THE CHILDISH FILM FESTIVAL AT M-SPIFF APRIL 1-16, 2005
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF FRENCH ANIMATIONA salute to the ardently independent french animation studios
--dedicated to the art of old-style animation.
- RAINING CATS AND FROGS [Age 5+ ]
- BLACK MOR'S ISLAND [Age 9+ ]
- PRINCES AND PRINCESSES [All ages ]
(Jacques Remy Girerd, 2003, France, 35mm w/subtitles, 90min.)
Recommended for Age 5+
Lili’s parents have gone to Africa for the summer, while she spends the summer with her friend Tom and his grandparents at their animal park in the south of France. Soon they are warned by the frogs of an impending flood. Grandpa, an inventive former sea captain, builds an Ark so the children and the animals may all weather the storm. Once aboard, tensions start, and those lower down on the food chain grow nervous. Lili and Tom must keep the peace amidst nonstop comically anthropomorphic situations. This truly wild tale is widely loved for its beautifully drawn animation and celebrated as the first completely-French produced animated feature in nearly three decades. Winner, Adult Jury Prize for Best Animated Feature Film, 2004 Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
preceded by THE PIPSQUEAK PRINCE
(Zoia Trofimova, 2002, France, 35mm, 7 min.)
A little prince finds a mysterious spot on the sun.
BLACK MOR’S ISLAND
(Jean-François Laguionie, 2003, France, 35mm w/subtitles, 85 min.)
Recommended for Age 9+
“The Kid” is a young teen-aged boy from Cornwall who escapes his orphanage to follow the legendary pirate Black Mor on a high seas adventure. Beginning in Cornwall, 1803, BLACK MOR’S ISLAND is a romantic, salty, coming of age pirate movie. In the end, Kid’s treasure is true love—more worthy than gold. The rich visual story and animation style from French director Laguionie has been compared to Totoro meets Tin Tin, and is reminiscent of the recent TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE.
preceded by CIRCUIT MARINE (Isabelle Favez, 2003, France/Canada, 35mm, 8 min.) A comic animated piece about a pirate and his pets, produced by Jean-François Laguionie.
THE CHILDREN’S THEATRE COMPANY
6pm Activities and Snacks in the Lobby
7pm Screening
Children’s Theatre Company actors will perform the character voices live on stage to accompany this beautiful animated feature...
PRINCES AND PRINCESSES
(Michel Ocelot, France, 2000, DVD w/subtitles, 70 min.)
A magical and spectacular feature film by Michel Ocelot (KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS), using silhouette animation to tell six stories from around the world. Two children dream up the scenarios in an abandoned theatre, and create time-travel costume plays about remarkable Princes and Princesses—set in faraway places like Egypt and Japan.
preceded by HAMLET
(Anya Rose, 2002, USA, Beta, 8 min.)
A short animated version of Shakespeare’s classic.