Viva Pictures has picked up North American rights to the animated feature Grand Prix of Europe.
The story of the film revolves around Edda, a racing car-obsessed young mouse, who must disguise herself as her idol, Ed, and take his place to compete in the Grand Prix to save her family’s amusement park. The film is a tie-in for the German theme park Europa-Park, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year. The theme park has won the Golden Ticket Award eight times for being the best park worldwide.
Produced by Mack Magic and animated by Mack Animation (Animals United, Monster Family franchises), the film will be released theatrically in North America by Viva in summer 2025, day and date with key European markets including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where Warner Bros. Discovery is distributing.
Voice cast is led by Gemma Arterton and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who are voicing the park’s key mascots Edda and Ed for the first time. Other voices include Hayley Atwell and British comedian Lenny Henry.
“We are happy to work with Timeless Films again on this acquisition,” said Victor Elizalde, CEO of Viva Pictures. “It’s a particularly active period for us as we continue to expand our portfolio with innovative, visually spectacular stories that resonate with all audiences. Grand Prix of Europe not only embodies the spirit of adventure and the joy of following your dreams but does so in a package of humor and high-speed action.”
Michael Mack, CEO of Mack One and eighth-generation family member who runs the theme park business added, “We have been bringing joy to people for over 245 years with rides and attractions that we manufacture and sell all over the world. I am more than happy that Viva is joining our vision, and that people in North America will not only smile at Mack attractions, but also be seeing our film.”
Viva Pictures, which recently launched a two-for-one movie ticket deal for kids, has picked up the pace on releasing family animation cg features in the U.S. This year, it has already theatrically released Dragonkeeper and Epic Tails, with titles like 200% Wolf and Scarygirl coming later this year. It scored a hit last year with The Amazing Maurice, which picked up $4.3 million domestic.
