Nate At The Movies

I’m a big animation fan, as everyone should know by now, so when I saw the captivating animation and score in the trailer for Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, I got very excited. While KPop Demon Hunters has been mine and pretty much everyone’s de facto Best Animated Feature winner since July, after watching Little Amélie tonight, I think it has a real chance to do to KPop Demon Hunters what Flow did to The Wild Robot last year.

Let’s talk about the animation first, because that’s what caught my eye. The return to 2D animation—gorgeous 2D animation, to be specific—was very welcome, and what a colorful world Amélie found herself in! Everything, from plants and water to people, were vibrantly, unpredictably colored and made every scene and shot pop. There were so many inventive visual moments as well, the opening “God” sequence coming to mind first (thought it wasn’t the only one). What a way to start a movie, too; your two-year-old narrator claiming they’re a God and having some extensive, albeit shaky, evidence to back it up.

Amélie’s story was incredibly engaging and surprisingly deep, and this movie served as one of the few examples of a “slice of life” story that I actually really connected to. A story focused on discovery was bound to be engaging, but it was incredibly cute and satisfying through the eyes of a child, especially one who started so dormant before exploding to life. Both in action and color, the filmmakers captured what those never-ending discoveries must feel like for a child, and as one who occasionally sees that same wonder in his students’ eyes, it was awesome.

Above all, Amélie’s story demonstrated the great value of human connection, and Amélie’s relationship with Nishio-san was one of the best aspects of the movie. Their bond was equal parts adorable and touching, and seeing how both Amélie and Nishio-san grew thanks to it was really heartwarming. I also appreciated how the movie wasn’t afraid to expose its younger characters and its audience to harsh realities that kids have to deal with, from death and separation to leaving home and even prejudice. The reach this film had was Pixar-level, which tracks—I’d like to think this is the kind of stuff that happened to Riley in Inside Out during that opening montage, just as fuzzy and warm and wonderful.

Not only was the finished product of Little Amélie or the Character of Rain incredibly impressive and moving, but this emotional and visual spectacle being accomplished in under 75 minutes is a whole different victory. I’m well aware that kids can’t sit still very long these days, but the brevity and profundity of Little Amélie should be able to keep everyone not only in their seats, but glued to the screen. And I didn’t even talk about the music yet! We’re learning about Joe Hisaishi in my 2nd grade classes right now, and this score was as gentle and powerful as some of his best. It’s no “One Summer’s Day”, but that’s ok.

Little Amélie captured the magic (which a lot of movies seem to be doing ever since I promised I would be more rigorous in my film criticism) that I’m always looking for, and it’s the closest thing that I’ve gotten to one of the great Pixar or Studio Ghibli films in a few years. This one’s special, and I hope it doesn’t become forgotten under the mound of franchises and CGI slop that us silly Americans seem to be cranking out like they’re going out of style. I’m still pulling for KPop Demon Hunters to take home the Oscar, but it has some serious French competition now.