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Diplodocus: A 12-year journey concludes with new documentary
Diplo The Mighty Dinosaur © Signature Entertainment
Polish film producer Wojtek Bauszczyk Known to UK audiences as Diplo, he has released a 90-minute making-of documentary exploring the extraordinary 12-year journey behind his animated feature Diplodocus. Mighty Dinosaur.
The documentary follows the film’s development and production, with a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges involved in bringing one of Poland’s most ambitious animated films to the screen.
Inspired by a comic book by a Polish artist. Thaddeus Baranowski, diplodocus It follows a young dinosaur whose world has been erased as he embarks on an adventure through various stories and worlds as he attempts to reunite with his family.
Development began in 2012, but production only began in 2020, with animation underway at Warsaw-based studio Human Film. The film, which combines 3D animation, 2D elements and live action, premiered at Annecy in 2024 and has since been distributed to nearly 100 countries, including a UK theatrical release in September 2025.
last chapter
The release of this documentary has become even more meaningful since Tadeusz Baranowski passed away in July 2026. For Wawszczyk, this represents an opportunity to honor Baranowski’s legacy and share his own 12-year journey. diplodocus close by.
Speaking to Skwigly in a previous interview, Wawszczyk recalled discovering Baranowski’s comics as a child and having a major influence on his creative ambitions.
“I wanted to draw my own comic book, and that’s what I did.”
Reflecting on their relationship, Wawszczyk explains that he knew Baranowski first as a childhood inspiration, then as a creative collaborator, and finally as a close friend. The two stayed in touch throughout and after the film’s production.
“First of all, I knew him as a teacher. I was 6 or 7 years old when I first encountered his comics. As a child, I didn’t understand everything, but I could feel that there was something special about his work. It made me want to create my own stories.”
This making-of documentary, completed in 2026, was produced by editing approximately 100 hours of footage collected during the film development and production stages.
Tomasz Leśniak, Tadeusz Baranowski, Wojtek Wawszczyk with storyboard, 2019 (Image credit: Wojtek Wawszczyk)
The retrospective restores more than 10 minutes of material removed from the theatrical cut, along with the release of a longer director’s cut. Available on region-free DVD and Blu-ray, this release also includes a making-of documentary with English subtitles. The Blu-ray has separate Polish and English versions, and the live-action sequences were also filmed in both languages.
Two publications, The Art of Diplodocus and Storyboard, explore the film’s extensive visual development and are available for purchase through Gildia. The Art of Diplodocus and Storyboard can be purchased separately, and the director’s cut of the film is also available on DVD and Blu-ray through DVDmax.
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Rafał Schubert, Animation Supervisor (2021) (Image source: Wojtek Wawszczyk)
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Storyboard draft by Wojtek (2017) (Image source: Wojtek Wawszczyk)
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Animated Briefing (2022) (Image credit: Wojtek Wawszczyk)
Looking to the future
while diplodocus It marks the end of a chapter in Wawszczyk’s life and he is now turning his attention to a number of new projects. one of these is sock odysseyis a 2D animated feature directed by Tomasz Leśniak, produced using Moho and scheduled for release in 2029, with Wawszczyk serving as script consultant, animatics artist and animation director.
Wawszczyk also wrote his graphic novel Mr. Mr., a surreal autobiographical work published by Fantagraphics in 2022. An animated adaptation of Lightbulb is in development. Having received a screenwriting grant from the Polish Film Institute, he is currently developing the script and visual style together with Leśniak.