The Hero Hotel Oakwell
Check in. Things are about to get mystical.
We are absolutely thrilled to introduce this project currently in development at Firlefanz Films: The Hero Hotel Oakwell — a 2D animated mini-series set in the most chaotic, magical, and frankly overbooked hotel in the Bavarian Alps. This one has been brewing for a while, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.
Welcome to the Hero Hotel Oakwell
Hidden high in the Bavarian Alps sits the legendary Hero Hotel Oakwell — a refuge for heroes, warriors and adventurers who come to be pampered, celebrated like rock stars, and equipped with magical gear forged using the mystical power of the mountains.
Behind the scenes though, innkeeper Gretl is quietly dealing with a growing crisis: the magical spring deep in the rock beneath the hotel is no longer flowing with crystalline glacial water. Something black and foul has taken its place, the hero equipment is losing its power, and someone — or something — has broken through the hotel’s protective spell. None of this, of course, can be allowed to reach the guests.
Into this barely-contained chaos stumbles Ariella — a young hero-in-training who has traveled all the way from the distant south, ignoring every warning the locals in the valley had to offer. And the first person she meets at the front desk? Wolfgang. The hotel’s resident good-for-nothing, known to everyone simply as Saulump — a drunk, a layabout, and deeply, vocally unimpressed by the hero guests he’s forced to serve every day. What nobody suspects is that Wolfgang has a very particular connection to the mystical creatures of the mountains. A connection that is about to become everyone’s problem.
Why This Project Means So Much to Us
The Hero Hotel Oakwell is directed, written and designed by Tobias Pinegger — a long-time collaborator who has been part of the Firlefanz orbit since the early days, and someone who brings a deeply personal perspective to this world. Tobias grew up with a profound connection to the Bavarian Alps and its folklore, and this project is his way of bringing that cultural richness to a new generation — one that is growing up increasingly disconnected from it. As he puts it himself:
“I want to remind people what it feels like to live a life connected to wild, untouched nature. The Alpine world has always been imbued with a deep mysticism — I feel it myself whenever I explore the mountains. With this story I want to reignite interest in the fading culture of my home, Bavaria, in the generations that follow.”
Arne, who grew up in Bavaria himself, connects deeply with that impulse. There’s something about the specific texture of Alpine folklore — the Perchten, the mountain spirits, the old rituals — that feels both deeply familiar and genuinely underexplored in animation. The stylistic references of Twin Peaks and Over the Garden Wall give you a sense of the tone we’re going for: atmospheric, layered, funny and unsettling in equal measure, with a serialized narrative that rewards close attention.
For us as a Munich-based studio, telling a story that is rooted so specifically in the world right outside our door feels meaningful. This is our home. These are our mountains. And we think it’s time they got the animated series they deserve.
Where We Are
The Hero Hotel Oakwell is currently in the script development phase. We’re actively looking for international co-production partners, broadcasters, distributors and streaming services who want to come on board for what we believe is going to be something very special.
Project Details
- Format: Mini-series, 26 × 7 minutes
- Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
- Animation Technique: 2D Animation
- Target Group: Young Adult & Adult
- Narrative Style: Horizontal / serialized
- Director, Writer & Design: Tobias Pinegger
- Creative Producer: Arne Hain
- Line Producer: Louis Wick
- Production: Firlefanz Films (DE)
- Status: Development — Script Writing