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.

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.

Kirikou and The Sorceress is a story of a very small but extremely brave boy, Kirikou, born in a little village somewhere in Africa. Kirikou can walk and talk already when he is born and he starts to set things right in his village. He is very determined and always finds a solution, whatever the problem is. There is an evil sorceress, Karaba, who is tormenting Kirikou's village. She has to be bribed and soothed constantly, she has dried the well and she threatened she will eat all the men from the village... and there are not many of them left. Brave warriors have vanished, possibly have been devoured by the witch, when they tried to fight him. Little Kirikou decides it is not wise to fight Karaba, but to negotiate with her. One day Kirikou walks to the hut of the sorceress...

Extremely beautiful, thrilling story, told in brilliant tones of color and folklore. Very down-to-earth and descriptive by the ways of African life: women naked above the waist, carrying water from long distances, making food, the village elders passing on the stories to the younger ones. My seven year old son, who is used to see the usual smoothed-out, big money animations, was hesitating at first when I showed him the movie. He said the cover looked "funny" and different, and it does. When the movie started, he couldn't stop watching it, he was totally captivated by the story and I enjoyed it very much as well. Excellent story, great animation, rich colors, folklore mixed with everyday life and superstition, great original music by Youssou N'Dour. Highly recommendable. Choose this over any talking funny animals-video.

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.

It's no surprise that this animated adventure is mostly culled from old West African legends, as it plays like a straightforward, unflinching fairy tale. Completely absurd notions, like the infant protagonist emerging at a dead sprint from his mother's womb, are dismissed offhand in the same vein as Little Red Riding Hood's incognito wolf. That fundamental acceptance frees up the storyline to be as wildly adventurous as it likes, and coats the whole endeavor in a veil of whimsy and charm. The result is a yarn on par with Miyazaki and Disney, although the uneven animation quality ultimately keeps it from reaching those lofty heights. At times it's as beautiful and fluid as the best western animation, with a style and panache all its own, but that dedication rarely lasts long. Bright, innocent and optimistic, it's solid fare for open-minded families who don't mind navigating a sea of topless native tribeswomen.