Kirikou et la Sorcière

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.

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" (1998 - 71 minutes) is a Franc-Belgian animation of highest quality, based on a Western Africa traditional legend. Written and directed by Michel Ocelot tells the history of Kiriku, a very small boy who already spoke when still in his mother belly. His fate: to face the powerful and evil Karabá sorceress, who dried the water source of his village, swallowed all the men who went to fight her and that still caught all the gold they had. To achieve his goals, Kiriku has to face many dangerous situations and venture for places where only a very small person could enter. At first, his tribe laughs at his small size, delaying to recognize his courage, brightness and wisdom. But Kiriku faces the power of the sorceress and her guardians, while the others can only fell fear of her. Kiriku goes to consult the wise old man of the mountain, who knows the secret of Karabá and, after that, goes to face the terrible sorceress. According to Michel Ocelot his film is a great chance to show to the African people some of their values. The script runs away from the obvious situations, has captivating characters and sound track signed by the Senegalian Yossou N ' Dour. A fascinating story of determination in the fight for freedom.

Parents, you children will NOT see this delightful film unless you stay up all night and tape if for them (if you live in USA). This film is rated "Mature audiences", which means American television cannot show it except on premium cable in the middle of the night. The reason for this is that women in West Africa have never worn anything above the waist, and they are authentically illustrated, without guilt or shame, in their every-day clothing. Not suitable for children in the USA, but perfectly alright in the rest of the world.