INTERVIEW
Vanille, your first animated film, is presented as a tale, in which the heroine confronts a Soucougnan. What is that ?
It is a legendary creature that populates West Indian folklore. It is also called the “steering wheel”. It appears as a fireball and steals energy. He’s sort of a local vampire. When I was younger, I was sure I had seen him, between two hills! There are many other mythical characters, like Man D’lo (Caribbean mermaid) or the cunning Compè Lapin.
Vanille sets off on the heels of this malicious character who steals women’s hair at night …
In a tale, the form of the villain is always intimately linked to the quest for identity. Vanille wants to defeat the curls on her head, because they don’t match her surroundings. Her mother, who died when she was four, couldn’t teach her how to style her hair. But she discovers that, like the biblical hero Samson, his strength lies in his hair.
Vanille, is it also a visual trip to an unknown Guadeloupe?
I grew up in Guadeloupe and I wanted to show the tropical forest, the volcano. It is my cry of love for this island. I chose a hybrid technique by integrating the drawing into real images, a bit like in the movie Roger Rabbit (another Compè Lapin?). This mixture lends itself well to the world of storytelling which opens up the imagination as much as it is anchored in real life.
The music, the atmosphere, the phrasing of the characters… We believe it!
With Aurore Auguste and Antoine Lanciaux, my co-authors, we fought to keep Creole. Our broadcasters were afraid that the children would not understand. Vanilla herself does not understand everything and says it. This contributes to the change of scenery. The actors, three of whom are singers (Tricia Evy, alias Frédérique, Jocelyne Béroard, for Auntie Loulouze and Hippomène Léauva, for Grandpa Sarbacane) brought the correct tone. As for the music of Chassol, it gives an epic, universal dimension to the story of Vanille, which is West Indian, but not only.
Vanilla, a hairy intiatic tale
Bitumen, rap and butte Montmartre, such is the horizon of Vanille, a 9-year-old Parisian mestizo, who lives alone with her father. On the flow of Chilla, she tries to tame her hair with the straightener, singing at the top of her voice In the city. Her world collapses when she learns that she is going on vacation to Guadeloupe, with her aunt. Horror for the rebellious pre-teen! Reluctantly, she embarks on a journey to her forgotten origins. From the airport, it’s the shock. The lush forest, the Creole, the music and the people. Carried by the notes of Chassol, her quest to defeat the Soucougnan, a magical creature who steals the hair, will lead her much further than she would have imagined …
Saturday, October 24 at 10:10 a.m. on France 3, or at 8:35 p.m. on France 4. 30 minutes, from 6 years old.
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