Paris, France — Emmy Award-winning French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo and French/German production company Laïdak Films are proud to announce that the animated short film Mum is Pouring Rain is one of the 15 short films shortlisted for this year’s Oscars – the 94th Academy Awards.

Created and directed by Lagardère Foundation Winner Hugo de Faucompret, the animated real-life drama Special has been shortlisted in the Animated Short Film category. The prestigious Academy Awards nominations will be announced on 8th February, with the ceremony taking place on 27th March 2022.

Commissioned by Canal+ and co-produced by Laïdak Films and Dandelooo, Mum is Pouring Rain is a 2D animation with striking hand-painted backgrounds. The heartwarming, 26-minute Special gives a voice to a sensitive and meaningful adventure for children, using everyday life topics to which they can relate too.

Winner of a Jury Award for a TV Special at Annecy 2021, Mum is pouring rain has also been nominated for Best Special Production at this year’s 49th Annie Awards, taking place on 26th February 2022. Commenting on the nomination Hugo de Faucompret, Creator and Director said, “I’m delighted and proud to see that an independent film such as ours, with hand-painted backgrounds, and a creative and dedicated team can compete alongside big and prestigious productions”.

Mum is Pouring Rain is a touching story of 8-year-old Jane who must spend Christmas on her own with her grandma, while her mother struggles with depression. Jane doesn’t understand why her mother is not joining them for the Christmas festivities, but the holidays turn out to be quite an adventure as Jane meets new friends. As she learns to open up to others, Jane will inspire her mother with the strength to get back on her feet.

About Hugo de Faucompret

During his studies at the Gobelins animation school in Paris, Hugo has directed several short films which rapidly gained great popularity. He then directed one of the films from French broadcaster France TV’s collection En Sortant De l’Ecole, while pursuing his work as a storyboarder for various productions. Together with other artists, he co-founded the artists’ collective Souviens Ten-Zan, which produces animated content and films. Winner of a Jury Award for a TV Special at Annecy 2021 Mum is pouring rain is Hugo’s first major animation production.

About Dandelooo

Dandelooo is a French award-winning creative company based in Paris dedicated to the development, production, and distribution of original and ambitious animated programs. Dandelooo’s productions include the hybrid pre-school series The Treehouse Stories (three seasons on air, a 4th in production and two theatrical films), which won an International Emmy Kids Award in 2017, Chico Chica Boumba commissioned by M6 and the animated feature film Houdini.

The company has just delivered Stinky Dog (52 x 11′) to France Televisions and TV3 Catalunya, and the wonderful TV Special Mum is pouring rain (winner of a Jury Award for a TV Special at Annecy 2021) to Canal+, is now in production for the pre-school series Billy the Cowboy Hamster (52 x 11′) and is about to start production for The Upside Down River (8 x 26′) a serialized series for kids based on the cult novel by Jean Claude Mourlevat. Dandelooo is also developing loguis, an original project to initiate yoga for preschoolers. On the international sales front, Dandelooo is very proud to distribute Shooom’s Odyssey (Annecy Cristal 2020 as best TV Special), the preschool series Jasmine and Jambo and the new meaningful Dounia. Dandelooo has its own studio, Ooolala,