Clarissa and Septimus

Fresh out of hibernation, Clarissa, a fearless young garden dormouse, strikes up an unlikely friendship with Septimus, a laid-back beaver. When he tells her about the joys of winter, Clarissa can't believe she missed out on all that magic. Her mind is made up: next winter, she’s staying awake! And since she never backs down from a challenge, she sweeps her new friend into a wildly adventure: entering a skating competition! With the help of Nicodemus, a former skating champion, the pair secretly prepares for their big moment. But their mission is far from easy: Septimus is terrified of water, Clarissa’s nosy little sister is dangerously close to uncovering their secret, and with the changing climate throwing their forest’s seasons into chaos, the snow might never come at all… As the seasons unfold, Clarissa will learn that true friendship also means respecting each other’s limits, while Septimus will discover that with a friend by your side, even your greatest fears can be overcome.

Director’s statement
We have long dreamed of making a film together, and what better subject for two old friends than friendship itself?
For Amélie, adapting her picture book Clarissa and Septimus is a chance to return to animation, combining her passions for storytelling, illustration, music and movement. She has always imagined its skating scenes choreographed to Rameau’s joyful baroque piece Forêts paisibles.
For Patrick, it is an opportunity to bring Amélie’s mischievous, endearing coloured-pencil characters to life. Building on our previous collaboration in cut-out animation, we wish to turn this touching and humorous story into a musical fairy tale.
Beyond celebrating friendship, we also hope to gently raise awareness of climate change and its impact on the seasons and the lives of forest animals, without ever losing the story’s humour, poetry and magic.