Samorost Goes To The Movies
Non-gaming news now, gamers. Ish. You're probably aware of Samorost and Machinarium, the gorgeous (and gorgeously strange) point and click adventures known for reducing grown men to tears. (Well, Walker. But then you can also do that by mentioning puppy dogs with itchy ears to him.) If you were holding out for Machinarium 2 or Samorost 3, you'll need to hold out a fair bit longer, because Czech developer Jakub 'Amanita' Dvorský has now turned his attention to a movie instead. This is far from sad news, as he's bringing his distinctive twisted-beauty character design ethos to the upcoming semi-stop-motion animation Kooky's Revenge. It looks spectacular, as you'll see below...
Pink teddy bear aside, the puppets seem agreeably reminsicent of his game work. It's not strictly speaking his film, however - the director is one Jan Sverák, who's been making films since 1984, has scooped a BAFTA nomination and was behind Akumulator 1, the most expensive Czech film ever made. Amanita's role is character and puppet design, which he's quite clearly done with great aplomb.
Kooky's revenge is due later this year, and there's more on the official site. Let's hope Amanita makes a tie-in game, eh?