Jack et la mécanique du coeur

This whimsical animated french film about love is a delightful treat.

Jack is a boy who with a heart condition and mustn't feel any emotion in excess, you see he has a cuckoo clock for a heart. Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart is a fanciful tale from creator Mathias Malzieu.

Malzieu's Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart is a hopeless love story of a morose young fellow cursed with a faulty cuckoo heart. Not only that, this melancholic boy turned tormented teen falls in love for a girl with rose tendrils as hair who is visually impaired from crying tears of ice. The romance is doomed as his adopted mother Madeline informs him a single kiss could stop his ticking heart.

The poetic narrative twists and turns and Jack's troubles are Shakespearean, full of misguided choices and fallacious offenses. Some would say the adventitious plot is careless and designless but I think that is where the artistry lies.

The animation is dark and Gothic, decidedly Burtonesque with a Henry Selick or Laika quality yet simultaneously original. While CGI, the animation has a unique marionette picturebook characteristic. The characters are fresh and inexplicably bewitchingly fantastic – from a a bespectacled feline with metallic whiskers, a man with a xylophonic spine, to an angelic woman (women?) with wings and two heads. We don't actually know why this 19th century setting is so magical but it is imaginative enough to not care, especially when Jack lands at the carnival.

Unable to find the original French language version with English subtitles I was consigned to viewing the English dubbed version. While adequate I do wish I could have listened to the songs as they were written and the initially cast French actors. The music is lovely and moving and the English lyrics keep up.

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This animation is definitely unique and different from any other animation I've seen! It is an artistic masterpiece, has a very clever story, unique music that I totally did not expect, and of course just absolutely wonderful animation! I do highly recommend this movie for the age group of 13 on up. I don't believe younger children will understand the story line.

I'm an artist and LOVE to see different types of animation as it helps me to sculpt and create differences.

Jack and The Cuckoo Clock Heart isn't as "dark" as some of Tim Burton's works, but still has a little gloomy feel to it. At first I wasn't sure I liked it, but seeing it through ... I LOVE IT!

I generally like animation movies, ever since Shrek I guess. This one is quite amazing. It's not your typical Disney, or Pixar production. It's French, Belgian production, and you can see cultural differences influencing it, especially music and songs. I just loved the first duet of the main characters. That tune is so catchy, melody will surely get stuck in your mind.

How great is it, that we live in the world with so many different cultures. Unfortunately world is becoming more and more bland, end everything you see seems to be the same.

...but occasionally, you find a gem like that.

It's different so it may not be to everyones liking. OK so that's the good, the bad is, story kind of drags on at few moments. Anyways it's worth checking out, even if just because of the style.

It's rather aimed at adults as a sort of animated art form musical, but kids should enjoy it too.

The porcelain characters were convincing; so much so they were able to bring the more cartoon- like Tinkerbell type character in over the top. I thought wait a minute that is animation within an animation. There were a lot of good elements. I liked the carnival scenes. It needed more suspense though. It dragged slightly towards the end I felt. It seemed too young for adults to watch and too old for children; and probably a tad insipid for teenagers.I wasn't sure whom it was aimed at. Some kids would lose interest and some adults would too for different reasons. It was a sincere movie and the animation was different and interesting. But somehow the story was a bit unconvincing even if you suspended your disbelief to enjoy the movie. I mean I bought into the movie to enjoy it but it did not grab me enough with any compelling elements or drag me along enough. It had a lot of good original components and ideas. but it needed more suspense and it did not create enough concern for the characters. But to be fair I kept thinking,"get that key back'. It seemed to sacrifice the overall plot in preference to style. Indeed it was very stylish animation. I don't think it will be a cult film in America because the English accents might be a bit foreign sounding for United States audiences to engage with. Its good but something indefinable seemed to be lacking. Yet it could have just been my own obtuseness. There were many things I liked about it but the story itself did not really take hold of me.

it is one of films who you expect. for long, long time. because, in a beautiful, touching, unique form , it is a film about yourself. and this is the most important thing. it is a trip in the heart of childhood, the old fashion childhood. and this transforms it in a gem. the source of its special spell/magic - the great work of Mathias Malzieu. . his novel. his adaptation. and, his Jack. it is difficult to define it. it is not perfect and this is one of basic good things. it is not Pixar or Disney and this is the second virtue. it is a meet with well known characters from old, oldies stories . and it is enough. because, in fact, it is a an admirable game of imagination.