LABYRINTH OF THE WORLD AND PARADISE OF THE HEART
Series / Animated feature film
The allegorical story of a pilgrim (Oldřich Kaiser) and his two guides Searchall and Dellusion (Jiří Lábus), takes us about 350 years back in time to the astonishing world of the people in the Labyrinth. This is how many years have passed since the death of John Amos Comenius, the author of the book the film is based on, and one of the greatest personalities of Czech and European history. In the role of the Pilgrim, he takes a critical look at various fields of human activities and professions. Although the Pilgrim is often disappointed on his journey, the distressing path eventually leads him to his own heart – the Paradise of the Heart, where he meets God Himself. Through this encounter, the Pilgrim finally finds his inner peace and happiness, and embraces his vocation. He becomes the teacher of the nations.
Like the book, this film draws on powerful autobiographical moments from John Amos Comenius’s turbulent life. It looks at human endeavour with wit and insight, despite the dramatic events of the time.
John Amos Comenius (1592–1670)
is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary personalities of our history. He was literally a Renaissance man – a philosopher, educator, reformer, writer, and thinker who lived in an exciting time on the threshold of the Baroque, at the dawn of modernity. He left his deep mark not only in the Czech lands, but also in Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Holland, and England, thanks to his years in exile. He was ranked as the 4th greatest Czech in the national Czech Television poll. Comenius is to this day still called the ‘teacher of nations’. Although he was struck by severe blows of fate in his life, he retained his deep faith and hope. Many of his works were of fundamental social importance.
His book The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart was his most popular bestseller, and has been published in many translations all over the world in an incredible 123 editions.
Points of interest:
The animated film Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart is a purely Czech work, based on the author’s book. Jiří Lábus and Oldřich Kaiser have masterfully lent their voices to more than 250 diverse characters. We visit about 30 different professions, states, and crafts of the time. In the end, we discover that the times may be changing, but the people are still the same today as they were 350 years ago.
NAME
LABYRINTH OF THE WORLD AND PARADISE OF THE HEART
TECHNOLOGY
2D animation
LANGUAGE
Czech / English
SCREENPLAY/DIRECTION
Adam Parma
GENRE
An adventure movie
STATUS
In distribution
FOOTAGE
24 episodes / 5 minutes
DUBBING
Jiří Lábus, Oldřich Kaiser
TYPE
Animated feature film
TARGET GROUP
12+
PRODUCTION
FILM21 s.r.o. a České studny z.s.
YEAR OF PRODUCTION
2021
LABYRINTH OF THE WORLD AND PARADISE OF THE HEART
IN DISTRIBUTION
Series / Animated feature film
The animated story premiered on Czech Television in 2020 as a 24-part TV series.
The production also included worksheets, which were published on the ČTedu channel, mainly so audiences of pupils and students in schools could reflect on what they had seen. The episodic structure of the series was inspired by the chapter structure of Comenius’s book. In each chapter, the Pilgrim visits a specific state, craft, or profession. However, as creators, we were also drawn to the overall grand story of the Pilgrim and his journey in pursuit of his own happiness. In addition, the book also carries very strong autobiographical elements of the author, John Amos Comenius. Therefore, it was directly suggested to rework the series into one big story.
In March 2022, the feature-length animated film Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart was montaged for the big movie-theatre screens with 5.1 surround sound. The film is currently being distributed in cinemas across the country.
2022
JOIN THE TEAM :)
We are currently looking for opportunities to distribute and release the series or the whole film in other countries outside the Czech Republic. You can now preview 3 episodes that have been translated and dubbed into English. If you are interested or have a distribution offer, please contact us.
2022
MARCH
Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart in Czech cinemas
The feature-length animated film Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart has been released in commercial cinemas across the country.
More info: film-labyrint.cz
2020
NOVEMBER
Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart on Czech Television
The 24-part animated series Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart premiered on Czech TV in November and December 2020.
