Review of Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998) by Mark D — 20 Oct 2007

Everyone's gonna hate me for this, but this film is honestly overrated. Its popularilty stems more from the novelty of being one of the few movies based on African folklore than what it is for being a great movie.

Don't get me wrong, the story itself is good. It centers around a newborn boy named Kirikou who is best described as a messiah figure; from birth he can already walk and talk and possesses profound wisdom. And like any messiah worth his weigh in gold, Kirikou has to deliver his people from the clutches of an evil sorceress who has turned all the village males into her servants and who punishes all those who oppose her.

This is all fair and good, but the style is boring with bad, muffled dialogue, animation that ranges from excellent and fluid to rigid and simple, and an overall dull atmosphere.

In the end it really doesn't do the story justice, but is still none the less a good effort, and a testament to the fact that there's a massive well of excellent African stories out there waiting to be exploited by all the Disney-wannabes of the world.