La Queue de la Souris

This short film employs a very unique style of animation, using what looks like a jumble of cut-out shapes (weirdly like South Park) as silhouettes. I love how the lion grows out of the landscape and is completely black apart from its threatening eyes, claws and teeth.


La Queue de la Souris from Reineke on Vimeo.

Le Roi et l'oiseau (The King and the Mocking Bird)

I had no idea what I was in for when a friend of mine introduced to me this French animation movie. It is one of the most enchanting pieces of film I have seen in a long while.

Explaining the plot in too much detail would probably ruin it, particularly because it has quite a few subplots, but it's basically a sort of dark interpretation of a fairystory about a nefarious and self-absorbed king, and what happens when he starts to lose control over the running of his castle.

Le Roi et l'oiseau also has an interesting backstory: the film's production originally began in 1948, but the animation team ran out of money; it was eventually finished over thirty years later in 1980. Consequently the film has a curious combination of Disney-esque cartoon characters set against the grand, ornately painted backdrop of a lofty castle and citadel in the middle of a vast desert.

You kind of have to watch it at least twice though, because the first time I saw it I was so hypnotised by the beauty of the drawings and the use of the French language that I failed to see how deeply political and allegorical the film actually is (well, it started being made in 1948 - what do you expect!) It is a charming and captivating movie, which I thoroughly recommend.

Here's the film's IMDB page, and you can watch the whole thing for free on YouTube with English subtitles here.

Other spellbinding animations you should really check out:

Mary and Max

Belleville Rendez-vous

Spirited Away

and of course, The Emperor's New Groove (for a bit of fun).