Oscar-nominated 'Loving Vincent' brings van Gogh paintings to life

LOS ANGELES -- Oscar-nominated "Loving Vincent" is not your typical animated movie.

It's basically an oil painting come to life, created in the style of Vincent van Gogh, considered one of the greatest painters of all time.

In fact, it took 65,000 oil-painted frames to make the film.

"I mean, there hasn't been anything like this in animation," said Hugh Welchman, the co-director and co-writer of the film. "We really wanted to let people know they're in a different world now. It's the world of Vincent van Gogh, it's the world of his paintings, and we bring them to life to tell the story of his mysterious death."

They do that with the help of some talented actors behind all the paint, including "Lady Bird" star and fellow Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan.

"We always wanted her so, you know, we've been making this film for seven years and, from the very beginning, my wife, Dorota, who's the main writer and director on the film, she was like, 'I want Saoirse Ronan to play Margaret,' and so that was just a given," said Welchman. "We just had to get her, and we did."

Welchman says the actors were all excited about being re-imagined as van Gogh paintings. The fact the film hit a chord with audiences and Oscar voters was just icing on the cake.

"We're partly here because of audiences," said Welchman. "I mean, you know, over five million people went to see the film worldwide. It's already the most successful Polish film of all time in terms of box office, and we really just had no idea how people would response to seeing a film which is basically a painting coming to life."