Königreich der Bären

A (mostly) faithful adaptation of Dino Buzzati's children book (a personal favorite of my childhood) about a bear king leading his people to war to rescue his kidnapped son. The bears face dangerous creatures and the army of a cruel duke, eventually settling down among humans before new conflicts arise.

Visuals are lush, with stark, vibrant colors and great composition; they feel inspired by the works of painter Giorgio de Chirico, with his dreamlike cities and landscapes. While the first act (framing device aside) is almost identical to the book, the second part introduces a few significant differences.

It's pleasantly quaint, although I have to wonder why they felt the need to further simplify such a straightforward tale by removing a couple of supporting characters (the bear detective, the inventor). Still, this beautiful animated movie remains, overall, close to the spirit of Buzzati's novel.

Recommended age: 5 years onwards. There are a couple of monsters, some brief battle scenes, a few bloodless deaths, a bittersweet ending; no profanities or sexuality.

7,5/10