SNORRI 4D Wins Best Short Film at Giffoni Film Festival

What happens when about 250 kindergarten-age children decide which animated films deserve to win? At the renowned Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, the popular Europa-Park and Rulantica star Snorri found out—and took home a major prize. The animated short film “SNORRI 4D – Catch Me If You Candy” was named Best Short Film in the “Elements +3” category. For MACK Magic, MACK One, and Europa-Park, it is the first international film award—and a very special recognition from the film’s most important audience.

The award was decided by a festival jury of about 250 kindergarten children. That means “SNORRI 4D” was crowned the winner directly by its most important target audience. A total of 31 international animated short films competed in the “Elements +3” category. The jury praised the entry as a charming and humorous 3D animated film: with plenty of wit, it tells the story of the little blue Sixtopus who tirelessly tries to reach his goal. The jurors particularly highlighted that the film lovingly captures the explorer spirit of childhood and shows how even the smallest adventures help us better understand ourselves, others, and the world.

Michael Mack, CEO of MACK One, managing partner of Europa-Park, and producer of “SNORRI 4D,” welcomes the international recognition: “The fact that ‘SNORRI 4D’ was recognized by an international children’s jury—and at an award abroad—is a very special honor for us. Snorri stands for curiosity, humor, and imagination. The decision of the young jurors shows that his stories inspire far beyond the boundaries of the Europa-Park Resort. For the first time, we brought French film expertise onto the team with director Thierry Marchand to bring even more European creativity into our films. It is therefore our first German-French production. My thanks go to him and the entire team at MACK One, MACK Magic, and MACK Animation, who brought this loving film adventure to life with great passion.”

The Giffoni Film Festival was founded in 1971 by Claudio Gubitosi and is now among the most important international film festivals for children and young people. A distinctive feature is that young people themselves evaluate the submitted films and decide the winners of the various competition categories. At the 56th edition, held from July 17 to 25, 2026, more than 5,000 jury members from 35 countries came together. The official competition featured 104 productions, including 42 feature films and 62 short films.

Since the start of the season in March 2026, it has been “cast off!” for Rulantica star Snorri: for the first time, the Sixtopus conquers the big cinema screen and takes center stage in a heartwarming underwater short film that delights the whole family. The animated film impresses with humor and striking 4D special effects. Viewers dive deep into the mystical island of Rulantica and its mysterious underwater world and encounter its inhabitants in a completely new and unprecedented way. The director is Thierry Marchand, who was Oscar-nominated for the short film “Oktapodi.” The orchestral music was recorded at Berlin’s Teldex Studios and composed especially by Hendrik Schwarzer.

“SNORRI 4D” was produced by Michael Mack, CEO of MACK One, managing partner of Europa-Park, and founder of MACK Magic. The production was created under the leadership of Tobias Mundinger and the MACK Magic team at the studios of the in-house animation house MACK Animation in Hanover. With the Giffoni Award, Snorri now celebrates a major success not only at the Europa-Park Resort but also on the international cinema screen—proving that curiosity, humor, and imagination connect generations and cross borders.