NICK KNATTERTON

In 2000 the Animation studio TFC in Hamburg, which had been incredibly successfull with the "Werner"-Films, was thinking about making a movie starring one of Germany's first Comicstrip-Characters "Nick Knatteron", a spoof on superdetektiv-comicbook-heros like Sherlock Holmes or Dick Tracy .Very funny, but incredibly outdated.



I was talking to Michael Schaak on a planeride and he casually asked me, what I would do with the subject and how I would give it a makeover: At that time "Austin Powers" was very big and the studio was thinking about a similar approach, timewarping Knatterton from the 50's into the present. I strongly objected, because I felt that especially the 50's, particularly the 50's in Germany, would make a great backdrop for he story visually and storywise. I was fantazising about using the designlanguage of that time, long thin lines and kidneyformed shapes, as a blueprint for the whole movie including it's characters. Also the color-palette of that time, lots of pastelle, seemed promising to me.

I must have made an impression, because next day, Schaak called, offering me the VisDev, Story and even the director's chair. I asked , if I remember correctly , for half a year of development- time for the movie, something that had never been done at the TFC before.





I worked with MANU ARENAS and JOSE MARTINEZ , two incredibly giftet artists from Belgium, on the design and with CHRISTIAN SCHNALKE on the story.



With all modesty, we put together some amazing stuff and had lots of fun, until finally the project was cancelled. Nevertheless, I will post lots of our artwork here in the coming months for you to enjoy.