Review of Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998) by Spencer S — 20 Feb 2009

I watched this film in my French class, and while I did expect something interesting, I was pleasantly surprised by how charming it ended up being. Since this is an animated film it is first and foremost important to remark upon the style of animation.

Really, it is one of the loveliest looking animated films I've seen since "Second Golden Age Disney." The lines and colors are crisp and bright and the interesting aesthetic decision to make the characters appear in silhouette is quite interesting.

Second, the voice acting. The voice acting was very good, I saw it in the original French, so I'm unsure as to the quality of the dubbing, but I'd recommend watching it at least once in the original language- the emotions are much more intense.

The story is also good- a tad folkloric, but all the better for it. The story itself is very "little kid" centric (as it deals with the adventures of a very small child) and the story would undoubtedly empower any little kid in your life.

Of course, there is lots and lots of animated ethnic nudity, but that is a small roadblock when compared with the wonderful sweetness of this film.