Abril e o Mundo Extraordinário

There is much to love, but also a bit to dislike about "April and the extraordinary world" (the correct and more interesting title is "April and the twisted world"). Its story explodes with creativity, especially compared to US animation (which tends to severely underestimate the intelligence of children). Its "ligne claire" - animation style is both a break from US-animated CGI, which hasn't been successfully adapted in Europe, and an homage to the patron saint of European comics Hergé (co-director Ekinci did, in fact, do the storyboards of the 1991-92 "Adventures of Tintin" TV series, which is often considered to be the best adaptation).

Leaning on Jacques Tardi for the visuals is a reminder that BD (bandes dessinées) adaptations work best in the classic animated form. One cannot help but compare "April" to Luc Besson's real-action adaptation of "Adèle Blanc-Sec", Tardi's most famous work. That movie was a commercial success, but BD fans were disappointed with the humorization of a serious story-line and the cheap-looking effects.

What's not so great about "April" is that it's so voluntarily old-fashioned that you may have a hard time convincing your kids to watch it. The character expressions and movements are very static, the heroine is not designed to express emotions through gestures. That is very Tardi, very Adèle Blanc-Sec (which translates as "dry white", after all). But what works fine in a BD doesn't necessarily work in a movie. It seems that French animators still cannot bring themselves to realize that the times they are a-changing, and that a l'art pour l'art approach cannot reinvigorate an expiring industry, apart from justifying a €9.2 million budget (against which it has earned 5%).

Given the character's lack of expression, the film relies heavily on the dub, and I must say other actresses could have done more justice to the part of April than Marion Cotillard - Mélanie Laurent, for instance, or Chiara Mastroianni who voiced Marjane Satrapi in her BD autobiography "Persepolis". Cotillard is a fine actress but she has a tendency to exaggerate, which can be entertaining but also quite unnerving - just look up her death scene in "Dark Knight rises" on Youtube if you don't (painfully) remember. Jean Rochefort, on the other hand, is wonderful as "Pops", April's grandfather. He speaks his lines with great candor and veracity, as does Olivier Gourmet as the father.

So what you get to watch here is a very creative, if old-fashioned animation, which could be of more merit to adults than kids, who may find it hard to follow and perhaps somewhat boring. This is not a perfect European animated film for the whole family - that would be last year's Irish "Song of the Sea". It's also not a fandom film for BD connoisseurs, as the dub and continuity jar a bit, and as there is no commitment to a mature audience, like in the works of Sylvain Chomet. But if you're starved for anything animated that is not Japanese or yet another US CGI-film about talking animals, this one is definitely for you.

Set in a rich, pseudo steam-punk alternate-history - established by a clunky, if well thought-out, set-up sequence - and brought to life with fluid, weighty, almost 'Tin Tin'-esque faux cel-shaded animation, this detailed French sci-fi/ fantasy stands out thanks to its fantastic, forward-moving action-sequences and uniquely designed world, both of which constantly feed into the rather fresh-feeling narrative to create a cohesive and generally compelling experience. 'April And The Extraordinary World (2015)' very much feels like a comic-book brought to life, which is good - beyond the inherently aesthetically pleasing value this implies - because it's actually an adaptation of a graphic novel (which I haven't read). The characterisations are relatively complete throughout, which creates a sense of clarity and allows each core player to stand as their own person. This focus on character means that the overall narrative always feels driven by those featuring in it; you always care about them and believe their motivations. The plot evolves at an organic pace, with its mysteries unravelling logically and satisfyingly throughout the tight run-time. It also has an excellent handle on its tone, with tangible stakes being balanced with several sight gags that provide a good chuckle or two. Overall, it's an entertaining experience that genuinely feels like a classic adventure story. 7/10.

2016 has really proved to be a great year for film. April and the Extraordinary World may not be on the level of some truly fantastic animated films (Kubo and the Two Strings, Tower, The Red Turtle, Zootopia) but it's still a very good film in its own right. The great thing about it is that it is not held back by having to only appeal to children and by not having to show anything that may be even remotely inappropriate for kids. It's a very classic action-adventure story, one where you could also see working in live action (although not exactly because many of the characters would not translate to live action as well). It is very well paced, very funny at times, and also genuinely heartfelt. That ending was also really effective, with the last scene really hitting on some great themes that the film had only previously alluded to. Definitely recommended.

This animation tells the story of a post Napoleon would, where all scientists are captured, and the world becomes very different due to a lack of technology. The last surviving free scientists strive hard to create the serum that can make life perpetual, but mysterious forces are after them.

The colour scheme of the animation is dark and dull. The characters are not cute either, and therefore it's hard for me to develop a liking for it. Though the story is quite engaging, I still don't find myself developing a connection with April and her experiences. The normally careful April all of a sudden trusts a stranger appearing from nowhere doesn't make sense, which annoys me quite a bit. Overall, the story is strong but has a loophole or two. I would have liked it better if the colour scheme was brighter.

"Avril and the extraordinary world" was presented before the official release at the Anim'est international animation festival in Bucharest. I went to see it after a brief look at parts of the official trailer, without knowing anything about the cast, cartoonist, director and the plot in general. I have to say that it was a magnificent movie, reminding me of some classic Disney style hand crafted animation that I used to love when I was a child. It is beautifully drawn and looks without any flaws. The story takes place in an alternative universe, where some modern inventions where never discovered or made available for the advancement of our societies. This makes you question how would the world look like if we have never used electricity or petrol in our daily lives. And the movie answers a lot of these questions. The plot keeps you for most of the movie engaged and in some small parts at the edge of your seat. The comic release character, a talking cat with the name of Darwin was instantly liked by all people present at the screening, adults and children together. His comments of various situations in the movie proved to be very effective, bringing smiles and laughter all around.