McDull dans les nuages

This movie has been released in france at the beginning of this year (2003). Eager to know what a HK animated movie would look like i went to see it without any hesitation. Unfortunately i have been quite disappointed. Very short but too long and too repetitive at the same time. I was wondering where to laugh because nothing seemed fun to me. what's more i was almost alone in the theater so i couldn't rely on other peoples reactions. I wouldn't say i got bored, but really confused. As a japanese anime fan, i maybe expected too much from this movie. What's sure is that french dubbing is simply awful... If there had been enough original copies i would have watched it in cantonese version of course. I don't know if there is any english dub as well, but i warn all those who understand french to avoid the one which has been made here. That simply kills the movie...... the songs in particular are absolutely unbearable.

Excellent and sarcastic reflection of the life a hong kong born kid/pig. Classic of Hong Kong animation. Now is 2019 and Mcdull keeps on becoming the everlasting Hong Kong idol. A huge portrait of him is erected in the renovated Star Avenue, attracting a lot of tourists.

Its soundtrack is amazing. Locally stuff made from its image are still on sales in HK. I have a Mcdull folder, a Mcdull photo holder. Its products are in sale in Book Fair every year.

Mcdull is the son of Hong Kong and still an idol of many in Hong Kong.

Its take on humour is laboured and contrived, which thrived on the absurdist and repetitive but ultimately running dry. It is so repetitive that the movie can be better employed as a language course in Cantonese. It is best illustrated in the the long and dreary sequences involving some calf muscles, or was it turkey calf muscles, spinning round and round in turnkeys.....

Having said that, its take on a coming-of-age and mother love story is more commendable despite its flaws. Having opening scene ripped off from Forrest Gump, I feared the worst for McDull. I feared the story would disneyfied (is there such a word? maybe degenerate wld suffice) into a feel good show, where everything grim and sad would suddenly turn gold, as if by magic. Here, we are not treated with a magic show, but with the reality of a mother's devoted love to her not-too-bright son and their struggles in life against a not-too-caring and unforgiving world.

In addition, its visuals were innovative. The fusion of cutesy cartoon and reality photography help to create a believable McDull universe in which animals and humans share their disillusioned lives together in a claustrophobic urban jungle which is more commonly known as Hong Kong in our universe.

Visually, "My Life as McDull" is extremely innovative, blending 3D computer animation with 2D images and even live action. The film's dialogue and events are also fascinatingly idiosyncratic.

McDull is, true to his name, dull-witted, but the authority figures who govern him--his mother, the headmaster, his teacher, his bun-snatching coach--are all incompetent and selfish. The film sharply criticizes the assumption that adults are smarter and superior to children, yet its oddness keeps it from ever becoming preachy.

Consider the narration by the adult McDull. He may be smarter than his childhood self, but he regrets what he's learned, speaking mainly about how unhappy he is. "My Life as McDull" is as perceptive in its portrayal of childhood and aging as any film I've seen.

I've seen this movie twice before. The first time, I found it tedious and boring because it was just another cartoon, somewhat similar to Disney cartoons. The evil of Disney...However, this summer I took a trip to Hong Kong and then watched McDull again. The second time around I found it way more interesting and actually funny. This movie has been called unfunny, but to understand McDull it helps to be able to understand Cantonese and to have visited HK since most of the jokes and the visuals are all about HK anyway. Per se, people who have never seen HK or don't speak Cantonese aren't going to find this funny because it's basically an inside joke about life in Hong Kong.

All in all, the movie's a cute affair, nice visuals, and they show some really good aspects of HK and some HK culture, as well as actual places in the city like the Peak Tram and the MTR, etc. The story's fine; about a pig growing up and reflecting back on his childhood. It's great for the kids because it's creative enough and the comically foolish McDull will appeal. It's worth watching even if it drags on needlessly.