Kirikou et la sorcière

This was a wonderful movie that should be watched by adults AND children together. The story is perfect metaphor (in the tradition of many fairy tales) for the situation of many African nations and yet is enjoyable as a story in and of itself. The "parental alert" is absurd, though. I would hate for parents to prevent their children from viewing this movie because many of the characters appear partially or wholly nude, as people are traditionally "dressed" in warm/hot regions of the world.

My two girls (aged 5 and 7) have been exposed to plenty of Disney razz-ma-tazz, but this low-key movie nonetheless kept them glued to their seats. A great tale, told with energy, charm and plenty of humour. A guaranteed winner for the 10-and-under set, and a refreshing treat for any parent who normally has to accompany children to dreck like "Inspector Gadget" or "Flu

A beautifully realized animated film about, on a simplistic level, a child, who, by his wits, saves his village from the evil sorceress, Karaba. But it's much more than that, if we pay attention. For the question the child, Kirikou, keeps asking is, "Why is Karaba so mean and evil?" It is the answer to that question, and Kirikou's response, that lifts this film above the ordinary. It also has a great sound track by Youssou N'Dour. Unfortunately, it's not an easy film to find, so if it it ever turns up on a station near you, make sure your VCR is ready.

Kirikou has a joyful feel, despite the harsh oppression of the village by the witch and her various "fetishes". It's the only animated feature I'm aware of based on West African traditions, and it seemed reasonably authentic in its portrayal of the village and its environments - though I don't actually know if it got anything right beyond the baobob tree. It's true that the villagers' breasts are bared, but also worth noting that neither of my kiddos (6 and 8) even commented on it. We had all enjoyed Michael Ocelot's shorts, collected in the Tales of the Night, and at 68 minutes, this film feels like an extended short. The major draw, of course, is Kirikou, whom my son especially found appealing: walking and talking straight from the womb, a fast runner, brave, and wise, and thus celebrated by the villagers in song.

I've always had this idea that popcorn and Coke were added to fill a void that most film storylines leave untouched. That such a void can filled at all, simply by bloating out stomachs with toasted corn and carbonated sugar water, is a subject that might well be worth entering into, another day. "Kirikou et la sorcière" has the spartan charm of so many stories and fables from Africa. It is as if the scarcity of food and water that illustrated in this story - as in so many like it - had, in turn, to be compensated by making the fable rich in wondrous colourful fantasy and highly nourishing in details that describe the frequently comical and pathetic side to human behaviour. The travesty I see is that, while this film is available in German, French and Spanish, puritans in countries like the US and the UK have, once again, determined that - in an effort at sparing depraved censors the discomfort of twitching at the sight of happily naked village kids and their semi naked mothers - my children shall not be allowed to learn about life in cultures other than their own, nor to hear lessons of great wisdom but may, instead, freely view animated violence and large doses of their own recycled high school yarns. Cannibalise cartoon & eat Pokemon!