On his first night in Ireland, a Nigerian boy escapes unpacking to battle ancient monsters with his fearless neighbour, discovering friendship, imagination, and belonging through shared myth and childhood adventure.
Kevin Marron – Writer/Director
Mobo for me is a story of welcome. Having lived the immigrant experience myself, I want to make sure that those coming to our shores are welcomed and invited to partake in our long history of story and creation, a rich culture with lots of room for everyone.
I know my experience was greatly eased by the warm welcome I received when I got there, whether from those who made the journey before me, or from the locals who extended a hand in friendship. I think when we look out into the world today we can see too many examples of people shutting their doors and turning their backs on immigrants, and I, in my way, want to say hello, welcome, I’m glad you’re here.
Informed by a stay in The Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation in the 90s as part of a cross-border programme that brought together catholics and protestants from across Ulster, as well as people from Nigeria, Rwanda, Bosnia, Romania and beyond, where we ate, drank and told stories from our homes as a means of cultural exchange, I want to tell this story, and invite all who are interested to come play.
Just one of our Céad Míle Fáiltes…
Designing Balor
Macnas’ La Loba 
Macnas’ Crom 
Labryinth’s Ludo 
Ludo Walkaround Suit wtihout Head 
Ekpo Masquerader 
Igbo Masquerader 
Egungun Owi Masquerader 
Visual Artist Àsìkò combined Yoruba Masquerade, and Moko Jumbie Caribbean stilt walking for diasporic populations in London 
Labyrinth’s Hoggle 
Classic Balor 
Armoured Balor 
Our Balor and his back-scratching tree…
When imagining any film creature, my eyes go wide and my mind darts back and forth between so many epic visual treats – from Jim Henson’s work in movies like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, to the spectacle performances of Macnas and their 20ft Crom or La Loba, the sci-fi and horror creatures from the Stan Winston Workshop, as well as to the colourful puppets that came into our living rooms daily with Zig & Zag, and Dustin.
These physical creatures have delighted me for decades and still do, so I’m excited to have an opportunity to create a creature film of my own. Finding the right balance for a youth audience is key, and I believe that is most closely aligned with the creatures of Labyrinth. The scale of Ludo the giant, paired with the facial features of Hoggle, offer a large but soft-edged Balor that can be thrilling without being scary.
With this in mind, we see Balor as a “walkaround suit” creature. Built as a lightweight structure, a performer will operate him from inside, performing simple lumbering movements that imply scale but not danger. Working with Paul McDonnell, whose work includes the wooden man from Oddity and many of Macnas’ creations, we have the opportunity to create a captivating and inspiring creature for audiences to remember for years to come…
Poster Design
Fantasy with a toned down Balor
Our final image is a return to V2 while toning down the sense of danger – giving Balor more clothes, hair, and an iris and pupil. The fantasy adventure feeling of an 80s cinema poster really just pulls me in and makes me want to press play!
V1 – Dark and dangerous
The first design was built from the core storyline of two child warriors hunting a cyclops in a mystical woodland and it led to a super dynamic but dark image and not the feel of the film we’re making.
V2 – Fantasy Elements
Looking to classic 80’s fantasy adventure films, this was much more what I wanted – though Balor was much too aggressive!
V3 – Science-Fiction
Focusing on the nighttime aspect injected a sci-fi feel to the kids adventure – but the blue overtone and white lights from the sky were definitely a move away from the original vision.
V4 – Graphic Depiction
Version 4 was a hard pivot and a decision to try an anime vibe. An exciting image that really pops and gives a sense of the adventure – but it’s not what we’re making.
V5 – Bring On The Dark
A minor adjustment to see the style in a night setting, I knew with the first version that an animation-style poster gave a false impression and wasn’t true to the film.
V6 – German/Soviet Film
Exploring early cinema of the 20s and 30s, I was eager to see what German Expressionism or Soviet/Socialist Realism might offer. This isn’t Mobo, but one day I might make whatever it is.
V7 – Horror Comics and Novels
A move to printed material, and a horror comic/graphic novel concept was way too much. The black and white and blood all over being totally inappropriate for the film we’re making.
V8 – Classic Horror
Before wrapping up, we took a stab at classic horror movie imagery. Building out a solo character poster of Balor led to an outer glow and cutout with the kids hunting in the background. Bringing back the glowing eye makes for a super little kids horror concept – but again, not the film we’re making!
Thank you
Contact us for more information: Rachel@12ptPictures.com