April and the Extraordinary World

"Avril and the extraordinary world" was presented before the official release at the Anim'est international animation festival in Bucharest. I went to see it after a brief look at parts of the official trailer, without knowing anything about the cast, cartoonist, director and the plot in general. I have to say that it was a magnificent movie, reminding me of some classic Disney style hand crafted animation that I used to love when I was a child. It is beautifully drawn and looks without any flaws. The story takes place in an alternative universe, where some modern inventions where never discovered or made available for the advancement of our societies. This makes you question how would the world look like if we have never used electricity or petrol in our daily lives. And the movie answers a lot of these questions. The plot keeps you for most of the movie engaged and in some small parts at the edge of your seat. The comic release character, a talking cat with the name of Darwin was instantly liked by all people present at the screening, adults and children together. His comments of various situations in the movie proved to be very effective, bringing smiles and laughter all around.

Avril's Extraordinary world is an alternative time line in which Napoleon V rules France and the scientist that help built the foundations of technology are missing, forcing the world into a steam punk setting, and Avril a young scientist herself has the key to our future.

It's animated quite beautifully. I'm a huge fan of steam punk and I love seeing the design all over the movie. I also like the style of 3D animation blended with computer generated images. It's always a welcome change to see this other than the world we live in right now that is dominated by 3D animation.

It was a great adventure film, filed with character and characters that were smart and funny, and accessible to everyone.

Good watch.

After attempting to watch some light movies with hope that they will be entertaining and stumbling only upon terribly bad or plain offensive stuff, I had the pleasant surprise to try April and the Extraordinary World, a French/Belgian/Canadian animation. Don't worry, it has both French and English soundtracks which were actually both good. The animation is pure 2D, the story is steampunk dystopian alternate history and it feels fresh, although it is firmly rooted in twentieth century sci-fi. I enjoyed it a lot!

The one negative thing that I have to say is about the English translation of the title. The French one refers a "rigged" or "fake" world and it evokes the kind of steam powered mechanical world that the story is about. The English title evokes just a little girl in a fantasy world, which is NOT what this film is about. I think a better choice of words for the English translation would have benefitted the movie.

Now, the story is about a world where all important scientists disappear and the remaining ones are shanghaied by authorities to build weapons, therefore technology stagnates at the level of coal power. Somehow, a family of scientists are the cause and the salvation for this situation and we follow April, a girl who tries everything to continue her parents' work, while being followed by both authorities and a mysterious power. I don't want to spoil it. Enough to say that the animation is good, in that artistic sense where it is not perfect, but it is hand drawn and very expressive, the story is captivating and very human, with social commentary that is both powerful and subtle.

Bottom line: I think kids would enjoy this as well, but I feel adults would understand it better. It was refreshing and entertaining.

"Steampunk is ... a joyous fantasy of the past, allowing us to revel in a nostalgia for what never was. It is a literary playground for adventure, spectacle, drama, escapism and exploration. But most of all it is fun!" George Mann

April and the Extraordinary World is an animated French adventure for the whole family (I recommend about 8 years and older) reminiscent of the fantastic 'toons of Hayao Miyazaki (think of Howl's Moving Castle). Leading us through an alternate steampunk history of modern France, April (voice of Marion Cotillard) is a little girl whose scientist parents in 1941 were abducted by the "Empire" to advance the cause, in this case by creating an immortality drug.

With her charming talking cat(a product of the scientists' experiments), April spends her youth confronting malevolent forces like a driven policeman (Javert anyone?), a roguish boy, and nature itself. Not one moment of the 1 hr 45 min is wasted; each is crafted under the expert direction of Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci for maximum adventure and humanity (for example, love may be blooming and Grandpa Pops is feistier than ever).

The graphics as well are outstanding in the steampunk visual style with the omnipresent steam and pipes, furtive surveillance rodents, bicycle-powered blimps, and suspended trolleys, among some of the creative expressions. Although great advances such as the use of electricity and oil have not been discovered, the above-mentioned steam objects awe April as she navigates this alternate universe of coal and wood.

Conservationists shouldn't despair, for there are numerous references to the need to use coal, for instance, responsibly—already coughs are in the ambient sound. The suggestion that without the invention and use of atomic energy and fossil fuel, the world could have been stuck in an ecological disaster is an intriguingly benign take on modern energy.

The extraordinary April and the Extraordinary World is nothing if not an invitation for girls to follow their dreams and create as their talents demand. For all children it is a call to be bold and responsible as they enter the real modern world.

2016 has really proved to be a great year for film. April and the Extraordinary World may not be on the level of some truly fantastic animated films (Kubo and the Two Strings, Tower, The Red Turtle, Zootopia) but it's still a very good film in its own right. The great thing about it is that it is not held back by having to only appeal to children and by not having to show anything that may be even remotely inappropriate for kids. It's a very classic action-adventure story, one where you could also see working in live action (although not exactly because many of the characters would not translate to live action as well). It is very well paced, very funny at times, and also genuinely heartfelt. That ending was also really effective, with the last scene really hitting on some great themes that the film had only previously alluded to. Definitely recommended.