Children of Liberty: The producers of Ernest & Celestine travel to New York for a World War II animated epic

When most people think of 2012, animated films like Hotel Transylvania, Paranorman, Brave, Frankenweenie, Wreck-It Ralph, and Wolf Children come to mind. However, tucked away from movies like Ice Age: Continental Drift, The Lorax, and The Suicide Shop is the adorable and endearing animated drama Ernest & Celestine, revolving around the unlikely friendship between a bear and a young mouse. Fast-forward to 2025, and Variety says the producers of Ernest & Celestine are getting the band back together for Children of Liberty, an animated World War II epic, set in New York.

Variety says Paris-based sales company Urban will join the Children of Liberty effort, which is an adaptation of Robert H. Lieberman’s novel The Nazis, My Father and Me. Didier and Damien Brunner will produce the film through their Folivari studio, with Rémy Schaepman and Léahn Vivier-Chapas directing. Lieberman co-wrote the screenplay adaptation.

“Set in New York in 1941 – just weeks before the U.S. finally entered WWII — the story follows 12-year-old Steven who gets lost in the chaos of Manhattan’s Grand Central Station and suspects that his father might be a Nazi spy,” reads Variety’s description. “With the help of 14-year-old Jewish refugee Miriam, Steven embarks on a daring quest across the city’s labyrinthine streets. As war rages in Europe, the two children navigate danger and secrets that challenge their understanding of family and friendship, reshaping their childhoods forever.”

“As producers, this film resonates with our own family history, with the fractures and secrets that arise amidst silence,” Brunner said, adding that Children of Liberty is “a film about war, but seen through the eyes of children. A gaze that can bring courage, truth, and sometimes hope.”

Didier Brunner is a force to be reckoned with in the animation space. He’s produced some of my favorite animated films, including The Secret of Kells, Wolfwalkers, and Pachamama. Despite the terrifying subject matter, I’m excited to see what he can do to help make Children of Liberty an unforgettable exploration of war, determination, and survival.

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