Mikołaj’s happiness will hit theaters on February 24, 2023. In this animation, Mikołaj’s fans will have the opportunity to see how it all began, because Goscinny is the main animated protagonist of this picture. The production is a great tribute to the creators of Mikołaj: René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé, who died in August this year.
It was like a bolt from the blue! On November 5, 1977, admirers of René Goscinny’s work fell into despair when they heard the news of the tragedy that took place behind the door of one of the doctor’s offices in Paris. They couldn’t believe that the legendary comic book writer and writer had died of a heart attack in front of a shocked cardiologist. How did Anne Goscinny say goodbye to her father years later?
René Goscinny was a workaholic and did not care for himself. Even though he suffered from angina and had serious heart problems. However, nothing foreshadowed the impending disaster. On November 5, 1977, a popular comic book scriptwriter appeared at an eminent specialist. It was supposed to be a routine visit. During an exercise test, the comic book artist experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. Despite immediate resuscitation, the artist died. He was only 51 years old.
Book-letter in memory of René Goscinny
René Goscinny orphaned his daughter Anne. The girl was only 9 years old at the time. As an adult woman, she visited the cardiologist in whose hands her father had passed away. After this meeting, she felt tremendously relieved. Then she decided to write a letter-book as a kind of farewell to a parent she had never really met.
Dad left when I was still a child. Nevertheless, the memories associated with him are the most precious treasure for me (…) I remember his smell and voice. He always read me bedtime stories. These were special moments. I also have video recordings (…) I still remember the scene when my father left the house on the day of his death and said to me: “see you, baby”. Those were the last words I heard from him – mentioned Anne Goscinny in the book titled Dad. About the author Mikołajka (Wyd. Znak, 2013).
Anne Goscinny added in one of the interviews that she never came to terms with the death of her father, who passed away while still a young man. As a result, he could not give her advice, especially when she was a teenager and had various problems and emotional dilemmas.
René Goscinny’s way to the comic book top
René Goscinny was born on August 14, 1926 in Paris. He was a child of Polish immigrants of Jewish origin. Even as a teenager, he had specific plans for the future. He dreamed of becoming a recognized cartoonist in the Walt Disney studio in the future. These plans, however, backfired.
Eventually, Morris and Albert Uderzo became his mentors. It was they who decided about his further career path. Under their protective wings, René Goscinny has developed into a comic book writer. He gained great fame and recognition overnight.
In the 1950s, René Goscinny became famous not only for a series of adventures, the protagonist of which was the brave cowboy Lucky Luke, but also for warm and family books about Santa Claus. They were illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé. Goscinny’s position in the comic book environment was strengthened by the later series of comics about Asterix and Obelix, which were created in collaboration with Albert Uderzo. Their comics have gained millions of admirers around the world. Just like the adventures of Santa Claus.
About the movie
René Goscinny is one of the main characters of the animated Santa’s Luck . It is a story full of humor, warmth and life wisdom about the power of friendship, the power of imagination and how to find an inexhaustible source of joy in life. The animation tells the story of Mikołaj, who was born many years ago in Paris and from an early age he drove all adults crazy – teachers, school janitor, neighbors, shopkeepers and beloved parents.
In Mikołajka’s Happiness , fans will have the opportunity to see how it all began. They will find out that it was the boy’s inborn curiosity that made him sneak into the studio of his creators: René Goscinny (in the original version, voiced by Alain Chabat) and Jean-Jacques Sempe (Laurent Lafitte), who decide to tell Mikołaj (Simon Faliu) about their friendship, childhood and how they invented it one day.
The film was shown at the Cannes Festival 2022.
Mikołaj’s happiness will hit theaters in Poland on February 24, 2023.