Though it’s been six weeks since the Oscars were handed out, we’re now finally getting a chance to see one of the nominees for Best Animated Feature. It’s good news for fans of the “hand-drawn” style of animation that’s seems to have fallen a bit out of favor here in the states. Yes, like the other nominee THE WIND RISES, this comes to us from overseas. WIND was produced in Japan, while this film, ERNEST & CELESTINE comes to our shores from France, with a bit of help from Belgium. Although both films eschew the rounded almost 3D figures rendered by CGI, they couldn’t be more different in tone and subject matter. Miyazaki’s masterwork is based on the life of a real person who played an important role in World War II. E&S explores the friendship of a bear and a mouse. But although this film has all the whimsy of classic fairy tales (it is based on a popular series of children’s books) it addresses subjects that are a very real part of modern society. But don’t be put off by “the message”. This is a charming fable which (to use an often tired phrase) will enchant children, and adults, of all ages.
We first meet the mouse Celestine as she paints a friendly picture of her with a bear for the mice children in the group dormitory of a dental academy. But the aged lady mouse that watches over them will have none of this “friendly bear” nonsense. She scares the kids with the tales of the vicious bears that live above them in the town (the mice live in tunnels below the bear village). In the countryside outside that village we meet the bear Ernest as he awakes in his run-down cottage. The hungry fellow goes into town and attempts to get some money for food by performing as a one man (er, bear) band. The bear police put a stop to this and they take away his musical instruments. That night Celestine and some of her mice pals emerge from the sewers to grab discarded bear teeth (which can be filed down and used as replacement mouse incisors). She is almost caught and gets trapped overnight in a trash can. The next morning, Ernest discovers her. Before he devours the scared mouse, she helps him break into the storage basement of the candy shop. Later Ernest helps Celestine grab a bag full of teeth from a local dental shop. This puts the two on the run from both the bear police and the mouse police. While Winter sets in, the two hide away in his cottage. Against all common beliefs the two are able to live together and soon form a warm friendship. But will they be able to stay together once the snow thaws and the authorities start searching for them once more?
To the roster of great animated animal duos like Tom & Jerry and Sylvester & Tweety, we must add this artistic mouse and musical bear. Celestine is determined and brave, clever and energetic, a free spirit who follows her heart in the same vein as BRAVE’s Merida or MULAN. Ernest is the more comedic of the two, soft-hearted and clumsy like Barney Bear or Baloo of THE JUNGLE BEAR who often gets frustrated and has a temper similar to those great ducks, Donald and Daffy. The animators also have a great time with the aggravated Georges, the owner of the bear candy store. On the mouse side, there’s great work done on the haughty, refined head dentist as he explains the glory of incisors and on the elderly mouse mistress as she uses fearsome hand shadow shapes to convey the “big, bad bears”. And there’s a wonderful frantic feel of the hordes of animal lawman that’s a tribute to the Keystone Cops of our silent film era. This is topped off by the bombastic and blustery judges above and below street level. All are rendered with a rich, flowing brush and pen line that makes the film seem like a true living storybook.
That design captures the original works of author/artist Gabrille Vincent. Especially remarkable are the loosely rendered backgrounds that have the look of glorious watercolors (which Celestine favors in her own work) with tones that vibrantly pop after the Spring thaw. This also works well with the underground mouse town that uses the sewer mechanics with a wild “Rube Goldberg” creativity and the above ground bear village which evokes quaint post-war Parisian streets with its storefronts and big sedans. Kudos to the directing trio of Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar, and Benjamin Renner not only for the gorgeous look of the characters and the settings of the film, but for its charming low-key tone. While most animated features use a full blasting orchestra and several big musical numbers recalling Busby Berkley’s heyday, the music used here is a simple two or three instrument accompaniment and the songs are funny, clever ditties worked seemlessly into the flow of the story (especially funny is Ernest’s begging for coins tune as he evades the police). Most importantly, the directors never lose track of the story’s heart: that it’s good to question the status quo, and that love and friendship will triumph over intolerance and ignorance. I have only viewed the subtitled version, so I can’t attest to the US dubbed edition that features an Oscar winner (Forest Whitaker) and an honest-to-goodness icon from Hollywood’s Golden Age (Lauren Bacall), but I’m sure this will help the pre-schoolers enjoy the wonderful tale. Either way, audiences will be enchanted by the best buddy comedy/adventure so far this year. Bravo big bear and little mouse. Au revoir Ernest and Celestine, let’s hope we’ll see you again very soon!
4.5 Out of 5
ERNEST & CELESTINE opens everywhere and screens exclusively in both subtitled and dubbed format in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas
