El Hijo de la Yegua Blanca

Watched this on Blu-ray. It was nice to look at and surprisingly easy to follow. Many older, foreign, animated films can get quite complex, which can be a turn-off to some viewers, but this ended up having a simple enough plot and was easy to follow despite the heavy symbolism. In our opinion, this was both a positive and a negative; the opening was beautiful and captivating, but the story was so simple that the film began to feel repetitive despite the short runtime. Nonetheless, this is a movie every true film buff needs to watch. The animation alone deserves significant attention and praise.

It was a pleasant surprise seeing folk tales I grew up with come to life. I guess Hungarian folk tales influenced Romanian folk tales, or maybe they share the same source. It's not just the same numerology symbolism, storytelling and dialogues; the Romanian folk tales I used to read when I was a kid are virtually identical with everything depicted in this animation. Brilliant psychedelic imagery (nice experiments with shapes and colors), brilliant storytelling and even some subtle humor moments. This animation should be sent in space as radio signals or something, because I pretty much consider it the essence of the human spirit, an excellent depiction of primordial human philosophy.

I'd been meaning to check this one out for a while, so was excited to see that it's now been remastered and released in the US on blu ray. I convinced my kids to watch it by suggesting that it would be a good Halloween choice-there is a descent into the underworld, after all-but it's not so much creepy as foreboding. The movie claims to have a basis in ancient Hungarian/Avar myth (and hey, the title does include a horse in it), presumably oral, but I haven't been able to find its actual source anywhere. The myth itself is strange and hard to follow, but majestic, driven less by the sparse Hungarian narration than the amazing visuals, which have made the movie famous. A constantly transforming mix of rectilinear shapes and curves, with lively light play and lightening, frame all the characters and their environment, and fits the cosmological myth perfectly. I'm also curious how the animation was produced-in many of the scenes it seems like no animation cel background was used, in others almost like there was a "foreground". Anyway, respect to my kids: the film was not what they were expecting, but they got into it, especially towards the end, and stuck with it over three nights or so, all while dealing with subtitling.

Mind-blowing animation experience!!!

The level of artistry is unbelievable. Marcell Jankovics uses every millisecond to add something new and fascinating. So if possible, do not blink while watching this film.

I had no idea what to expect while starting but in the first 3 minutes it took me to a new, symbol filled, psychedelic new dimension. Maybe the best thing about the movie is, even though it's a heavy art bombardment with non-stop transitions between symbols, you never lose the story. Somehow, you can understand every little detail (most of the time unconsciously). I believe it's a great achievement.

It also manages to talk to your primitive side. Since it's a mix of ancient tales, you somehow feel a connection to what's told in an instinctive way. You may get this kind of feeling in Tom Moore's flicks like "Song of The Sea" and "The Secret of Kells". But in "Son of the White Mare" it's so raw and different like it was made by our ancestors, thousands of years ago.

In an age where they use same well-researched story structures over and over, seeing something this uniquely told and majestic makes you feel renewed. It's a must-see for everyone. And the best news is, you can watch it on Youtube!!!

Alright! We're talking about high-quality movie-making here! Its experimental way is the films strongest feature. Or its keenness about traditionalism? Its up to you, to decide which pars you like better: the funky, vibrant colors, and wacky-trippy movement, or the heavy use of traditional, middle-European folk ornaments?

The white mare give gives birth to a son once again, who grows to be strong enough, to defeat the evil ones, who keep the three beautiful princess' as captives... and even, to find his long lost, and just as powerful brothers on his journey.

The plot for this one has been mixed together, from folktales all around the globe (but mostly, they're from middle-Europe, and eastern, nomad tribes), which makes the story familiar for almost everyone, from everywhere. It reaches back into our most ancient collective memories, and bring up something, that might even be forgotten.

The new-age look of some aspects of this movie, and the respect for folk traditions, surprisingly makes a totally coherent, and unbelievably powerful whole. Which makes it Marcell Jankovics's best directional work ever. This film earned his righteous place, amongst the "world's best fifty animated-films ever", at Los Angeles' animation Olympic.

Anyone, who likes animation, experimental film-making, or just GOOD MOVIES, simply must see this one. No exceptions!