Brazil’s ‘Lino 3D’ Is Picking Up Foreign Sales, But Will It Be Released In The U.S.?

Lino 3D, a quirky-looking animated feature from Brazil, is picking up healthy sales to foreign countries at American Film Market, which is currently taking place in Santa Monica, California.

The latest deal, according to Variety, is for a theatrical release in Mexico, where it will open on 450 screens through Dark Side Distribution.

Here’s the trailer for the Rafael Ribas-directed comedy-adventure about Lino, a children’s birthday party entertainer who can’t stand performing as a cat anymore, and who ends up being transformed by a clumsy wizard into the thing he hates most: his cat costume.

Brazilian studio Start Anima produced the film with backing from Fox International Productions.

The movie’s sales agent Filmsharks International has also closed deals with Smart Media (German-speaking Europe), Paycom Media (Spain), BF Paris (Argentina), and Vista Entertainment (Central America). Previously closed licensing deals include Sony (Italy), Programstore (France), Big Film (Russia/CIS), and Hammer Pictures (South Korea). In all, over 50 territories have been sold, making the project a standout success within the growing Brazilian feature animation industry.

Variety also reported that deals with the U.S. and China are in “very advanced discussions.”

Lino was released theatrically in Brazil in September 2017, where it grossed $1.1 million. Its second biggest market to date is Russia, which delievered $966,900 earlier this year.