Icare

Despite its title which focuses on Icar, the main plot of this beautiful animation is provided by an interesting reversal of the myth of Minotaur: here Minotaur (under its own name, Asterion) is a good guy and both Theseus and Ariadne are bad guys.

Through its visual aesthetics and music, the movie tries to teleport us to ancient (Minoan) Crete. Icar, however, does not move the plot in any way here; his role is to live this world and convey his experiences: of the good Asterion the telepath, of the wile Theseus, of the self-obsessed Ariadne. If you ever wondered why Theseus left Ariadne on his way back to Athens (she was later snatched by Dionisios, another horned god, but it is not shown here), this movie has a pretty convincing answer!

One thing which is not developed enough, is the relationship of Cretans with their gods: the movie explicitly starts with invoking "constant fear of gods experienced by ancient Greeks", but this theme in the plot is really unclear: was Pasiphae seduced by Poseidon through fear? Why did Minos finally decide to kill Minotaur, in spite of the creature being the son of Poseidon? Why there are horns everywhere in Crete and yet horned Minotaur is to be killed? Such questions certainly are asked by this rare movie, yet answers are not provided. Maybe the opening invocation to "the fear of gods" should also be left out in order to avoid making this animation too confusing: is this more a fable, or more a serious telling of myth and history?

I just read the previous review and I couldn't agree more.

A remarkably well-written and drawn film: moving, poetic, intelligent and luminous! A wonderful time shared with my family. All the themes that allow children to grow up by asking themselves the right questions are covered in this animated film: true friendship, father-and-son relationship, lies, choices, trust, betrayal, love and death...

I think children might be upset - like we may have been upset as children by so many movies (The NeverEnding Story, Spirited Away, Grave of The Fireflies, Dark Crystal, Dumbo or Bambi...), but the positive effect is that as we grew up, and as children will grow up, those experiences and adventures will remain, because we definitely can identify with Asterion, or Daedalus, or Icarus... It's a wonderful way to build strong and mature opinions, or empathy, and our sense of justice...

« Icare » is just not patronising in the least and offers meaning on different levels for audiences of all ages. It is so rare that it deserves mention. In that sense, this animated film delicately thumbs its nose at some Disney/Pixar productions.

I was and still am very moved by the beauty that comes from the animation itself, the colors and the music.

And I encourage all parents to show their children this brilliant retelling of several Greek myths. Some dialogues between Icarus and Asterion still resound in me...

My son even asked for an Asterion plush!

Too bad it doesn't exist... Yet!

Once upon a time, on the island of Crete during the age of King Minos, lived a dreamy young boy, named Icarus and a bull .The myth of the Minotaur is, perhaps, one of the most riveting in all of ancient Greek mythology. Set on the island of Crete, under the reign of King Minos, Humans worship and fear the Gods of Olympus. Only a fool would dare to offend them. There lives Icarus, a young apprentice of his father, the famous inventor Daedalus, in his sculpture workshop in Knossos. The result of a love affair between Queen Pasiphae and a beautiful white bull sent by Poseidon, the fate of the Minotaur was forever linked to his confinement in a labyrinth where every year he devoured fourteen young Athenians who were given as a sacrifice as payment for losing his life. Life's Icare is turned upside down by the discovery a mysterious creature that had the body of a man and the head of a bull. Its name? Asterion, also known as the Minotaur , a weird boy with a bull's head who lives hidden in the Royal Palace. A secret friendship unites the two teenagers until King Minos locks up the "Monster" in the labyrinth, built by Daedalus. At the same time, Icarus loses his only friend and the confidence he had in his father. When the King asked Icarus' father, the famous inventor Daedalus, to work on a secret project, Icarus realized that his new friend might be in danger, taking place a strong confrontation and the young dreamer's disillusion. When Prince Theseus arrives in Crete to kill the Minotaur, Icarus is ready to do anything to save his childhood friend.

Icare (2022) is an animated film that comes from Luxembourg. This story tells us about the friendship that arises between a child and this mythological being, where childhood, friendship and the parent-child relationship will be addressedd, culminating in a tragic choice between darkness and light . It contains a clean traditional drawing, really fantastic and very colorful, escaping from the already exhausting images in 3Dcomputer generator. The story takes parts from Greek mythology, although it makes some changes, but in the main it takes the basis of historical legend. This film is Carlo Vogele's feature directorial debut. At the same time, it is the representative that that country had chosen in the Oscar race, and it is also one of the shortlists for best European film at the Goya awards. The motion picture was well directed by Carlo Vogele. He's an expert professional who joined Pixar in 2008 and has worked on "Toy Story 3," "Brave" and "Monsters University¨.

The story of the Minotaur begins with the figure of King Minos, asking Poseidon, the god of the sea, for help to access the throne. The god of the seas granted his wish, but in exchange he asked him, as thanks, to sacrifice in his honor a beautiful white bull that would emerge from the foam of the sea. Poseidon, who, feeling deceived by Minos, became angry and planned cruel revenge against the Cretan king. To carry out his terrible revenge on him, Poseidon made Pasiphae, the wife of King Minos, fall blindly in love with the sea bull. Thus, to consummate her union, the queen required the help of Daedalus, the royal architect, who built a wooden frame in the shape of an animal covered with a cow skin for Pasiphae to enter inside. The bull lay with her, and from this unnatural union, to Minos's horror, the Minotaur would be born, a half-human, half-bull creature that Pasiphae named after his paternal grandfather, Asterion. The furious king of Crete locked Daedalus and his son Icarus in a dungeon. Meanwhile, Pasiphae fed and cared for her monstrous son, who, as he grew, became more and more terrible, and even began to devour human flesh. Desperate, Minos went to Daedalus again to ask for help. The architect then devised a complex labyrinth, where the monster would remain a prisoner forever. But while Daedalus was building the labyrinth to enclose the Minotaur, one of Minos's sons, Androgeus, was murdered in Athens after participating in an Olympic competition in which he was the winner. Enraged by the death of his son, Minos declared war on the Athenians. The Cretan king attacked the territory of Athens and, also counting on the help of a terrible plague that was ravaging the region at that time, managed to conquer the city. After the victory, Minos imposed a series of harsh conditions on the defeated. Advised by the oracle of Delphi, the Athenians offered to deliver a tribute to Crete. But the payment demanded was terrible: Minos ordered the Athenians to deliver seven boys and seven maidens each year, who would serve as food for the Minotaur. But while Daedalus was building the labyrinth to enclose the Minotaur, one of Minos's sons was murdered in Athens. Enraged by the death of his son, Minos declared war on the Athenians. The Cretan king attacked the territory of Athens and, managed to conquer the city. After the victory, Minos imposed a series of harsh conditions on the defeated. Advised by the oracle of Delphi, the Athenians offered to deliver a tribute to Crete. But the payment demanded was terrible: Minos ordered the Athenians to deliver seven boys and seven maidens each year, who would serve as food for the Minotaur. Seeing the bravery of the young prince, and with the invaluable advice of Daedalus, Ariadne devised a plan that would help Theseus find the way out of the labyrinth in case he managed to defeat the Minotaur. For the hero to achieve it, the young woman gave him a ball of wool to tie a rope at the entrance to the labyrinth. When Minos learned that the Minotaur had been defeated by that Athenian boy, and that he had freed his fourteen companions with the help of his own daughter, he became angry and ordered both him and Ariadne to be arrested. But Theseus fled quickly with the young woman, without giving the Cretan guards time to react. Although Theseus did not behave very gratefully towards Ariadne, she had left everything to follow her lover to Athens. The young woman was abandoned on the island of Naxos while she was sleeping. It was her cries of pain when she realized her misfortune that alerted the god Dionysus, who, moved by the young woman's tears, married her.

I didn't expect this animated film to move me as much as it did.

The animation itself is smooth and pleasant to watch, and the voice acting delivery is, for the most part, flawlessly emoted.

What really captures the heart is the divine innocence of Asterion, and the mortal flaws in all the other characters. Asterion is beautifully illustrated and kudos to the filmmakers for managing to make the entire audience immediately fall in love with and feel fiercely protective of a creature that is both strange and familiar, foreign yet intimate.

The film is both a bildungsroman and a triptych on masculinity and fatherhood - in a patriarchal world, when does the love of Manhood stop and the love for fellow Man begin?

The myth of Icarus and arrogance punished is obliterated in this more compassionate, more human retelling. If the downfall of Man can be found in arrogance, the panacea could be love and forgiveness. If death is inevitable, then embrace its warmth with love and forgiveness.

The film falters in its portrayal of inner conflict within the female characters, but that only begs for more from the filmmakers in the future :)

Highly recommended for anyone who has ever been a child - the film inspires a gamut of difficult questions about independence, desire, ambition and parenthood, which makes for lovely conversations over tea.