Nocturna

This movie is amazing! Animation is perfect! You cant get enough of high quality traditional animation these days (low quality would be like Marvel animations, nick animation, most Disney sequels). The plot is awesome. And the concept is very original! It kind of has that dark and Gothic Burtonesque feel and style to it. The background art is very awesomely surreal in a non to weird of a way. Crooked alleyways, twisted buildings, curling street poles, and a beautifully colorful moonlit sky. Wish is more well know, perhaps Disney could release it in the states. Gah! For such an amazing movie there isn't really much about it on IMDb no pics or posters or anything. I makes me very sad because its just an amazing movie. T

It's always nice to accidentally stumble upon a movie that didn't get the praise and recognition it rightly deserved in the first place. It's even nicer when it's animated.

The story starts with Tim, a night-time fearing orphan who takes great refuge with mother nature's night-lights, the stars. After a prank by some of his fellow orphan brothers, he scrambles up onto the roof so the dark doesn't envelope him. And this is when he notices that the stars are beginning to disappear. But luckily for him he then meets the Cat Herder, his new found friend and ally to figuring out the mystery of the missing stars.

The story itself isn't strong enough to carry you alone, but thanks to a creative world and unique artistic style that reminded me of a Tim Schafer game in ways, the movie combines all aspects of film-making to create something worth-while and memorable.

At the movie's core is Nocturna; the name of the magical land that controls the night and sleep for all the little boys and girls of the world. In this land there's a Cat Herder that is in charge of all the cats that purr you to sleep. There's a trio of hair-dressers that give you 'bed head'. There's even a bothersome little man who with a tiny whisper, will have you wetting your bed. And that's just for starters.

With a tried and true, but rather simple story about courage, and not being afraid of the dark at it's center, you're not really blown away by any story arc. The delivery of it's message through imagination is the real saving grace. Because of the art style and professional voice work, the movie will eventually rise above it's unfounded place in that big well of under-appreciated films.

I love some things about this film. The overall storyline of the boy overcoming his fear of the dark was great. The visual design of the world and all the little creatures and workers that create "the night" were very imaginative. But there were a few things that let it down like the annoying personality of the protagonist and the rather repetitive plot that doesn't really go anywhere until near the end. I get what it's going for, but it wallows in its diversions too much to make the impact it wants to.

Nocturna is one of the best animated films I've seen, not just recently but ever. The animation is some of the most beautiful-looking I've seen from any animated film in a while, and I say this as a huge animation fan, with colours especially that have a perfect mix of Gothic atmosphere, surrealism and warmth. The music score is enchanting too, sparkling and adventurous, while the story is original in concept and very creative and simple with an appreciative message, the writing is is dynamic and never cheesy or stilted and the characters are both memorable and appealing, Tim is cute but never in a cloying sense, you actually do root for him. The voice work is wonderfully professional.

So all in all, a gem of a film, not just animated but of film in general. 10/10 Bethany Cox

After downloading this movie I am going out to buy it on DVD. I was very pleased with it.

A Spanish - french production that portrays the more than typical story of the little boy afraid of the dark. Tipical? Maybe. But after you watch it you can be sure to be submerged into a childs world of spookiness and pure visual poetry. The story unfolds as stars start disappearing. So the boy meets the cats shepherd, whose purpose you will learn during watching this delightfull film, who will help little Tim (the boy) to go on a journey throughout the night. As the world is being devoured by what Tim fears most. He must struggle together to save the night.

I wouldn't say a touch of Tim Burton, but definitely this typical french and Spanish touch of Gothic visual in which nothing is straight but curvy and angled. A very pleasant eye catcher is the architecture of buildings in this little piece of art. It is what makes the whole ambiance plus the different light scalings and brightnesses. This movie is mostly in a blue tone which emphasizes more the suspense of darkness.

In the end it unfolds to be very predictable somehow but still a Wow for the lovers of old visual poetry as I use to call it.

Reminds me of summer nights looking up in the sky and staring at the stars with a full moon and some nice mellowy clouds.