Hannah & The Crocodile

SYNOPSIS

A mean crocodile as a metaphor for eating disorder

When Fien discovers that her sister Hannah is threatened by a vicious crocodile that makes her very skinny and sick, the world is turned upside down. Fien enlists the help of Mom and Dad to join Hannah in defeating the crocodile so that Hannah will make it to her next birthday.

Hannah & The Crocodile is an animated children’s documentary and is based on the true story of Hannah, a 15-year-old girl who has been battling an eating disorder for two years. This mental illness affects her physically, but also mentally. The impact on Hannah’s family is enormous. With great courage, Hannah wants to share her story to support and motivate other children to keep fighting.

Why is this film so important?

Worldwide, about 10% of the population develops an eating disorder during their lifetime. Eating disorders are increasingly common at younger ages.

Yet eating disorders are quite misunderstood. Misconceptions about symptoms, treatment and everything in between make it difficult to support an eating disorder sufferer or a loved one. Eating disorders can cause strong feelings of helplessness and loneliness as a result. Education and content around the topic help break the stigma and make treatment more accessible.

Therefore, it is of high urgency to spread more information on this subject to the general public, and that is what we want to achieve with this film. A film that doesn’t just look bleak and gloomy. But one that shows in a playful and child-friendly way what an eating disorder is, how it takes over your thoughts and what impact it can have on your environment.

Why an animated film?

You enter an imaginative world of paper brought to life by a manual stop-motion technique. A photograph is taken of each minimal movement. All the pictures are placed one after another at a certain pace, causing the brain to register the sequential pictures as a movement.

The animations are based on children’s drawings with a playful and cheerful character. The use of texture, different paper layers and colors, also adds to the visual appeal. The film was shot entirely in Het Peloton’s in-house film and animation studio.

Existing documentaries on this topic often emphasize appearance and weight, so the viewer automatically focuses on that. These documentaries can even be triggering and are not recommended for people who are sensitive to this topic. ‘Hannah & The Crocodile’ offers an accessible alternative for everyone, thanks to the use of animation.

MET THANKS TO

Eetexpert, ANBN, Femke For Life, Primary School de ARK.
The medical team of UZ Leuven, the team and young people of UKJA and House 6, wing K, UPCKUL.
All colleagues of Het Peloton.