Michel Ocelot Unveils Immersive 360-Degree Cinematic Experience for French Planetariums

The distinguished master of animation, Michel Ocelot—celebrated globally for his iconic Kirikou series—has officially introduced his newest creative endeavor, a short film titled "Les Lapins Trois-Oreilles" (The Three-Eared Rabbits). This ambitious project was specifically engineered to utilize the high-tech, 360-degree immersive projection systems that are currently installed in planetariums across the French landscape. Ocelot has long been recognized for his enthusiastic adoption of emerging cinematic technologies, and with this new family-friendly production, he seeks to fundamentally refresh and diversify the content offerings available in 75 French planetariums, bringing a new dimension of entertainment to these educational spaces.

This musical cinematic work serves as a deep dive into a meticulously constructed medieval world, employing state-of-the-art audiovisual synchronization to produce a profound sense of presence for the viewer. The storyline centers on the heroic efforts of a young protagonist tasked with saving a princess from the clutches of a power-hungry regent, a narrative arc that is further enhanced by a suite of original musical scores. The technical brilliance of the film lies in its spatial audio distribution and its fluidly changing visual angles; these elements work in tandem to wrap the audience in a seamless environment where the action occurs in every direction, transcending the limits of conventional cinema.

• A twenty-five-minute runtime featuring a medieval narrative and original music.
• Integration of spatial audio to create a fully enveloping soundscape.
• Deployment across 75 specialized planetarium venues throughout France.

The director, who was born on October 27, 1943, has spent decades at the forefront of the animation industry, earning numerous prestigious accolades throughout his journey. In 2022, he was presented with the "Cristal d'honneur" at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, a lifetime achievement award celebrating his enduring impact on the craft. His early innovative spirit was evident as far back as 1980, when his film "The Three Inventors" secured a BAFTA award. Looking ahead, the official premiere of "Les Lapins Trois-Oreilles" is set for February and March of 2026, a period during which the director himself will embark on a tour of various screening halls to participate in meet-and-greet sessions with his audience.

This upcoming release is emblematic of a broader cultural shift that sees planetariums evolving into versatile hubs for full-dome artistic content, moving beyond their traditional role of celestial observation to become stages for immersive audiovisual storytelling. For Ocelot, who was the subject of a comprehensive 2017 biographical study by film critic Olivier Demay, this foray into immersive technology is the logical next step in a career that began with the delicate artistry of paper cutouts. By launching this series of screenings, Ocelot aims to prove that dome-based cinema is a powerful vehicle for the narrative arts, offering a transformative experience that liberates the viewer from the two-dimensional confines of the standard movie screen.