Ballerina (2016 film)

L'Atelier Animation
Industry	Animation
Headquarters	Montreal, Canada

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Ballerina (2016 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025

Ballerina—known as Leap! in the United States—is a 2016 3D animated musical adventure comedy co-directed by Éric Summer and Éric Warin, with a screenplay by Summer, Carol Noble, and Laurent Zeitoun. This joint Canadian-French production is set in France during the 1880s and centers around an orphaned girl who aspires to become a ballerina and secures an audition at the esteemed Paris Opera Ballet school.

The voice cast includes Elle Fanning, Dane DeHaan, Maddie Ziegler, and Carly Rae Jepsen. The film debuted in France and the United Kingdom on 12 December 2016, followed by a Canadian release on 24 February 2017. The American version, released on 25 August 2017, featured new voice actors such as Nat Wolff (replacing DeHaan), Kate McKinnon, and Mel Brooks. Although critical reception was mixed, Ballerina achieved commercial success, earning $109.6 million globally against a production budget of $30 million.

Plot

Set in the 1880s, the story follows eleven-year-old Félicie, an orphan from rural Brittany who dreams of becoming a ballerina despite lacking formal training. She escapes from her orphanage accompanied by Victor, a young inventor who admires her. Upon arriving in Paris, they part ways; Victor takes a job as an office boy at Gustave Eiffel’s workshop while Félicie makes her way to the Paris Opera. After being caught trespassing, she is saved by Odette—a limping cleaner and former prima ballerina—who agrees to guide her.

While assisting Odette, Félicie observes Camille, the daughter of Régine Le Haut, practicing ballet. When Camille insults her and breaks Félicie’s cherished music box, Félicie discovers a letter revealing Camille’s admission to the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet school due to her mother’s influence. Determined to follow her dream, Félicie decides to impersonate Camille.

Despite rigorous training, Félicie joins the ballet school using Camille’s acceptance letter. Mérante, the demanding choreographer, announces that only one student will be selected for the role of Clara in The Nutcracker, eliminating the weakest dancer each day. Félicie steadily improves and narrowly avoids expulsion. Mérante becomes impressed with her dedication after witnessing her dance in a bar. When Félicie's true identity is revealed, Mérante admits Camille but permits Félicie to continue despite the serious breach of rules.

Prior to the final audition, Félicie prioritizes a date with Rudi over practice, disappointing Odette. Victor confronts her out of jealousy, leading to an argument between them. Arriving late and unprepared for the audition, Félicie loses the role of Clara to Camille. Régine sends her back to the orphanage where she loses hope until a dream about her deceased ballerina mother motivates her return to Paris.

Back at the Opera, Félicie challenges Camille to a dance duel witnessed by students, Odette, and Mérante. Félicie’s impressive grand jeté wins their admiration; Camille confesses she dances only under her mother’s pressure while Félicie describes dance as both passion and legacy. Mérante declares that Félicie should perform as Clara.

Near Eiffel’s workshop during the Statue of Liberty’s construction, Félicie invites Victor to attend her performance. Régine attempts to interfere but becomes trapped in scaffolding with assistance from Victor and Camille. Arriving just in time at the Opera, Félicie dons Odette’s special pointe shoes, shares a kiss on Victor’s cheek, and performs as Clara in The Nutcracker alongside the principal ballerina.

Cast

Elle Fanning portrays Félicie
Dane DeHaan plays Victor (replaced by Nat Wolff in the American adaptation)
Carly Rae Jepsen appears as Odette
Maddie Ziegler takes the role of Camille Le Haut
Mel Brooks features solely in the American version as M. Luteau, the orphanage supervisor
Julie Khaner acts as Régine Le Haut, Camille’s mother (in the American edition, this role is voiced by Kate McKinnon)
- (In addition, McKinnon provides voices for the Mother Superior and Félicie’s mother in the U.S. release)
Terrence Scammell lends his voice to Mérante (also the Janitor in the American version)
Bronwen Mantel embodies the Mother Superior, who oversees the orphanage

The French-language edition stars Camille Cottin as Félicie and Malik Bentalha as Victor, debuting in France on December 14, 2016.

Production

The animation was developed at L'Atelier Animation located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The production utilized key frame animation inspired by performances from Aurélie Dupont and Jérémie Bélingard, both acclaimed étoiles of the Paris Opera Ballet. Dupont effectively took on the role of choreographer for the film, guaranteeing that the ballet sequences maintained authenticity throughout.

Music

Gaumont internationally released the soundtrack album on December 12, 2016. It includes original compositions by Klaus Badelt complemented by songs from various artists. Some pieces featured in the movie, such as "Cut to the Feeling" and "Runaways" by Carly Rae Jepsen along with "Suitcase" by Sia, are absent from this album. The Japanese release contains a distinctive closing song titled "Félicies," performed by Tao Tsuchiya, who voices Félicie in Japanese.

Release

The film had its debut at the Mon premier Festival on October 19, 2016, followed by theatrical releases in France and the United Kingdom during December 2016. It was subsequently distributed internationally. In Canada, Entertainment One Films Canada handled distribution with screenings commencing February 24, 2017, in Quebec and expanding nationwide on March 3.

In May 2016, The Weinstein Company secured U.S. distribution rights. Initially planned for a March 3, 2017 release under the title Leap!, it was postponed to April 21 before being delayed again to August 30, ultimately moving forward to August 25, 2017. These schedule adjustments were accompanied by announcements of additional casting.

Box office

Ballerina accumulated roughly US$109.6 million globally. Its French opening on December 14, 2016 attracted over half a million viewers and generated €2.2 million (~US$2.4 million) during its first weekend, eventually amassing $14.5 million at the French box office. In Canada, within thirteen days it earned more than Can$1.5 million—$1.1 million of which came from Quebec—and ultimately grossed Can$3.6 million (~US$2.8 million). The U.S. release on August 25, 2017 brought in $4.7 million during opening weekend and totaled $21.9 million overall, marking it as its highest-earning market.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the original edition holds a 75% approval rating based on 32 critiques with an average score of 5.7/10; reviewers commended its richly detailed environment and animated dance sequences for elevating an enjoyable family-friendly adventure. French review aggregator AlloCiné assigned a score of 3.5/5 from 17 critics. Conversely, the American release titled Leap! received a lower approval rate of 53% from 91 reviews with an average rating of 4.86/10, facing criticism for its uninspired storyline and lackluster animation quality. Metacritic presented a score of 48/100 from 18 critics indicating mixed or average feedback. Nonetheless, audience polling by CinemaScore awarded it an "A" grade.

Melissa Stewart of Insights magazine characterized the film as "a heart-warming adventure" featuring captivating ballet animation alongside themes of perseverance and following one’s passion that resonate widely with both children and adults alike. Mike McCahill from The Guardian praised its appealing visual design and meticulous detail but suggested that increased narrative complexity might have reduced predictability. Matt Zoller Seitz at RogerEbert.com rated it one and a half stars, criticizing clichéd animation techniques and distracting subplots that detract from what could have been a compelling depiction of ballet’s exhilaration and harsh realities.

Accolades

Award event	Category	Nominee	Outcome
45th Annie Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Production Design for an Animated Feature	Florent Masurel, Pierre-Antoine Moelo, Julien Meillard, Jean-Jacques Cournoyer – Leap! – Main Journey	Template:Nom
8th Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Best Original Song in an Animated Film	"Confident" from Leap!, composed by Demi Lovato, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Max Martin, and Savan Kotecha; performed by Demi Lovato	Template:Won

External links

Ballerina at Library and Archives Canada