Butterfly Tale

Butterfly Tale
Film poster
Directed bySophie Roy
Written byHeidi Foss
Lienne Sawatsky
Produced byJustin Rebelo Chantale Pagé
Tania Pinto da Cunha
Marc Gabizon
Marks Aldenhoven
StarringTatiana Maslany
Mena Massoud
Edited byRobert Yates
Music byShawn Mendes
Johnny Orlando
Blü Dog Media Nancy Brault
Production
companies
CarpeDiem Film & TV
Ulysses Filmproduktion
Senator Film Köln
Distributed byPink Parrot Media (Worldwide sales)
Vortex Media (Canada)
Wild Bunch (Germany)
Release dates
  • September 16, 2023 (2023-09-16) (Atlantic International Film Festival)
  • September 29, 2023 (2023-09-29) (Spain)
  • October 13, 2023 (2023-10-13) (Canada)
  • February 1, 2024 (2024-02-01) (Germany)
Running time
82 minutes
CountriesCanada
Germany
LanguageEnglish

Butterfly Tale is a 2023 animated adventure film directed by Sophie Roy and written by Heidi Foss and Lienne Sawatsky. It features the voices of Tatiana Maslany and Mena Massoud. Based on the real-life migration of monarch butterflies, the plot follows a young butterfly named Patrick who goes on an adventure over North America to follow his dream of flight although he has one wing.

Plot

Butterfly Tale is an animated feature film about Patrick, a teen-aged butterfly with one wing. The movie takes place in the migration of monarch butterflies, with his best friend Marty and another monarch butterfly with a fear of heights by the name of Jennifer, made to highlight the difficulty of the migration of monarch butterflies.

Cast

Production

In November 2022, it was announced that Maslany and Massoud were cast as the voices of Jennifer and Patrick respectively, as well the film will feature original songs by Shawn Mendes and Johnny Orlando. The film is a Canadian-German co-production between CarpeDiem Film & TV, Ulysses Filmproduktion and Senator Film Köln with animation done at Singing Frog Studio in Montreal and Studio Rakete in Hamburg. It marks Sophie Roy's feature directorial debut.

Release

The film was first released in Spain on September 29, 2023, one month later in Canada on October 13, 2023, before releasing in Germany on February 1, 2024.

Television series

In 2021, prior to the release of the film, CarpeDiem, Ulysses Filmproduktion and distributor Pink Parrot announced plans for a spinoff prequel television series called Butterfly Academy or L’Académie des monarques in French. The show was envisioned as running for 52 eleven-minute episodes, with it set for release in the third quarter of 2023. In 2024, the series received financing from the Canada Media Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund and SODEC. In 2025, it received an investment from Wallimage, as the series became a Belgian co-production with AgentDouble Productions and Waooh!. That same month, Shaw Rocket Fund announced that the series would begin airing in September 2026, with a broadcast in English-speaking Canada on CBC, in French-speaking Canada on Ici Radio-Canada Télé as well as TFO, and in Belgium on RTBF.

In April 2026, Pink Parrot confirmed the first 13 episodes would be completed in June, with the full season ready for broadcasters in July. The following month, CBC confirmed the 26 eleven-minute episode series would be part of its fall broadcast season. The show premiered in Belgium on RTBF Auvio on July 2, 2026 with it later airing on La Trois. In Canada, the English version debuted on CBC Gem on August 28 before airing on CBC's linear channel on September 8, 2026. Ici TOU.TV will stream the series in French starting October 8, 2026.

References

  1. ↑ Rashotte, Vivian (October 19, 2023). "Why Tatiana Maslany was excited to lend her voice to the new kids' movie Butterfly Tale". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (November 2, 2022). "Tatiana Maslany, Mena Massoud Join 'Butterfly Tale' Voice Cast". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  3. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (May 12, 2023). "Shawn Mendes Song 'Something Big' to Feature in Animated Feature 'Butterfly Tale,' Pink Parrot to Present Film at Cannes Market (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  4. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (September 8, 2023). "Toronto: Tatiana Maslany-Voiced Animated 'Butterfly Tale' Flies to ScreenX Format Release (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  5. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (February 17, 2021). "'Butterfly Academy' Series Takes Wing with Pink Parrot". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  6. ↑ Tuchow, Ryan (April 22, 2024). "CMF and Shaw Rocket Fund put US$2.6 million into seven short series". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  7. ↑ Taimur Sikander Mirza (June 19, 2024). "SODEC supports eight series under TV assistance program". Playback. Brunico Communications. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  8. ↑ Engelen, Aurore (February 28, 2025). "Wallimage supports Thomas Ancora's L'Ordre Pourpre". Cineuropa. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  9. ↑ "La 123e session ajoute sept projets à notre line-up". Wallimage (Press release) (in French). February 24, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ "CarpeDiem Film & TV inc. (Canada) and Agent Double (Belgium) are proud to launch a great series called ✨ Butterfly Academy ✨ based on the feature film Butterfly Tale! The first 26 episodes will air in September 2026". Shaw Rocket Fund. Facebook. February 11, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  11. ↑ ""Butterfly Academy": Pink Parrot's entry at Content Europe". Prensario. April 23, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  12. ↑ "CBC Unveils New Slate Showcasing Canadian Storytelling and Stars including Samantha Bee, Sarah Podemski and P.K. Subban". CBC Television (Press release). Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 26, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Académie des monarques - Dessins animés en streaming gratuit sur RTBF Auvio" (in French). RTBF. July 2, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  14. ↑ "L'académie des monarques - Dessin animé - LA TROIS ce samedi - Programme tv (05/09/2026 - 11:30)". Programme TV (in French). Archived from the original on August 28, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  15. ↑ "CBC sets Fall 2026 premiere dates". CBC Television (Press release). Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. August 5, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  16. ↑ Lepage-Boily, Élizabeth (July 31, 2026). "Rentrée télé automne 2026 : Quand commencent vos émissions". Showbizz (in French). Retrieved August 28, 2026.