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Swedish World Premiere for Gorō Miyazaki’s Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter
Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter, Astrid Lindgren’s final great work, was released in 1981. The book has been translated into 41 languages and more than 10 million copies have been sold worldwide. Now – 35 years later– it comes to us in an entirely new guise, created by GorōMiyazaki of the legendary Studio Ghibli in Japan. The series has been nominated for an International Emmy and won the prize at the Asian Television Awards for “Best 2D Animation Program”.
“We’re proud and happy that, together with Studio Ghibli, we’re now able to present the TV series for the first time outside Japan,” says Olle Nyman, CEO of Saltkråkan AB.“Gorō Miyazaki and his co-workers have done a fantastic job – as well as being true to the original text, they’ve also created a visually astonishing and unique experience that truly enhances the story”.
Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter is GorōMiyaxaki’s first TV series. It is also the first time that an Astrid Lindgren book has been animated by the famous Japanese studio – more than forty years after Gorō Miyazaki’s father, Hayao Miyazaki, visited Stockholm to seek Astrid Lindgren’s approval for the making of an animated film based on Pippi Longstocking.
“The first time I read Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter, was when I had earlier been planning to make a film based on the book,” says Gorō Miyazaki. “Since it was difficult in one single film to sum up the entire story, which spans several years and different stages of Ronja’s life, I’d given up on the idea of making a film of it. But, with this TV series covering 26 episodes, it became possible to give the film a format that follows the original chapters. And I’m very happy about that”.
Malin Billing, Manager for Theatrical Rights at Saltkråkan and one of Astrid Lindgren’s grandchildren, has been responsible for securing the quality of the translation from Japanese and of the dubbing into Swedish.
“This work has been both fun and challenging,” says Malin Billing. “Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter is set in the Middle Ages and the book is full of names, words and expressions that Astrid Lindgren herself made up. The language is straightforward and totally void of modern terminology or borrowed words. For us at Saltkråkan it has been important that the script agrees with the linguistic mode of the novel and, at the same time, fits the new format. The magic of the series becomes even stronger when hearing it in your mother tongue."
Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter is being sold internationally by Serious Lunch, a London based specialist distributor of children’s and family programming
“We are taking Ronja to Kidscreen in Miami in February and then on to MIPTV in Cannes, says Genevieve Dexter, CEO of Serious Lunch. There is a lot of enthusiasm for serials in the market now that that nonlinear viewing has taken off in a big way.”
Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter, with the illustrations from the Japanese tv-series, is also a brand new licensing program from Saltkråkan.
“Product releases follow the broadcast of the TV-series and after Japan, Sweden will release its first products simultaneously with the new publishing program in September. Just returning from the Nuremberg Toy Fair, Tobias Mannerheim, Head of Licensing at Saltkråkan, comments. Ronja is a beloved story in many countries and Studio Ghibli has a large fan base which makes it a very sought after property.”
Nature and a longing back to a life lived in symbiosis with nature was essential for Astrid Lindgren. “If anyone asks me what I remember from my childhood, my first thought is actually not of the people. But of that beautiful environment which framed my days then and filled them with such intensity, that as a grown-up you can hardly comprehend it. Wild strawberries among the rocks, carpets of blue spring flowers, meadows full of cowslips, special places where blueberries could be found, the forest where dainty pink flowers were nestling in the moss…”
Since Astrid Lindgren lived in Stockholm, it was not always possible for her to be out in the countryside, but she could be there in her fantasies. This was the origin of the story about Ronja – the author’s longing for the wilds.
For further information:
Cilla Nergårdh, PR & Marketing Manager Saltkråkan, +46 (0)70-938 46 52 or email:
For information on international sales:
Genevieve Dexter, Serious Lunch, gdexter@seriouslunch.co.uk
Key Facts: The TV series Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter will premiere on SVT Barnkanalen on January 30 at 8:05 pm.The series comprises 26 episodes of about 24 minutes each and was produced by Gorō Miyazaki, Dwango and Polygon Pictures for NHK in Japan. The hand-painted backgrounds are characteristic of Studio Ghibli and Polygon Pictures have created 3D animations of the characters. The series has been shown in Japan during 2015.
Saltkråkan and Studio Ghibli control and manage the international rights. The series is currently being presented and sold internationally via a jointly appointed sales agent, Serious Lunch. The company was set up in 2011 by Genevieve Dexter. Saltkråkan is responsible for all sales in the Nordic countries and discussions are in progress with other Nordic channels.
