Animated Viking Adventure **ViQueens** Debuts Teaser at Annecy, Showcasing New “Reference Capture” Technique

On Thursday, June 24 2026, Dutch-Norwegian director Zwart Arbeid presented the first teaser for his upcoming animated feature ViQueens during a masterclass at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The 90-second preview introduced the film’s premise: two Viking girls, Ingrid and Hedvig, defy tradition to escort a stowaway boy back to China, traversing icy fjords, Byzantine courts and the Silk Road. The teaser was released alongside a detailed discussion of the film’s production approach, marking the public’s initial visual encounter with the project.

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Zwart’s team unveiled an original workflow called “Reference Capture.” The method records live performances, camera movements and physical staging early in development, then supplies animators with a richly detailed visual and emotional reference while retaining fully hand-crafted animation. According to the director, the process aims to give the final product the emotional authenticity of live-action cinema while preserving the imaginative scale unique to animation. No artificial-intelligence tools were employed in the capture or animation phases.

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The film is directed by Zwart Arbeid, known for *The Karate Kid* and *The Mortal Instruments*. Producer Veslemøy Ruud Zwart co-led the masterclass, while composer Christophe Beck—renowned for *Frozen* and *Frozen II*—provides an original score. The voice cast includes Ella Purnell (Ingrid), Rita Ora (Hedvig), and a cameo by soccer star Erling Haaland. Supporting voices feature Steve Speirs as King Erik, Anton Lesser as the scheming Lars, and Alan Carr as the enthusiastic Bard.

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Animation production is handled by Norway’s Gimpville, with post-production and audio services supplied by OPCM. Executive producers comprise Torgeir Sanders (Gimpville), Robert Chandler (Space Age Films), Peter Clausen (OPCM), Andrew Williams (Vamonos), Rasmus Ramstad (Rumba AS), and Solveig Langeland (Sola Media), which also manages worldwide sales. The project is slated for delivery in late 2026, with a home-territory theatrical release scheduled for December 25, 2026.

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Zwart emphasized that the film was conceived to feel “emotionally authentic and cinematically grounded” while exploiting animation’s capacity for expansive world-building. He credited Reference Capture with delivering “real performances, camera language, and physicality” that give artists a richer foundation for the animated universe. Producer Veslemøy Ruud Zwart described the teaser as the first opportunity to invite audiences into the film’s world, noting that it showcases the humor, heart, adventure, and cinematic scope that the new production approach enables.

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• “From the beginning, we wanted ViQueens to feel as emotionally authentic and cinematically grounded as a live-action film while retaining all the imagination and scale that animation makes possible,” — Zwart Arbeid, Director

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• “Reference Capture allowed us to bridge those worlds by capturing real performances, camera language, and physicality early in the process, giving our artists a richer foundation from which to build the film’s animated universe.” — Zwart Arbeid, Director

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• “The teaser is our first opportunity to invite audiences into the world of ViQueens,” — Veslemøy Ruud Zwart, Producer

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• “It captures the humor, heart, adventure, and cinematic scope of the film while showcasing a new approach to animation production that has been central to bringing this story to life.” — Veslemøy Ruud Zwart, Producer

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Following the Annecy preview, the film will continue its festival circuit before entering final post-production. Distribution partners are preparing marketing campaigns ahead of the December 25, 2026 release, with additional international release dates to be announced by Sola Media.

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