartoon characters when they do things that real cats can't do. Their quest for realism also resulted in the film's cinematography. It was a very interesting task for the team of animators, as most of the shots were a minute long, sometimes two minutes. With such long shots, we would basically be making our own little short film within the film, interspersing our own shots in between, which was really special for the animators. We were lucky enough to find many talented senior 2D animators who did a fantastic job on the film.

For van den Bos and Verkerk, capturing the cat's movements realistically required research. "We have watched countless cat videos on Youtube to properly understand cats. 'Cats don't sneeze like humans do. Our main target audience is between 3 and 5 years old, so we wanted parents to have a good time and see their pets in our characters."

Coming up with a production design was also a challenge, as the characters often posed in austere environments where there were few props or backgrounds. Boeke would only draw what was necessary for the story, which was sometimes inconsistent. Of course, we had to expand the design, Tammy Tom's world, to make it coherent with her touch. And in this film, she was with us every step of the way, despite her unfamiliarity with animation. Thanks also to our wonderful art director, Leo de Weiss. He created a whole new world for us based on a few indoor sets, constantly quoting from the book."

Van den Bos and Ferkerk have worked together for a long time. They have worked together since their days at the Art Academy, and after a year of honing their animation skills at Cartoon Saloon, they returned to the Netherlands in 2007 to start their own company, Ka-Ching Cartoons. We have built our expertise with many freelancers we met during our time at Cartoon Saloon. Working on a project-by-project basis allows us to scale up and down the people we collaborate with, which suits us very well as we continue to be creatively challenged." The studio has produced several animated television series, short films like Nicholas Keppens' "Beautiful Men," and animated adaptations of classic Dutch characters. [With the theatrical release of "Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear," van den Bosch and Verkerk set to work on their second film, "A New Friend for Tummy Tom. The children scream and clap, "even in a packed screening or on a quiet day. As soon as they hear the soundtrack, they realize they can interact with the film. For the kids, that barrier is lowered and they become very alive." Tammy Thom's catchy tunes are so catchy to the ear that parents may want to hear more.

In the Netherlands, children may discover the film through children's screenings called "mini-mornings," and "Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear" was number five at the national box office in June. The Dutch version will be released on Belgian screens in mid-September and will be distributed by KFD.