GKIDS, celebrating its 15th anniversary as a producer and distributor of award-winning and artist-driven animation from around the world, announced today it will bring “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia,” to select theaters nationwide. The film will open September 1st in New York at the Village East, in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Santa Monica and Laemmle Glendale, as well as additional markets nationwide. A full list of markets can be viewed at www.ErnestAndCelestine.com

Co-directed by Jean-Christophe Roger and Julien Chheng, the follow up to the Oscar-nominated “Ernest & Celestine” once again features the famous unlikely duo – this time returning to Ernest’s hometown in Gibberitia. Nominated for Best Animated Feature at France’s 48th César Awards, “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” opened in French theaters in December, and had its US Premiere as the opening night film of the New York International Children’s Film Festival this past March. The film has gone on to play at the San Francisco Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and Chicago Critics Film Festival.

Jean-Christophe Roger, director of the “Ernest & Celestine: The Collection” animated series, returned to the beloved characters as co-director, and is joined by Emmy-nominated co-director Julien Chheng, who previously worked on the original Ernest & Celestine feature as a character animator, and directed “The Spy Dancer” in the latest Star Wars: Visions Volume 2.

GKIDS previously handled United States distribution for Ernest & Celestine, which won the César Award for Best Animated Feature, before going on to earn GKIDS its third Academy Award nomination. Nearly 10 years later, GKIDS is proud to release “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” theatrically in both its original French language and a new English dubbed version. Today, GKIDS revealed the voice cast for the new English language dub.

Synopsis
Ernest and Celestine return in this delightful and joyous follow-up to their first Academy Award®-nominated adventure, which introduced a bear and mouse as the unlikeliest of friends. Ernest remains an ursine troubadour dedicated to a life of music and art, and his constant grouchiness is softened by the creative whims of his mouse friend Celestine. When she accidentally breaks his beloved violin, they must take a long voyage to Ernest’s country of Gibbertia, home to the only artist who can repair it. But when they arrive, they are shocked to discover that all forms of music have been banned in Gibbertia for many years, and a land once known across the world for its incredible musicians has fallen silent. It is up to Ernest and Celestine and their new friends, including a mysterious masked outlaw, to bring music and happiness back to the land of bears.

About GKIDS
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, GKIDS is the producer and distributor of artist-driven and award-winning animation from around the world. The company has scored an astounding 12 Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations with “The Secret of Kells” in 2010, “A Cat in Paris” and “Chico & Rita” in 2012, “Ernest & Celestine” in 2014, “The Tale of The Princess Kaguya” and “Song of the Sea” in 2015, “Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There” in 2016, “My Life as a Zucchini” in 2017, “The Breadwinner” in 2018, Mirai in 2019, and “Wolfwalkers” in 2021. GKIDS handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others; as well as the critically acclaimed television series, “Neon Genesis Evangelion.” Also, GKIDS is the founder and host of Animation Is FIlm, the annual LA-based film festival which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form, and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium to its fullest range of artistic expressions. www.gkids.com

About StudioCanal (a Canal+ Company)
StudioCanal, a 100% affiliate of CANAL+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe’s leader in production, distribution and international sales of feature films and series, operating in all five major European markets – France, United Kingdom, Germany, Benelux and Spain – as well as in Australia and New Zealand. It finances and produces around?30 films per year, distributes around?50 films per year and owns one of the largest film libraries in the world, boasting nearly?7?000 titles?from?60 countries, spanning 100 years of film history. 20 million euros has been invested into the restoration of 700 classic films over the past 5 years. StudioCanal also produces more than?200 hours?of TV series each year at an international level. All productions take place directly through StudioCanal entities or with its award-winning network of European production companies (StudioCanal Series, Lailaps Films, Red Production Company, Urban Myth Films, Bambú Producciones, StudioCanal Original, 2e Bureau, Sunnymarch TV, Sam Productions, Dutch Filmworks).