Grand Prix of Europe
Mack Magic
British actors Gemma Arterton (The King’s Men), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game of Thrones) and Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) have joined the voice cast of Grand Prix of Europe, a new European animated feature from Warner Bros. Discovery Germany and Mack Magic, the entertainment arm of Germany’s Europa-Park theme park.
Arterton will play Edda, a young mouse and the daughter of fairground operator Erwin (voiced by British comedy legend Lenny Henry), who dreams of becoming a race car driver. Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the European Grand Prix, Edda gets the opportunity to meet her idol, racing star Ed (Brodie-Sangster) and to help her father save his failing business. But to do so, she’ll have to get behind the wheel herself.
Waldemar Fast, an animator on German animated features Monster Family and Animals United, will direct Grand Prix of Europe from a script by Kirstie Falkous, John Reynolds, and Jeff Hylton. Europa-Park managing partner Michael Mack will produce the film, which is based on Europa-Park’s mascots and is planned as the first in a family-friendly franchise. Mack is also keeping the post-production in-house, with animation being handled by Mack Animation in Hanover.
Grand Prix of Europe is set to be released in the summer of 2025 via Warner Bros. in German-speaking Europe, timed to the 50th anniversary of Europa-Park. Viva Kids will distribute the film widely in North America.
Michael Mack (on right)
Mack Magic
Next to Disneyland Paris, Europa-Park in southern Germany, is Europe’s most popular theme park, attracting more than 6 million visitors annually. Owners, the Mack family have been in the fairground business for 8 generations. Michael Mack’s paternal grandfather built rollercoasters, which the company sold to theme parks around the world — “to Disneyland, Universal, Bushgardens” says Mack, before, in 1975, his father set up the theme park. Grand Prix of Europe will mark the family’s first entry into feature film production.
“Each generation has built on the one before, and this film represents the next important step in our company’s history,” says Mack. “We’ve always been huge admirers of Walt Disney. They went from film production into theme parks. We’re going the other way around.”