Ruby tombée du nid

Firstly, I'd like to propose two alternate titles for the piece: "Robin Mouse" and "Robin' Robin". The former relates to the way in which the protagonist is a robin named Robin who belongs to a family of mice with the surname Mouse, whereas the latter relates to the way in which our hero is a robin who is robbing crumbs and other small foodstuffs alongside her sneaky siblings. The actual title of "Robin Robin (2021)" just doesn't really do it for me as it has little narrative significance beyond the fact that the main character is a robin named Robin (she's never referred to by that double name, either). This is a minor issue, of course, and it isn't something I'm going to hold against the actual film, but I felt it was worth mentioning. This stop-motion short tells the tale of a bird who finds it hard to fit in with the mice who raised her, primarily because she's extraordinarily clumsy and seems to draw attention to herself at the most inopportune of moments. Aardman once again deliver the goods when it comes to tactile, frame-by-frame animation, this time opting for a fluffy felt aesthetic instead of their usual fingerprinted clay look. It works really well, establishing a distinct visual presence that matches the piece's generally low-key and soft-spoken nature. The flick is a subtle musical, in the sense that its few songs aren't particularly grandiose or, even, any louder than the actual dialogue. The musical sequences aren't particularly formalistic, either; the characters just do a bit of singing as they go about their usual business. This isn't a bad thing, though. The music is calm and charming in its own way, enhancing the generally relaxing nature of the overall affair. It's difficult to properly describe, but the picture is pretty much the opposite of the typical hyperactivity usually associated with family fare (which isn't to imply that hyperactivity is inherently bad). The film features a basic but important central message and several endearing core characters. The voicework, especially that of Richard E. Grant and Gillian Anderson (whose voice is oddly soothing considering how dangerous her character is), is really solid, too. Ultimately, this is an enjoyable and, for lack of a better word, nice experience right the way through. It's lovely. 7/10.

Robin (Bronte Carmichael), a robin, as an egg falls out of her nest and is adopted by a family of mice. Despite receiving the wisdoms of her Dad (Adeel Akhtar) Robin consistently bungles the family's "sneaks" for food much to the chagrin of her siblings. After inadvertently alerting the "who-mans" during their most recent sneak Robin sets out to try and sneak some crumbs to her family with the help of a materialistic magpie (Richard E. Grant) who tells Robin of the star Who-mans place atop trees in their homes that supposedly grants you any of your wishes, however the two must contend with a territorial and hungry cat (Gillian Anderson).

Robin Robin is the latest production from UK based stop-motion animation house, Aardman animations best known for their work on the Wallace and Gromit films, as well as Chicken Run, The Pirates: Band of Misfits (UK: The Pirates in an Adventure with a Scientist), and Early Man. Created and directed by Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, this is the first major project for either director (barring a couple of prior shorts on their filmography) and for their first major outing both Ojari and Please bring that same level of care, quality, and craft we've come to expect from Aardman even if admittedly it's a very familiar take whose story origins will seem more than a little reminiscent of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

The movie's animation is absolutely top notch with every scene from the opening onward lovingly crafted with simple but expressive creatures brought to life with Aardman's trademark style giving a real sense of tangibility to the proceedings with even the most minor of interactions. The opening sequence where we see Robin's egg roll out of her nest and through the woods seamlessly goes through an interconnected series of sets that are all beautifully crafted with only the occasional "editing trick" to give the illusion of flow. The animation is well synchronized with some charming song sequences with the mouse "sneaking" song being both charming as well as humorous with Robin's constant bungling Gillian Anderson's song as the Cat is playfully wicked as she sings mocking taunts to Robin while also insinuating her intentions to eat her.

The movie's characters are filled with charm and personality thanks to the design work in conjunction with pitch perfect casting. Bronte Carmichael's turn as Robin carries both enthusiastic tenacity as well as good natured naivety that endures the audience to a protagonist like this, and Adeel Akhtar as the mouse Dad is wonderful in supportive and caring attitude towards Robin and shows just how much he wants Robin to succeed at being a mouse. Richard E. Grant is quite funny as Magpie with his song about "things" and the value he places upon them being an amusing and humorous character quirk, and last and certainly not least is Gillian Anderson as the cat who is absolutely fantastic is our main villain effortlessly bringing to life some subtle but macabre charms to the character.

Robin Robin's story of an "odd duck" (no pun intended) protagonist not fitting in is definitely well trodden ground seen in the likes of stories like Dumbo and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but the movie manages to overcome the familiarity of its story thanks to its attention to the little details and some really solid work by the voice cast.

Robin Robin is a pleasant Holiday themed short with Aardman's typically beautiful animation and charm and personality to spare. While the plot covers well-trodden ground, it's such an effortlessly immersive and pleasant viewing that I can only imagining people saying they like it.

I'm quite honestly surprised that out of all the different Christmas-related stuff to base entire movies, shorts and specials around, it took someone this long to figure out there hasn't really been any Christmasy film at all to do with a robin (our most friendliest garden visitor and a definitive staple of the wintertime's lovely wildlife scenery, along with the likes of the more famous reindeer). For many years now, this is something I've always wondered about myself and I say it's about time that a studio came up with a good enough reason for a basic story treatment featuring this beautiful tiny birdie as the primary focus point and main draw of the whole thing by employing it in some sort of creative method. And visually-speaking, you don't get more creative than the gorgeous stop-motion done by none other than Aardman Animation (REAL masters at the top of this slowly-dying art-form).

Just the very straightforward "longing to belong" story of a not-so-sneaky young robin wishing she were a real mouse as to properly fit in with the rest of her stealthy scavenging family (after having been taken in by loving rodents as an egg and still cared for when she hatched into a little chick) felt like a genuinely endearing tale to me as the tightly-written script was cleverly thought-out to the point where all the amusing events of fun action and playful "food heist" sequences took place in a non-contrived organic manner, a compelling fashion that even persists right up to the happy ending's resolution of the matter at hand; wherein it presents a rather satisfying payoff to our charming lead character having now unlocked her true potential with the aerial advantages of being a flying critter, making effective use of her natural gifts in order to help aide the loved ones she cares most about (don't worry, I'm NOT going to give any specifics away!). It's aptly comparable to Annabelle's Wish (a 1997 special), which was about a dreamy cow calf who wished so badly to fly like one of Santa's magical reindeer.

Stop-motion animation is of course, in and of itself, yet another grand time-honoured tradition in this most beloved holiday season of them all. The animation work that was done on the loveable main character is especially well-realised, with our lively little robin protagonist being portrayed as having a lot of high volume energy and just an all-round positive attitude in the daring food-pinching situations she's caught up in (either while it's with her surrogate mouse family, or just her going solo). I adore these types of animated characters, the humble ones with a hopeful outlook on all of life's trials and tribulations. And child actress Bronte Carmichael, who's the only cast member I recognised in the credits due to her co-starring debut in Disney's live-action Christopher Robin film (back in 2018), brought great spirit to her optimistic character's kind temperament and warm personality. In fact, all the rest of the superb talent did a terrific job at voicing their respective roles as well (especially this Richard E. Grant fella, with his part as a shiny-obsessed collecting magpie).

One thing that caught me off-guard was that for a short film (clocking in at approx. 30 min.), I really didn't expect there to be a handful of musical numbers in here (not that I minded any of them!). Also, while I get that it's supposed to be intentionally simple, I kind of found "Robin Robin" to be a bit of an unoriginal title. Frankly seems a tad redundant to me but whatever, it's really no big deal at the end of the day (my mind's probably just overthinking that one too much). For all you avid avian enthusiasts out there who enjoy seeing a good wholesome Christmastime cartoon, this cute little short is sure to be seen as essential seasonal viewing and will most likely go down in years to come as a must-watch family favourite with its immense rewatch-ability factor, being placed right up there with the likes of such quality as The Snowman (from 1982) and Mickey's Christmas Carol (from 1983). Personally, I already deem it to be a new holiday classic for people of all ages.

Amazing short story - adventurous, family friendly. Interesting take in the animation style - adorable & something that i grow up watching with. Wholesome voice castings and playful sound scores which compliment this adorable animation style and its world. Loving the idea of making it as musicals which for me adding more into the nostalgic vibe of my childhood movies/tv shows that i used to watch with the exact style and sound experiences. Plot-wise just common, nothing new. Highly entertaining - dramatic, comedic, thrilling adventure, relatable storyline - struggle to fit in & embrace your differences and identity. Great ending. Cute lyrics and song writtings. Highly recommended. Great for christmas season.

How cute, as every animated short should be, with cute messages for children, about respect, acceptance and inclusion, so necessary essential in the world we live in, highlighting the graphics, fantastically fluffy and furry, with a warm and welcoming aspect against contrasting with the cold and snow of Christmas...