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Gretel Redux

This narrative in an animated retelling of Gretel, a dark fable shot on location in the Driftless region of Wisconsin in 2012. This rotoscoped interpretation is a psychological tale about survival and madness, as two young children struggle to make their way out of a vast and threatening wilderness.

  • Thomas Muschitz
    Director
    Gretel, Petty Cash, Destroy All Humans
  • James Barany
    Director
    Aurora, Let the Children Come To Me, My Most Important Self-Portrait
  • Thomas Muschitz
    Writer
    Gretel, Petty Cash, Destroy All Humans
  • James Barany
    Producer
    Aurora, Let the Children Come To Me, My Most Important Self-Portrait
  • Maya Muschitz
    Key Cast
    "Maya"
  • Thomas Muschitz
    Key Cast
    "Thomas"
  • Edy Cullen
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
  • Sean McKenna
    Key Cast
    "Father"
  • Karim Patterson
    Key Cast
    "Doctor"
  • Nikki Farce
    Key Cast
    "Miss Margaret (older Maya)"
  • Anthony Wood
    Key Cast
    "Rudolph Steiner"
  • Tom Crawford
    Key Cast
    "Woodsman"
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Psychological Thriller, Dark Fable, Horror, Rotoscoped, Animation
  • Runtime:
    37 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 26, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Thomas Muschitz, James Barany

Thomas Muschitz and James Barany have a long friendship that goes back to their undergraduate days, when they were both enrolled at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design in the late 80's. Their friendship would continue to blossom over the next several decades. This is just one of their many, many collaborations incorporating their creative love of cinema, performance and narrative.

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Director Statement

Gretel Redux (by James Barany - 2023) is a synoptic, transformative retelling of Gretel (by Thomas Muschitz - 2012). The original Gretel was a feature length dark fable shot entirely on location in the Driftless region of Wisconsin. This new animated and rotoscoped retelling focuses specifically on the psychological tale embedded within the larger story of Gretel. It is about the duality of survival and madness as two young children struggle to make their way out of a vast and threatening wilderness. In many regards this work functions like an exquisite corpse, with both Muschitz and Barany leaving their unapologetic mark for the other.