The Other Side of Animation 320: Mars Express Review

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you appreciate what I do, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keep the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you enjoy this review!)

Sci-fi is a very expansive genre in storytelling that you can tell pretty much any kind of story for any kind of audience that you want. Why do you think we are still getting projects based in the Star Wars and Star Trek universe outside of the obvious fact that they tend to make their rights holders a lot of money?  You can be action-packed, you can be filled to the brim with horror, you can be a deep methodical exploration of humanity and life, you can be rip-roaring comedies filling the silent expanses of space with laughter, and you get the idea. When you think of animation and sci-fi, you probably think of some groundbreaking films like Ghost in the Shell and Akira. Not that there are no animated sci-fi films anymore, because that sure as heck isn’t true, but there was a feeling and a vibe I have been missing from this genre in animation, and thankfully, we found a new bonafide animated sci-fi classic and a real deal hidden gem of 2024, Mars Express. 

Directed by Jérémie Périn, written by Jérémie Périn and Laurent Sarfati, and produced by Everybody on Deck. We follow a detective named Aline Ruby, dubbed by Morla Gorrondona. Along with her android partner Carlos Rivera, dubbed by Josh Keaton, they capture a hacker named Roberta Williams, dubbed by Sarah Hollis, only to find out that for some reason her criminal alibi has been wiped clean. After the frustrating factor of losing a case, Aline and Carlos are sent on another investigation to find another hacker who may have found a way to jailbreak robots. Can the two find out what is exactly going on? 

You may look at the trailer and think this might be a French Ghost in the Shell, and if you love films like Ex Machina and Blade Runner, then you will probably love this movie’s tone, and style. Honestly, I very much prefer the story and experience of this film over the three films listed here. Like, I don’t hate them, because I very much love them, but hear me out. A recent trend I have seen a lot of sci-fi stories being told in films and shows is how many recent releases have been very quiet, methodical, and cold to viewers. It’s not like there aren’t reasons for doing so, but how many more times do we need to see more folks just standing idly by looking cold and distant into some moral quandary brought upon them due to the relationship between humans, life, and technology? It’s funny because much of this film is about humanity, identity, sexuality, relationships between humans and technology, commentary against capitalism, and how big mega corporations only think of the bottom line instead of the lives of the folks who work under them.

It plays out more like a sci-fi action thriller than a sci-fi drama like Ad Astra. It has all of the normal traditional sci-fi story beats outside of aliens, but instead of being dower and distant, it’s got more energy and personality in its DNA. Aline Ruby has way more in common with detectives and cops in films like Speed and Die Hard than anything close to someone like Harrison Ford or Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner. She is flawed, and revels in it while also being funny, snarky, bitter, and caring. Carlos isn’t just a cold robot as while his whole identity is being an android, he has anger issues, but still has feelings and cares about his ex-wife and his daughter. It does have its moments where it takes time to look at thematic commentary, but the fact it moves at a faster pace than most keeps it exciting with what they will find out next and have those moments where they show you the eerie unknown of both space and the unknown of things to come with what’s going on with robots becoming more aware and sentient. It’s a sci-fi film that has more fun with itself than most and the action set pieces are all exciting. While the big third-act fight with a bio-organic tank-like thing is similar to the third-act fight in Ghost in the Shell, it feels more action-based with how it not only has our two leads trying to avoid getting killed by it, but also the guards that protect the person who may or may not be in charge of what’s going on. While it plays out like a two-hour thriller, it’s only 85 minutes. It’s amazing how much pacing and compelling characters can make any runtime work. 

This film’s animation is a mix of 2D and CGI, and if you love the visual look of films like The Summit of the Gods, then you will be down for the designs here. They all have proper weight as you feel the characters run, fight, and even down to the more minute expressions resulting in this film’s animation looking amazing. The fact our lead has more expression than most sci-fi protagonists is a refreshing change of pace. I know some naive animation fans want characters with more detail, but that doesn’t mean a better project. What works out more than anything outside of the writing of course are appealing designs. I’ve seen the film in its original language and its English dub, and both are wonderful. Whether it’s Lea Drucker or Morla Gorrondona as the lead, you really can’t go wrong with either one. The marvelous techno soundtrack by composers Avril and Phillipe Monthaye has some incredible beats that go along the mystery and action angles of the film. 

Mars Express is a new classic journey into sci-fi. It might venture through some familiar beats, but it’s a refreshing and exciting execution of said story beats. Everyone is fine with familiar elements as long as the story, characters, and action are well executed. It’s an out-of-this-world experience that deserves all the support and viewers it can get. Luckily, the Blu-ray will be coming out soon so if you didn’t see this wonderful film in theaters, you will be able to see it soon on digital and own it physically. If you love Ghost in the Shell, Ex Machina, or Blade Runner, but want a little more kick to your film, you will very much fall head over heels for this movie. 

Rating: Essential

My Animation is Film Predictions: Annecy Edition

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you appreciate what I do, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keep the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you enjoy this list!)

The Annecy Film Festival has revealed its official lineup, Contrechamp lineup, and its Event and Annecy Presents screenings. I honestly had no idea what was coming out this year in the world of overseas animation, because so many of these productions take years to get done and are in various states of finished or in production. It always makes me excited to see what we get here, because not only do we see some truly lovely pieces of animated art, it is also an indication of what we could see at my favorite film festival, Animation is Film. It can come down to a case of me putting on a Sherlock Holmes or for anime fans, Sherlock Hound costume and seeing what will be coming to the amazing California-based Animation is Film Festival. I’ll also be sharing some thoughts on other recent foreign animation announcements. Here are my thoughts! 

What Will Probably Show Up There

• Ghost Cat Anzu
• The Colors Within
• The Most Precious of Cargoes
• Memoir of a Snail 
• Wild
• Totto Chan: The Little Girl at the Window
• The new Wallace and Gromit Movie

Why These?: For me, these are the films I think will be the biggest gets for Animation is Film. I chose these due to them either already having distributors like Ghost Cat Anzu and The Colors Within, showing up at festivals before Annecy like The Most Precious of Cargoes competing at Cannes, and or the directors themselves. Who wouldn’t want to see a brand new stop-motion film from Mary and Max director Adam Elliot (his new film is Memoir of a Snail) or the new film by the director of Oscar-nominated My Life as a Zucchini that’s called Wild, Claude Barras? Some of these also seem like easy choices like the fact the new Wallace and Gromit film being previewed at Annecy will show up at Animation is Film for Netflix to advertise what will probably be their big award contender for the Oscars and The Annies alongside The Imaginary and Ultraman: Rising. Totto Chan has been a fairly quiet film that has been getting hype the more folks have discovered its existence. I know many would probably guess The Imaginary from Studio Ponoc would be here, but since they are releasing it onto the service on July 5th, they won’t be showing it off here. It’s a shame because it would look amazing on the big screen, but Netflix has a weird hate/love relationship with the theatrical experience. 

What Will Hopefully Show Up There

• Chang’an
• The Storm

Why These?: No Animation is Film is without some amazing and vibrant looks at the world of the animation scene from China, and they tend to usually have films from Lightchasers Animation with Chang’an being an obvious fit for the festival. Granted, it’s three hours long, but hey, as long as it’s paced well, the runtime doesn’t matter. It would be a cool change of pace to see a three-hour animated feature film get a release at the festival. I also think The Storm has a chance due to its vibrant 2D animation and its connections with the director’s previous film, Da Hu Fa aka The Guardian. It would be a great case to keep showing how fantastic the Chinese animation scene has become and hope that both films get brought over. 

What Might Show Up There

• A Boat in the Garden
• Rock Bottom
• Flow
• Gill
• The Glassworker 
• The Wild Robot Preview?
• Moana 2 preview
• Elio Preview?
• The Umbrella Fairy

Why These?: While Animation is Film is one of the most beautiful ways to see a fantastic world of art that anyone can get into and hopefully partake in, the fact is that they are going to choose what they can and will only pick out the best of the best for this festival. A Boat in the Garden is by the famed director Jean Francois Laguionie, but his previous film didn’t show up at Animation is Film so it’s a real 50/50 chance that it may or may not be. Flow from Gints Zilbalodis who made the Annecy-winning Away could make it, but since Flow didn’t make it to Animation is Film 2019, who knows if this one will as well. Sometimes South Korean animation shows up at Animation is Film, but it’s not frequent and Gill could make it, depending on the reception it gets at Annecy. The Glassworker might get some push due to how it’s Pakistan’s first 2D animated film and that would be fun to see and receive the support it could get. It depends on what the reception and where they would put it in the runtime. As for the big studio previews, we know they will have a preview for Moana 2, because Disney always has an animated film preview there at the festival. I know The Wild Robot is probably coming out at the end of September, but do we even think that’s gonna happen? This film’s trailer was one of the biggest hits of the year, and yet I feel like it might get pushed back into November/December due to the animation strike, if studios decided to play stupid again like they did last year. But if that happens, we could see a preview of it. We might see a preview of Elio from Pixar. I don’t think we will, but who knows? The Umbrella Fairy is one of the newest animated films from China and it has some stylish visuals that look amazing, but with how random and inconsistent the US distributors are with bringing over films from China, who knows if we will get this one. 

With all that said, all of these are just predictions, and who knows what will show up. I’m sure I am right about the ones that are going to be there, but I could also be wrong. It’s up in the air and depends on what contracts get signed and delivered for Animation is Film to get their line-up for the festival. Either way, I think all of these will be good movies, and I can’t wait to see what will show up at the festival. As always, I hope they announce it sooner than a month out from the festival. 

The Other Side of Animation 316: Robot Dreams Review

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you appreciate what I do, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keep the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you enjoy this review!)

When it comes to the festival circuit that takes place during the first three quarters of the year, so many films begin their salmon-like journey through the festival scene, and when normal folks finally get to see the film, you don’t quite know how anyone and everyone reacts. Reviewing films during a festival run at one of the major festivals sets you up with a different vibe than seeing the film in a normal theatrical viewing experience. You have high expectations that a lot of movies are going to be all classics and new masterpieces in the making. Well, while a lot of good movies come through the festival circuit, sometimes the hype isn’t worth it, and some films are, simply put, not good. It becomes this “tournament of champions” style elimination bracket of what film goes through the festival circuit and gets more and more hype or suffers the consequences of being released to the public and dying on the vine. Some films enter the theater scene after one festival release, and sometimes that works. It’s up in the air as to what is going to connect with critics and audience goers. Sometimes it is obvious, but when you get down to the finals of the film festival journey, you find something so special and distinct that it not only hits it out of the park, but hits you in the deepest part of your emotions and soul. That’s how I felt with Robot Dreams. 

Directed and written by Pablo Berger, this film is based on the comic of the same name by Sara Varon. We follow the life of a dog living in New York City in the 80s. Feeling alone in his life, he sees an ad on the TV for a robot buddy. He orders it, builds him, and the robot comes to life, with the two becoming the best of friends. The question is though how long will they stay friends? Will they be able to overcome everything in their way? 

With this film, you will notice that there is no spoken dialogue and no voice cast. If you are not familiar with animated films with no or limited dialogue, you should check out The Triplets of Belleville and/or The Illusionist to get an idea of what you will be watching. Everything is relayed through visual storytelling and the reactions and actions made by the characters we follow. This was one of the films that rose to the top of the festival hype circuit when it showed up at Cannes, Annecy, and Animation is Film. It gained acclaim, won film prizes, and then was picked up by the distributor Neon. It’s a real shame that Neon decided to questionably release this film two months after the Oscars and not before or at the very least, in April, due to how very few animated films and family films there are this year and will probably be the same next year, with the upcoming animation strike that we should all support. So, what made this film stand out? Despite its cutesy art style and how it looks like it would be a typical family film, this is anything but typical. What we get here is a film all about friendships. It ventures through every avenue about them.

It starts us off with how lonely our main character is and how everyone yearns for the need for friendship and connection. Once we see the friendship form between the robot and the dog, we watch how connected they become. When we get to the middle part of the film, we start to see the reality of how many friendships unfold as our two leads are separated from one another. While that bond may be there, the distance with which they are separated becomes bigger. They start to grow disconnected, and move on to new friendships and bonds. For a film with such an unassuming art style that many will probably find “childish” and “simple”, it is anything but that. With no dialogue and a 102-minute runtime, we have a movie that is more in-depth and complex than most live-action films that come out of the film industry. It hones in on the most important details about relationships, and uses those bits to bring in some emotionally powerful moments. The moment you pick up that something has changed in the vibe of the relationships is truly when the film shines, and how sad yet poetic and beautiful the journey of connection can be. That’s a good way to describe this film, it’s sad, but it’s also beautifully poetic. It might be more art-driven with how it tells its story and will have some very abstract and heartbreaking moments, but it is by far and away one of the most recent films that talks about a highly universal and incredibly relatable part of life. Most films wish they could capture the emotional depth this film has with its story about a dog and robot’s friendship. 

The animation is quite pleasant to look at. It has a case of more modern animation approaches with the round designs, but that doesn’t really matter. Animation fans need to indulge and embrace different art styles, and cease wanting everyone to do what Richard Williams did with his work in animation. The art style doesn’t hold back the tone or mood for which the film is going. It is playful and it is fluid in its animation. It has personality in each of the designs. A goal to keep in mind with character design is that you can tell what the character is doing or what their character is all about through their design and movements. Luckily, this film passes with flying colors in that department, due to how it isn’t held back by dialogue and voice work. You get everything you need to know about our two leads, and even the background characters are full of life and personality in their designs. The music is fantastic with a wonderful score by Alfonso De Villaonga that captures New York in such stunning accuracy with its composition. With all that said, the way the film uses Earth Wind and Fire’s September in two very different points makes the emotional core of this film even more effective. It can be such an upbeat song, but you then listen to the lyrics, and how it’s used at the end makes for one of the most perfect scenes from any film from last year. If you can find any interviews with the director, he talked about this when I saw this film at Animation is Film and he was such a swell guy. 

Robot Dreams is a beautifully woven tale of friendships past, present, and future, where we gain and lose those bonds that we make along our journey through life. You might have lost friends or loved ones from past relationships, but that doesn’t mean you won’t move on to make new ones. With a dialogue-less script, almost cruelly placed bits of dark comedy, and a lot of pure unbridled beauty in the visual storytelling, Robot Dreams is one of those film festival flicks that is worth the hype from start to finish. I wish Neon was able to put the film out sooner than later in May of this year, but if you can find a way to watch it, please do. It’s such a splendid and perfect movie that shows you the power of not only filmmaking, but animation. Animation can be so gripping and effective as a medium that I wish more folks would treat it with respect rather than dismissiveness. Hopefully Neon keeps distributing animated films and they can find a way to be more timely with their distributions. 

Rating: Essential.

The Other Side of Animation 315: Kensuke’s Kingdom

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you appreciate what I do, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keep the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you enjoy this review!)

One of the things you need to seriously understand is that a lot of the cool 2D animated stuff coming out of the rest of the world takes a very long time to come out here. You might say that didn’t stop Disney during the 90s, but Disney was essentially working on two films at around the same time, and when one was done, they would be on their way to greenlighting another one or beginning the production of another one. They also had a small army of animators and studios full of talented and trained 2D animators. These days, while there are small indie studios and plenty of folks who can do 2D animation, we are simply not in the same spot as we were in the 90s and 2000s. There is a reason why so many of these productions have a handful of production company logos in front of the movie, why some of them are collaborations between two different countries, and why you will see a pitch for the film, and then nothing about it for years until they just pop up out of the blue at Annecy and hopefully, Animation is Film and other festivals. It makes being hyped for these films difficult, when you don’t exactly know how long it’s gonna take to get these films made or if they get made at all. It’s a shame, because then you see that the film is now finished and yet you may not have a way to see it unless you go to the festival where it’s playing. A fantastic example of this kind of film that takes a good long while to get made and then becomes tough to see is a film I have been waiting for and following for years, Kensuke’s Kingdom. 

This film is directed by Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry, written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, and is based on the book of the same name by author Michael Morpurgo. We follow a young boy named Michael, voiced by Aaron McGregor. He is on a boat with his family, which includes his mother and father, voiced by Sally Hawkins and Cillian Murphy, and sister Becky, voiced by Raffey Cassidy. One night as he tries to save his dog as the boat is going through a serious storm, Michael and the dog are swept off the boat and end up as castaways on an island. They then find out that they are not alone on the island when they meet an old man named Kensuke, voiced by Ken Watanabe. As the two bond, Michael finds a means to live, grow new bonds, and survive. 

This story and film feel like they were from the era of the 80s and 90s animated fare that cropped up to either overshadow Disney or compete against them. No, it isn’t trying to feel hip or use its stacked cast to pull you into the world this film brings you. It has the vibe of an animated film where the team knew this story didn’t need to talk down to its audience and rather let the visuals and quieter moments push the story forward. There aren’t any pop songs or references thrown in for the sake of appealing to a mass audience. While Michael can be a bit bland, the story focuses more on his growth as he learns to love and care for the wildlife and nature of the island alongside Kensuke. Kensuke also gets some focus as he learns to connect with Michael as a means to heal from the loss of his family from the past and share his bond with the orangutans with Michael. One of the strongest moments in the film is when Michael interacts with Kensuke as he watches the old man paint an illustration of his wife and son while finding out what happened and how Kensuke got there. It’s all done with a beautiful watercolor/ink visual style that tells you everything with its minimalist style, and the moment when you see ink drop onto the page representing the bomb on Nagasaki was both gorgeous to watch in motion and emotionally powerful.

Michael and Kensuke’s bond is great, and I only wish the film was a little longer so we can see more of that bond or we got to the island sooner, since Michael’s family is used more as an ignition point and some foundation for the latter story beats, like when we learn about Kensuke’s family. It’s funny watching this after Cillian Murphy won his Oscar and seeing some other big names like Sally Hawkins, Raffey Cassidy, and Ken Watanabe, but don’t expect to see Cillian, Sally, and Raffey’s characters for a ton of the runtime outside of the first 13 or so minutes. They do show up at the end, but the actors that get the most spotlight are Ken Watanabe and Aaron MacGregor. Not that it’s a bad thing, but you know how people reacted when we saw Bryan Cranston and Sally Hawkins in the Legendary Godzilla films. The only major conflict is when a group of poachers hunt the animals in the jungle. This is where we see how the film really cements how important family, connection, and life are. They don’t even let the leads go into a rescue mission or anything. It’s just a slice of the rough relationship that humans have with nature, and how we are willing to abuse nature for our own gain. Now, I did look up some details from the original book, and while I am sad we didn’t see the epilogue of the story due to how it abruptly ends, the story is still strong. 

There is no denying the fact that Kensuke’s Kingdom is a beautiful 2D journey in filmmaking. The 2D animation on display is gorgeous. The movements carry a lot of naturalistic weight to how these characters maneuver around the environments. The thing that may throw off some folks are the visuals used for the environments. They look nice and atmospheric, but you can tell they took real-life photos of jungle environments and then placed the 2D animation onto the photo-like environments. That being said, they don’t look bad, and you have absolutely seen this decision and artistic choice done before in films like Words that Bubble Up Like Soda Pop. It just looks a little distracting compared to the beautiful 2D human and animal designs. It doesn’t break the film, since the vibe and tone are still strong, but every once in a while, the environments stick out to me. The voice cast is good, but Cillian Murphy and Sally Hawkins don’t add much to the parent characters, and Michael and Kensuke’s actors, Ken Watanabe and Aaron MacGregor have to carry a lot of the film’s performances on their shoulders. It’s one of the few times where having big names added nothing to the story. Stuart Hancock is the composer for this film. He brings in tunes that mix tragedy, connection, family, whimsy, and love into some beautiful adventurous tunes. The music used during Kensuke’s history reveal and the montage with Michael and Kensuke are the strongest musical moments. 

Kensuke’s Kingdom is a film that starts off a bit unassuming and slow, but when the emotional core shows up, it becomes a truly distinct adventure into the world of animation. The wait was worth it due to how this results in a film that is described as a quiet beauty. Sadly, it’s one of those great animated films that is nowhere near ready for a US release, due to not having a distributor attached to it in the States. Obviously, that doesn’t mean the end of the world since a lot of folks love importing things. As of writing this review, it’s a shame that there is no real way for folks to watch this film, and we all assume some distributor is going to want to have “Oscar Winner Cillian Murphy” on their Blu-ray cover. Even then, I want people to see films like this, because they need bigger audiences and more support. Animation fans seem to want stuff like this, but then don’t always do any of the leg work in looking for and watching these movies. Anyway, Kensuke’s Kingdom is a touching human journey that you should definitely watch when you can find an avenue to see it. 

Rating: Go See It!

The Other Side of Animation 313: Chicken for Linda Review

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you appreciate what I do, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keep the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you enjoy this review!)

I have been partaking in the New York International Children’s Film Festival right now, and many of the films will be up for the review lineup. Boy howdy, do we have a slew of animated features that show how creative and vast the animation landscape can be. There was a notion among animation fans that more detailed character designs and animation meant it would objectively be better than something more simple or abstract. That is simply not the case, since one thing animation fans don’t seem to get is that more detail doesn’t instantly mean better quality. With how vibrant you can be with the medium of storytelling, why would you think there should be only one way for a film to look or tell its story? One of the most visually stunning films was 2017’s The Girl Without Hands by Sébastien Laudenbach. The incredible visuals for that film were able to tell you everything while looking minimalist. It helped tell the dark Grimms-style fairytale, and that stood out more than some films with intricate designs that take forever to animate. It’s not 100% better, but it completes its goal with flying colors. Well, lucky for us, Sébastien is back with director Chiara Malta with their newest film, Chicken for Linda.

Chicken for Linda! is written and directed by Sébastien Laudenbach and Chiara Malta. We follow the story of a young girl and her struggling single mother. They are named Linda and Paulette. They have been by themselves for a few years now after the passing of Paulette’s husband/Linda’s father. Tensions rise when Paulette and Linda argue over the disappearance of Paulette’s ring. After the fight results with Linda getting hit and taken to Paulette’s sister’s place, the ring is found as the result of a misunderstanding. Paullete apologizes to Linda, and she decides to do anything for her daughter. What Linda wants is a special dish of chicken and peppers that she remembers her father making. What this results in is a wild and vibrant journey of finding the chicken for the dish that will bring peace between the two of them. Sadly, this is all happening while a strike is happening, and things escalate from there. 

When describing this film about a mother and daughter trying to get a chicken and how antics unravel, it sounds like a terrible 90s family film that we got back then where they were insulting and obnoxious to the audience that went to see them. Thankfully, this is not the case here. Sure, it sounds silly and it can be fairly comedic with the dialogue, musical numbers, and sequences of trying to kill the chicken itself. With all that said, the film is not truly about the chicken. Like, it is about making the chicken dish, but it’s not really about the chicken dish. It’s more about what the chicken dish means to Linda. A dish can just be a dish, but the memories attached to a certain dish are what matters, and that is where we are with Linda. Other than this dish, she doesn’t have any memories of her father before he passed away. It’s the same thing for Paulette and the ring. It’s not just a fancy ring that she wanted to wear to go out for a night on the town. It’s the ring that her husband gave her, and she didn’t want it to be taken anywhere. The film has multiple dramatic layers under all the character interactions. Whether it be the kids working together to get the ingredients to help make the dish, the tension with the officer trying to do his job and failing to understand the misunderstandings, the delivery driver and the mother, and the background strike going on and how it visually parallels with what happens at the apartment complex/neighborhood in which the majority of the film takes place. The way the film handles the metaphorical idea of memories and what they represent gives this film a complex in-depth view on life and how something as simple as a chicken and pepper dish can bring people together. This is the power of animated storytelling, where you can take such a simple premise and make it as complex as the most endearing drama. It also helps that its comedy is more subdued, with some old-school physical comedy and dialogue bits that come from all of the different characters as they grow and change or even bond during the film. This film finds a way to make familial drama captivating and engaging. Whether it’s between the two adult sisters or the children trying to capture the chicken, or how the other adults react to the situation, it’s a movie with more substance than most award-season flicks. 

Once again, the director returns with the same visual style that he used in his previous film with this one. The painted line work and empty designs lead to striking visuals, and the way the animators use the line work to express emotions and the mood of the film. Everyone has a distinct color, and when the film wants to express something like say, breathing, the lines thin out and then become thicker. The contrast between colors, the chicken looking like a little ball of lines from afar, and the downright gorgeous shots of how they tackle what memories look like inside our minds make this one of the prime examples of animation being a wonder and miracle of a medium for storytelling. You could probably try to make this film in live-action, but even the most pristine shot compositions of this story would look less than what we have here. The acting gets a passing grade all around. I love the grounded dialogue and the chemistry between the actors. They act like they all have a history with one another. Clotilde Hesme as Paulette and Melinee Leclrec as Linda have some great back and forth interactions, and feel like a real deal mother and daughter. You only get connections like this from certain directors like Chris Sanders, who can capture that feeling of a mother-daughter bond. The overall soundtrack composed by Clement Ducol is very vibe-heavy and it works due to how it perfectly fits the mood of the scene from the quiet and somber tunes when Linda and Paulette are reconciling with each other to the more antic-driven chase to get the chicken. The musical numbers do a good job getting into the head spaces of certain characters, but I would say they are the weakest part of the overall movie. Still, you will get a laugh at the one based around candy and the stress Paulette’s sister has about her antics. 

Chicken for Linda! is the primo stuff when it comes to high-quality animation. Not only do you have a visually striking look to the overall presentation, but a real commitment to a script that brings these characters to life and grounds them in the most believable of ways. A true victorious triumph in animation that everyone should go see when this film gets a release on April 5th in the states. If you have some way to watch this film, then please do. It’s a truly monumental feat in animation to get experiences like this. Hopefully we can see more of them in the future. 

Rating: Essential 

The Other Side of Animation 308: The Inventor Review

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you would like, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keep the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you like this review!)

2022 was a magical year for stop-motion, due to how diverse and unique the stop-motion experiences were. We got some stellar work that we will probably not see again until the industry gets its nonsense together and starts greenlighting more stop-motion features. Not every one of them needs to be on the grand scale of some of the films like Mad God or PInocchio. Not every production process is going to fit every project. That doesn’t mean these creative teams don’t want to make compelling stories, good writing, memorable characters, and so on. It’s just the fact that one production pipeline worked for one team and/or studio and won’t work for the other. All that people want is good storytelling and experiences. That means we should support and root for better working conditions and what would lead to the healthiest production pipeline for everyone involved. That way, we can get stuff like the crowd-funded hit, The Inventor. 

Directed and written by Jim Capobianco, we follow the famed artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci, voiced by Stephen Fry. After being sick and tired of the Pope, voiced by Matt Barry, and his antics of him wanting to make war machines for him and not any of his other inventions and art that could help the people, Da Vinci decides to embark to France at the request of Francis I and hopefully continue his journey through the world of art and science. 

This film is coming out during a time period where it feels like there is a struggle between the artists and creatives having to deal with their benefactor or, in this case, the people high up in the studio. You can feel the frustration of an artist dealing with a society that does not get or understand what they are doing throughout this film, with DaVinci getting his more artistic and philosophical endeavors blocked by whoever was offering him residency. Whether it was the Pope or the King of France, they wanted Leonardo to cater to their needs, while his true passions were kicked to the sidelines. You can definitely see the underlying theme of artist vs. benefactor. Sometimes, that relationship can result in something fantastic, but many times, it’s trying to meet down the middle. Still, this film also tackles themes of anti-war, due to how it keeps the detail of how most, if not all, of DaVinci’s “war” weapons were basically useless. It portrays any person in power either as a bitter individual or an angry temper tantrum-throwing child. Our main character just wants to explore the world of art, and how his inventions could help mankind. He also does a lot of introspective soul-searching. He seeks to see how the human body both literally and figuratively works, as he tries to find the answers to his questions about life, all this while avoiding a shadowy entity that threatens his progress. There are antagonistic forces, but what is interesting is how they approach both people in power. The Pope, and the film taking jabs at religious zealots in general, is hot-headed and can’t be reasoned with. The King of France? He has good intentions but he also wants to show how big and threatening he can be. He loses track of what drives him, and it takes until the end of the movie to show him. Not that this is one of those “morally gray, but no one is truly evil” -like movies, but it is nice to see a film take a stance for what it supports and what it is against. I don’t agree that the film is struggling to pick an audience that it wants to see. It has enough silly moments to keep kids entertained, but it offers a more substantial story for adults to follow about what it is that makes art and human existence worthwhile. It’s not Waking Life or Ghost in the Shell where the entire appeal is watching characters wax poetically about life and what that entails. The only real part of the more family-friendly aspects of the film that don’t quite work are the musical numbers. The overall score by Alex Marcel is great, but like Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, you won’t find yourself singing or humming the tunes to the musical moments anytime soon. They almost feel out of place, due to how the film isn’t really a musical. Still, this film has a bit of everything for all ages. 

The stop-motion animation has a real old-school charm to its visual look. It might not go the distance of something like Wendell & Wild or Pinocchio, but the fun part about having so many recent stop-motion features and specials is how they are all different. The more simple designs led to charming designs and were really able to capture that feeling and spirit of Rankin Bass. It has a few different art styles like the default stop-motion look, a cute isometric look, and on occasion when DaVinci is exploring the human body and mind, some amazing 2D animation that was helmed by folks like Tomm Moore and HeFang Wei. Whatever it lacks in scope, it absolutely makes up for in personality and appeal. It’s also a lovely movie to look at with its bright visual palette, and when it hits those 2D moments, desaturated browns match the famous artist’s sketches. The cast is another highlight. Stephen Fry as DaVinci brings a cozy warm hug to the role as the famed artist. Matt Berry as the Pope is delightful and hammy, and Daisy Ridley brings another tough gal alive. The rest of the cast includes the always-fun-to-see Marion Cotillard, Natalie Palamides, Gauthier Battoue, John Gilkey, Angelino Sandri, Daniel Swan, Max Baumgarten, Ben Stranahan, Jane Osborn, and even the director/writer himself Jim Capobioanco shows up. It helps to have a vibrant cast due to how this film is one of the funniest films of the year with its sharp dialogue. 

The Inventor feels like a long-lost spiritual follow-up to the Rankin-Bass stop-motion animated films that have been a part of many childhood VHS collections. It’s geared more towards families, but the story of pursuing the mysteries of the universe, the world in which we live, and the human soul and what makes it tick is a message everyone can get behind. It’s a super charming film that can be enjoyed by audiences big and small who have a love of creativity and a mind that’s full of wonder and excitement of discovery. Definitely give it a watch when you can, and give your support to a truly fantastic gem of animation in 2023.

Rating: Go See It!

The Other Side of Animation 294: Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be Review

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you would like, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keep the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you like this review!)

Nostalgia is a hot commodity right now in the world of media and art. People love to remember the films and shows that they watched back in the day when they were kids. Being able to relive the memories from back then has its charm, but there is a downside to it all. You know once something is popular, you see companies and studios want to capitalize on it. We get re-releases of games, shows, legacy sequels to said shows and films, and after a bit, it loses its appeal. Remember for a few years in the late 2000s and early 2010s when retro gaming was popular? Sure it’s still around, but when that fad died, it died hard. Nostalgia has now become sort of a, well, toxic might not be the correct word, but it has had more of a negative lens when you see something that is from the past brought back up again. Not because there is a new direction to take said IP, but because it’s a safe bet that makes money. It sucks, because there are a few IP-driven films that just so happen to have the right creatives and teams to tackle it in a way that doesn’t make you feel like you are being sold an advertisement. It happens, and it’s sad we can’t always have this happen. Because if we did, we could get something like Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be. 

This film is directed by Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre. It’s written by Anne Goscinny, Michel Fessler, Benjamin Massoubre, Rene Goscinny, and Jean-Jacques Sempe. Obviously, it’s based on the comic by Rene Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempe. The story follows the two creators meeting up one day for a relaxing lunch and figuring out what to do next for their work together. They end up crafting a story about a little boy and his life with his family, classmates, and everything that you would think revolves around the life of a little boy. And that boy’s name? Nicholas. The story then unravels into a mixture of both Nicholas stories being told by the two, and the two creators recollecting about their own childhood. 

What’s truly and absolutely refreshing about this film is how it’s a biopic, but it isn’t a traditional biopic that you see around award season. This isn’t watching the two creators of the comic start from the very bottom to the top. It has the story beats of the two finding a comic/character to work off of, the personal drama, but you never see it as a typically produced film of this type. Normally we have their humble or rough beginnings, their rise to popularity, their downward spiral, and either a happy ending, a sad ending, or a sort of happy ending that’s only happy due to how the filmmakers crafted it when it really isn’t that happy. What we have here is a film that isn’t really interested in telling a condensed story of their lives. It’s nice, since we have seen so many of these films pop up during award season, and they aren’t all that great or interesting. It’s like watching anime recap films when we already saw the story told as a TV series. 

With this film, the main goal was to tell a story about the two creators, Rene and Jean-Jacques, and the two of them recollecting their own childhoods while weaving actual stories from the Little Nicholas comics, and how they connect to how the characters were feeling at the time. It actually lets the creators be actual people, and while this is a mostly positive and happy-vibed film, it doesn’t shy away from sharing the backgrounds of both creators, and they are handled with tact and respect. Just because there are some dark elements, it doesn’t mean the film needs to go all in on the visuals and make for a stressful watch. You can also see the connection between the stories that Little Nicholas has as means of expressing what childhood was like in their mind or what they wanted or wished their childhood would be. It’s a very down-to-earth film with how the story unfolds and how the comic-based stories are revealed. It results in some truly wonderful moments, hilarious comedic sequences, and heartwarming and heartbreaking moments in the comics and real-life parts. What works about the comic and real-life parts and when they mix together is how the children act like real honest-to-goodness children. They can be chaotic, loud, excitable, nervous, petty, energetic, selfish, obnoxious, unreliable, and happy. The way the creators talk to Nicholas is fascinating to see them open up about their own happiness, memories, and struggles, and see how Nicholas responds to them. It’s a film that not only respects the source material, but also respects the creators and shows how human everyone is. 

The animation is a delightful combination of joy and whimsy. It reminds me of the flashback sequences of Only Yesterday mixed with the visual flair of Ernest & Celestine. The soft watercolor tones and the line work feel like they were filled in after the colors were put in place. There is a faint fog of memory when it comes to the comic sequences and the memories from the two men. If you love the animation from Ernest & Celestine or Benjamin Renner’s The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales, then you will love what they did with this film. Even the two different designs of the humans and the comic characters never feel out of place. The fact you see Nicholas with the two men together and they don’t have contrasting designs really makes the world this film draws/paints feel alive and lived in. Sure, the comic world is more cartoonish, but it’s not like the “real” world doesn’t have its own cartoony moments. That’s the beauty of animation. You can do all of this without it being distracting. The music is gorgeous and is composed by Ludovic Bource who also did the music for films like The Artist. It brings an old-school Hollywood tone to the overarching composition and it helps that the main theme of the film is inspired by and uses a song from Ray Ventura and The Collegians called Qu’est-ce qu’on Attend. The voice cast also does a stellar job with the two men being voiced by Alain Chabat, Laurent Lafitte, and the iconic Nicholas being voiced by Simon Faliu. 

Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be is, simply put, a wondrous ball of delight. It captures the feelings of childhood, memories, friendships, and kindness, and wraps it all up with a bow made of incredible 2D animation. This film set out to find its own way to obtain happiness and it did so with flying colors with it being a faithful adaptation of the comics, but also of the legacy of the two men who brought this iconic series to life. Unfortunately, there is no real way to watch this film unless you saw it during its big festival run, and without knowing when it will hit VOD or even get a physical release, it’s tough to know when and where to watch it, which sucks! This is one of the best films from 2022 that knew how to handle and approach nostalgia better than a few of the big award hopefuls that we will see duke it out at the Oscars. Well, either way, whoever gives it a proper physical release or a digital release should make sure everyone sees it because it’s just that darn good. Now then, next time, we will talk about yet another festival film that won me over last year, and I am hoping it gets a proper US release with Titina. 

Rating: Essential

The Other Side of Animation 249: Flee Review

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you would like, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keeps the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you like this review!)

Heads up: I was able to watch this film via a screener sent to me from Neon. I got no other form of monetization other than the screener. Thank you Neon for this opportunity.

When you watch the film festival scene, there are always going to be films that take up the spotlight. It doesn’t matter if the end product is actually well received outside of film festival circles, once they catch the hype bug, the hype doesn’t stop, no matter what films they compete against in any other festivals in which they are played. It’s a shame, because it does seem like film festival reactions tend to skew the reactions of the film, and once it shows up in one festival and wins the main prize, it’s going to do so over and over again until it gets its full non-festival release. It even happens if a lot of the films were better received outside the festival circuit. Anyway, this isn’t an editorial talking about the dread and nauseous issues with film festival reactions, but instead about one of the films that have swept awards left and right as it journeys across state and country lines to become one of the biggest films of 2021, Flee. 

Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, this story follows Amin Nawabi, who tells his recently untold history of fleeing Afghanistan to Denmark as a refugee. The documentary and interview follow the challenges, the scares, the life-changing moments, and the journey of who he is throughout the voyage. 

Let’s talk about the film’s animation first. This has been a real contingent point for viewers and critics about how the animation is not up to par with other animated films. Yes, the film’s animated visuals are mostly higher quality animatics for the movements with fewer frames and some are very much just storyboard stills. If you had to compare it to another film’s animation style, it’s similar to how Josep executed its visuals.That’s why many prefer it as a documentary rather than an animated film. Honestly, the animation has such an atmosphere and is drenched in such emotional vibes that it works more in its favor than if it had something akin or similar to a more traditional 2D animated feature. People seem to forget that many of these projects from overseas don’t always get the biggest budgets. Plus, if the visuals still give you the intended mood, then who cares if it doesn’t have super crisp Akira-style animation. The acting is pretty solid, but the best parts are where Amin is talking with the interviewer or his boyfriend about the story, and it has a lot of shades of the Story Corp discussions since those are all animated shorts and stories about people with a story that is important to them. 

Plus, this is a dark story. The fact that all of this stuff about people just struggling to survive from war and violence is still going on today. It’s a film that really gives you a reset about what you are dealing with as you watch our lead’s journey and the hoops they had to jump through, the horrors that they have seen, the violence, and you get the idea. The story even follows the aftermath of his journey and the psychological and emotional turmoil that has affected his relationships and his current mindset. It’s a documentary that has a more human side to the overall story, and it reminds you that the people who are dealing with these horrific incidents and their journey for safety are human. It’s a story that hits hard, due to everything that is going on these past few years. 

While the hype for this film is mostly worth it, the film itself would have been great even without the hype from its many wins during the festival circuit. It’s a powerful and intimate journey through one person’s survival and the experience that led him to become the person he is now. It’s an extremely touching film that whenever Neon decides to expand its wide release, everyone should go watch it. It’s not the flashiest animation-wise, and you will definitely feel uneasy about the world and how some of these horrific events happen, but sometimes, you just need a good dose of reality and to remember that this is going on in the real world and beyond your TV screens. Now then, next time, we are going to talk about the Netflix mini-series, The House. 

Thanks for reading the review! I hope you all enjoyed reading it! If you would like to support my work, make sure to share it out, and if you want to become a Patreon supporter, then you can go to patreon.com/camseyeview. I will see you all next time!

Rating: Go See It!

My Journey Through Annecy 2021

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you would like, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keeps the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you like this Editorial!)

What can I say about the Annecy 2021 Online experience? Well, it was a mixed bag. While I can overall say I had a good time, their move to being both an online and in-person event is what dragged it down for the online customers. Sorry, I don’t have the time or money to spend on going to France during a pandemic. It was a real botched attempt to satisfy the people who could go in person and the people from around the world who wanted to attend. It had some great elements to it, but I would also argue it didn’t do enough for people who wanted to experience it online. Here are my pros and cons of what I took away from the festival 

Pro: WIP section was fruitful and interesting! 

As with last year, my favorite part of the festival was watching the work-in-progress panels. I loved seeing what films were getting made and how they were tackling the animation process. It’s so cool to get these behind-the-scenes looks at animation production because otherwise, not many people get to see this side of animation. Granted, some of them were in French, so it was a disappointment to watch and not understand parts. A few of them also didn’t seem to have a whole lot done. It made me wonder if these are part “Here is what we are making” and part “We are showing off what we have made so far to look for funding”. That’s not a bad thing, but I think I always want to see films that I can check out sooner than later, but that’s just me. I wish the ones in French all had subtitles or a different making-of video for online viewers so they don’t have to wait to watch them when they are finally dubbed or subbed. 

Favorite Panels: The House, Maya & The Three, Princess Dragon, Little Nicholas, Unicorn Wars, The Peasant, Fena: Pirate Princess, Robin Robin, Perlimps, Nayola.

Con: None of the feature films were watchable online! 

I think this was the biggest issue, as while it was an issue last year, at least last year’s Online experience let you watch some films that were competing. I know and I get that there is a lot of legal and copyright stuff that kept some of these films out of the online portion of last year’s event, but since some of the films in competition waltzed right in with distributors, like Deer King got picked up by GKIDS and Viva Kids picked up Ape Star, why wouldn’t they be a part of the online part of the festival? I know last year’s batch of watchable films were mostly films with no real widespread value or appeal, but they decided this year that none of them were going to be watchable! I’m sure ya had to be there to see films like Snotty Boy or Mount Fuji Seen From a Train, which didn’t look like an animated film at all! The worst part is that they promised three films were going to be watchable online, but they just never showed up. You could watch the shorts and two old films from 1979 and 1981, but that was it. What is the point of having an online form of the festival when the online viewers can’t watch the features?! It doesn’t help either that Animation is Film 2021 was announced during Annecy, and will (for now) have an in-person and virtual experience with none of the hiccups that Annecy keeps having. Also, Animation First and the NYICFF had films that were fully watchable online! I don’t understand why they are so stingy outside of the obvious legal stuff, but if they aren’t going to have some feature films watchable online in an online version of the festival, then I would rather not participate at all. I was lucky to get a screener for one film, but that was it. Please, Annecy, I beg of you to make the films watchable online for online viewers next time! 

Pro: Bubble Bath is a trippy film! 

Well, of the two older animated features they had to offer to the online viewers, I was excited to see Bubble Bath. This was a 1979 Hungarian film that had one of the wildest character designs and animation style out of any animated film from back then and even now. It was a film that said, “going off-model is the entire point.” It was also a musical, and while I don’t remember the songs, I thought it was charming! The story was decent enough, but I think the wild visuals and the story got lost within said visuals. Still, it was an experience I rather enjoyed, and once I see it become available in the US, I will buy a copy of the film. 

Con: A majority of the French Annecy panels did not have subtitles on them! 

Listen, I would love to have all of the time in the world to learn other languages, and I know there are plenty of ways to learn said languages, but when a good chunk of the online viewers are from the US, well, I would just assume not everyone can speak or knows French. They have said the panels will get translated subtitles or dubs, but it makes me wish they did subtitle videos like they did last year. I could generally get what they were talking about, but fully getting it would have made some of them better experiences. 

Pro: The Inu-Oh Preview. 

One of the highlights was seeing the first five minutes of Masaaki Yuasa’s new film, and boy, was it a ride. With the beautiful animation, the different tone, and the character designs, it’s always exciting to see what Yuasa and his team have come up with next. I’m sad this will be his last film for a while since he’s going to be on break, but if the rest of the film was as good as these first five minutes, then I can’t wait to see how the rest of the film unfolds.

Con: Should have had more previews! 

I loved the Inu-Oh preview and admired the unknown horrors we will be stepping into with Space Jam: A New Legacy, but those were the only two? You couldn’t do previews of the films that were being shown off or upcoming films? What about the ones that were premiering there as screenings like Luck Favors Nikuko? I don’t know, it reeks of the online consumers not having a proper experience, while the in-person stuff got all of the love and support. 

Pro: The Panels were a lifesaver

Seeing the Netflix, Ron’s Gone Wrong, and other informational animation panels were a nice addition to the Work-in-Progress panels. Being able to see new shows and upcoming films for services like Netflix was fun! 

Favorite Panels: The Netflix ones and Ron’s Gone Wrong. 

Con: There needed to be more for the online attendees than just the shorts

Let’s be really frank here, the online viewers got the short end of the stick. The shorts were great! The panels were great! However, that was it. Again, I get that they wanted to focus on the in-person event, but if you aren’t going to offer an equal experience to the online filmgoers, then maybe don’t do an online experience. I still enjoyed my time at Annecy, but I want Annecy to do better. I want to talk about more of these films that everyone might want to know about, but when you don’t give me access to them, well, I don’t know if I can get the word out and maybe drum up some attention.

Thanks for reading the review! I hope you all enjoyed reading it! If you would like to support my work, make sure to share it out, and if you want to become a Patreon supporter, then you can go to patreon.com/camseyeview. I will see you all next time!

The Other Side of Animation 223: Lamya’s Poem Review

Heads Up!: I was able to view this early with a screener. Thank you, WestEnd FIlms!

(If you like what you see, you can go to camseyeview.biz to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. If you would like, consider contributing to my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. It would help support my work, and keeps the website up. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you like this review!)

For some reason, I have seen film snobs act as though there can only be one kind of story. If you have already told this story, then you can’t have a story set in the same place or time. I guess these snobs forgot that every story ever made is built upon or around a familiar story beat. In terms of animation, this seems to happen a lot. For example, for two years straight, we had three different bigfoot/yeti animated films. A lot of this is timing and coincidence, and what helped about those three films was the fact that each of them had a different setting and story. Not everyone has the same story, and you shouldn’t be gatekeeping what stories get told, because it may sound familiar to another film that already exists. If we thought like this, we wouldn’t have had Babe when Disney already put out Gordy. I say this because today’s film will probably be interesting to people who have seen Cartoon Saloon’s The Breadwinner and The Swallows of Kabul. Today’s review is of the Annecy In Competition film, Lamya’s Poem. 

Directed by Alexander Kronemer and produced by PIP Animation Services and the production company Lamya’s Poem, this film was previously revealed to be in last year’s Work in Progress section of the Annecy International Film Festival. It then came back with a vengeance for this year’s Annecy In Competition Section. Does this film have a chance in the competition section against Lion Dance Boy, Poupelle of Chimney Town, Josee, the Tiger, and the Fish, The Deer King, My Sunny Maad, The Crossing, Hayop Ka!, Jiang Ziya, Snotty Boy, The Ape Star, and Flee? Well, let’s open up that poetry book and find out. 

The story revolves around a young girl named Lamya, voiced by Millie Davis. She lives in Aleppo with her mother, and the two of them live in fear of getting caught in the civil war happening in their country. One day, Lamya gets a special book from her teacher by a known poet named Rumi. The story then splits off into telling the origin of Rumi, voiced by Mena Massoud, who, along with his father, try to survive and avoid the grasp of an evil army that has wrecked their town. The film combines the stories of both Rumi and Lamya and has a load of spiritual and symbolic elements. Can Rumi find inner peace? Can Lamya and her mother avoid becoming victims caught in the crossfire of the civil war? 

What’s inspiring about this film is its tone. It may be animated, and while I wouldn’t say it’s as adult as The Breadwinner and The Swallows of Kabul, it still tells a story about survival, connection, and finding peace among the different people in this world. It’s a film that is aimed more at older kids, teenagers, and adults. I respect that so much because I still remember a time when studios would try to take a Disney approach to talk about stories and settings that are a touch dark for normal viewers, but then fails because the tone doesn’t work. Even when Disney tried this, they failed. This film doesn’t go as far as The Swallows of Kabul, but it doesn’t shy away from the horrors and troubles Lamya and her people go through. I am also a sucker for stories that intertwine the main characters and parallels the real events the leads are going through. It’s also a fairly quiet film that lets the characters breathe and let the actions from the story up to that point unfold. I wish more animated features were able to take a moment to let things settle down. 

The animation for this film is interesting. it reminds me of a mixture of how it is executed in hit shows like Archer, but with the art direction and visual style of a children’s book. That’s not a bad thing since it has a distinct visual style that makes it stand out from the other films. It does mix some CGI elements in, but for what it’s worth, the 2D and CGI are mixed well. The voice work is also pretty good! I enjoyed the performances of three of the actors Mena Massoud, Millie Davis, and Faran Tahir. I thought they put in some fairly compelling performances. It was also just nice to see Mena Massoud again since I thought he was the best part about that 2019 Aladdin remake. The music by composer Christopher Willis is probably one of the best aspects of the visual and audio presentation. It’s big in scale and brought an emotional note to the overarching story and the conflict that is intertwined within the stories told in this movie. 

If I had to complain about something, it’s that I think some of the sequences in the film would have been better if the animation was a touch more dynamic. While I don’t make the comparison to Archer as a bad thing, it has some of the same problems as Archer due to how stiff the characters can be. Some of the more intense and dramatic moments would have looked better if there were more dynamic poses. Maybe they couldn’t due to the time and limitation of the talent and budget they had, but it pulled me out of the moment at times. Some performances of the side characters felt wonky and not as good as the main performances. I was also a touch confused about when the stories decided to intertwine and I think it came down to pacing and when they would pop up. 

Even if you may like some films like the ones mentioned above more, I’m glad films like Lamya’s Poem exists. I think it’s important to tell stories that aren’t the typical animated fare. Animation is such a fantastic medium to tell stories, and this film proves it. It’s why I’m in love with film festivals like Annecy, because we get to see stories, good or bad, told through animation. Now then, let’s move back to something more familiar with Pixar’s newest feature LUCA.

Thanks for reading the review! I hope you all enjoyed reading it! If you would like to support my work, make sure to share it out, and if you want to become a Patreon supporter, then you can go to patreon.com/camseyeview. I will see you all next time!

Rating: Go See It!