Psiconautas

Bird Boy: The Forgotten Children (2015) is a Spanish animated picture based on a graphic novel and is currently available on Shudder. The storyline follows a world where animals walk and talk and some horrific events have taken place historically. The Bird Boy is known to be a menace by the local law enforcement but not everyone thinks so, and everyone would love to see and find him, for better or worse. Meanwhile, Bird Boy has his own inner demons and depression he's trying to overcome while keeping the woodlands safe. As Bird Boy looks for hope society looks to destroy him.

This movie is codirected and co-written by Pedro Rivero (directorial debut) and Alberto Vázquez (Unicorn Wars). Vázquez also wrote the graphic novel. NOTE: this movie is in subtitles. The storyline, settings and characters are unique and really capture the imagination. The dialogue is deep and smart as is the depiction of the various characters, their perspectives and inner demons. Seeing smoking 🚬 animals definitely had me cracking up. Every scene with the crow and spider was intense and well done. The backstory on Bird Boy was sad but entertaining and the various shooting and killing scenes were excellent. The use of the mice and the entire ending was perfectly done.

Overall, this contained the darkness and entertainment value of a Tim Burton film...but in Spanish. I would score this a 9/10 and strongly recommend it.

A strange and weird cartoon movie dealing with three chilldren : Dinki , Sara and Zorrito leave their home to embark on a better life throughout a bizarre World at an isolated island after a nuclear apocalypse that caused a serious damage environmental. Along the way , another boy , Birdboy who never talks , is being pursued by two guard men wielding rifles . No everything with a body is alive.

This is a very rare and offbeat movie with a traditional as well as naif animation. It is a sui-generis film with plenty of fantasy , adventure , ecological message and disturbing , at times . The film is really influenced by the Japanese Anime and especially by the fantastic atmosphere created by Hayao Miyazaki in Mononoke Princess and others as Chihiro or My neighbour Tororo . The movie is developed with high sensibility and sense of wonder , though isn't apt for little boys . It is more adequate a rating PG : Parents Guide than a children film , due to contain graphic violence , horror moments , bloody attacks , strong fights , and some creepy animals . A decent film based on the comic books by Alberto Vazquez who was director assistant as well . Adding an enjoyable musical score and colorful cinematography accompanying appropiately the story's development .

The picture produced by prestigious actor Luis Tosar , among others , being original and competently written/directed by Pedro Rivero and Alberto Vazquez . It won several Nominations and Awards, such as : Cinamia 2016 winner Festival Feature Film to Pedro Rivera , Alberto Vazquez . Fantasia Film Festival 2016 winner Best Animated Feature . Faro Island Film Festival 2015 winner Grand Jury Prize . Goya Awards 2017 Best Animation Film : ZircoZine , Basque Films , Abrakan Estudio, Competencia Productiones . Monterrey International Film Festival winner Graveyard Shift Competition . The Platino Awards for Iberoamerican Cinema 2017 winner best film. ToHorror Film Festival Italy 2016 Best Film, among others .

This movie blew me away. Very dark, creative, and shocking. I've seen this one twice, and would gladly watch it again. Check it out.

In popular media, sometimes the most obscure can pick up one's interest. That came when I randomly encountered the Blu-ray of a 2015 Spanish film called "Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (Psiconautas, los niños olvidados)". It is based on a comic by Alberto Vázquez and serves as sort of a sequel to a short film made by him and Pedro Rivero simply titled "Birdboy" (can be found on youtube), which I recommend seeing if you want some extra context (though the film itself works without it).

Plot: An industrial accident turns a once peaceful island of anthropomorphic animals into a harsh, near-lifeless dystopia. The orphaned outcast Birdboy tries to get by in life and keep the demon inside him locked away. Meanwhile, his loving friend, a mouse named Dinky, plans to leave the island with her friends to start fresh in the outside world. Little do both know that their destinies are intertwined in ways they cannot imagine.

Full warning: This is NOT a kids movie. It's a world that embraces the dark and macabre with elements of drugs, blood+violence, language, and minor sexual elements. The society is one of denial, desperation, corruption, and waste, rotting inside and out. But, the film's tagline "There is light and beauty, even in the darkest of worlds" is present in different ways such as Birdboy's beautiful grotto, Little Fox, and small humorous touches, fragments of hope for the forsaken island that may or may not come to pass. The art style would make Tim Burton proud, decay and dark shadows at nearly every corner with simplistic character designs that often fit their thematic relevance and lifestyles. Abundant themes are woven into both the world and narrative such as addiction, adolescence, environmentalism, conformity, freedom, prejudice, family troubles, and the darkness within us, all seen from the perspectives of the two protagonists. I also gotta give props to the music, the emotional tone of which is a mix of eerie and soothing.

Birdboy is one of the most unique and intriguing fictional characters I've seen, silent and reclusive yet so full of nuance and pathos. He's flawed but he persists in bettering things even when the world and his frightening demon are against him. Dinky complements him with her desire for a new life, seeing nothing of value beyond those closest to her and doing what she can to achieve her goal. While not seen together that much, their relationship drew me in. The side characters are also interesting with their own problems, though I felt that a couple of them could've used more development such as Dinky's friend Sandra who suffers from schizophrenia.

"Birdboy: The Forgotten Children" is a creature unlike any other, both strange and inviting. It managed to win Best Animated Feature among other awards and, for me, it's easy to see why. I was regaled and intellectually challenged by this one. If you want to try a new visual experience, then give this and the prequel short film a watch. Just keep it away from children.

This is an incredible, gorgeous, and brutal movie. You won't regret watching it.