Diplo The Mighty Dinosaur © Signature Entertainment

After a decade to come to fruition, Diplo: The Mighty Dinosaur has weathered through developmental and producational challenges to offer something unique for children’s animated films. The dedication of a small team of Polish animators has resulted in a film that not only will grace UK screens this month (19th September), but will also find a global audience in ninety-nine other territories.

The story unfolds with Diplo, a young, ear-endowed Diplodocus birthed from the imagination of a struggling artist, who finds his narrative brought to life and immersed in diverse stories and worlds crafted by his creator over time. Tasked with restoring the skimmed off pages of his own story to reunite with his family, he ends up in an unexpected alliance with a wizard, scientist and their assistant in a bid to understand why their respective realities are fading away.

Diplo The Mighty Dinosaur © Signature Entertainment

I had the privilege of talking one on one with the film’s director and screenwriter, Wojtek Wawszczyk. We talked about what made a less known comic book a great material for a fun movie, the biggest roadblocks he came across during the extended development phase, and what sets this animated feature apart from other Polish productions.

What element of Tadeusz Baranowski’s Hocus Pocus and The Diplodocus comic books drove you to transform them into a film?

I stumbled upon those books at the tender age of six or seven. Poland in the eighties was largely cut off, and comic books were something that drew me in massively. Amidst the poverty and uniformity of Poland back then, there were a few of these books that were simply amazing, and I believe Baranowski’s comics are unique in that they remain remarkably modern.

The comics are extravagantly colorful, characterized by truly unique artwork, packed with nonsensical humour. The characters are conscious of their artist-authored existence, even engaging in disagreements with the artist over dislike for their adventures. This kind of humour holds a certain British quality, highly reminiscent of Monty Python, but for a younger audience.

Fooled by these books, I wanted to follow the same path and started sketching my own comic books, my initial renditions featuring characters from these very books. Years later, on meeting the author, we became friends and I shared my aspirations of bringing his characters to the big screen should I ever master the art. Thumb through twenty-plus years, and Diplo is now a reality.

Diplo The Mighty Dinosaur © Signature Entertainment

As the film’s screenwriter and director, what was the major hurdle during the drawn-out development phase of the film?

In 2012, I boarded a small Warsaw based animation studio, Human Film, initially as an animator, having gathered experience in the United States and India. I pitched my idea of adapting Baranowski’s comic books onto a film reel and was met with producer Maks Sikora’s encouraging “Why not?”.

Having been intrigued by grand animation features of industry giants like Pixar and Sony Pictures Imageworks, I envisioned creating a similar animated product in Poland, which was a path not yet trodden. So initially, we faced the huge task of sourcing funds to back the project. The principle challenge lied in the fact that there was no precedence of a similar project being accomplishable in Poland.

Adding to that, the comic books didn’t adhere to the traditional story structure, relying more on a series of jokes. Hence, sketching an engaging script demanded us to leverage different perspectives of the team and imagine an original narrative that not just captured the visual essence but also mirrored the comic books’ absurdly adventurous atmosphere.

The long development phase can be attributed to these challenges, alongside the necessity of sustaining the studio with other service jobs that curtailed time for our own project. In light of these, we were on a lookout for external help and trialed through three co-production attempts before finalizing on PFX, based out of Czech Republic.

Diplo The Mighty Dinosaur © Signature Entertainment

Given the delightful assortment of animated characters in the film, who was your own favorite and why?

Hocus Pocus holds a special place for me owing to the broad emotional spectrum he brings to life. The grander his demeanor, the more frisky his animation becomes.

Alongside him, I’m also fond of Professor Nervekowsky. Funnily, my team would often liken me to him based on my passion when immersed in work. In my favorites, Hocus Pocus and Professor Nervekowsky, you can find a reflection of who I am.

Diplo The Mighty Dinosaur © Signature Entertainment

What sets this production apart from others in the Polish animated ecosystem?

The movie is underpinned by several unique aspects. Baranowski’s comic books are a renowned franchise in Poland, and they hold a certain magnetic appeal for my generation who grew up with its humour.

Poland usually excels in artistic animation, a field I also come from. Before Diplo, I had created several artistic short films. Perhaps the charm of Diplo lies in its hybrid nature, blending elements of mainstream cinema with artistic and experimental cinema, evident in its animation-live-action blend, unconventional plot and thoughtful message.

The movie also derives its uniqueness from the talents that came together for the production, including a host of comic book artists. The camera work and soundtrack carries a notable 80s vibe, which along with its other facets, makes it a rare cinematic product, especially in Poland.

What is the key takeaway that you wish the audiences to go home with?

My primary inspiration for the film was to narrate a personal story while also kindling the same emotions and thoughts that I had when I first came across the comic books four decades ago.

I would like the audiences to witness something truly original and want the younger viewers to understand the coolness in being different. Both the artist and Diplo follow a similar trajectory in the film. They are tasked with believing their heart’s call and not necessarily conforming to societal expectations. It is about finding the courage to forge one’s own path. I would love for children to imbibe that value. And possibly, post-screening, pick up a pencil and paper and create their own stories and comics in their unique styles.

Diplo: The Mighty Dinosaur is gracing UK screens from 19th September onwards.