Cindy H
really good movie! the story is cute and the ending is a little sad but touching.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
06/21/22
Full Review
Audience Member
Oh my gawd..."The Day of the Crows"...
I had just watched a traditionally hand-drawn animated movie called "The Day of the Crows"...this movie was so good I cried and felt depressed after watching it...because it was over. It is THAT good.
What we see here is a father and son, called Father and Son, who both live out in the wild hunting to eat to survive and the Father trying to make his Son into a man, but one night the Father gets a fractured leg and is unconscious after he falls from a tree during one of his crazy nights of shouting at the thunderstorm and despite the many dangers of the outer-world his Father told him, the Son's friends who are spirit animals who live in the woods (I fucking love the Horse Man!) guide him to take his father outside the woods to seek help.
So that's exactly what the wild Son does, taking his Father to a village where he meets a kind Doctor and his daughter, named Manon, who aids his Father while Manon helps the Son adapt to this new world he's seeing and discovering something he now wishes his own Father could give him which is "love", having never known what this "love" was he starts to notice he and his father have a bit of a dysfunctional relationship and seeks help from his forest-dwelling friends including one whom he calls "Mother" (Who I also LOVE!) who shows him the way of how they became to be.
This is a very beautiful movie that has to be the most emotionally strong, the way in which it captures colors and texture of the seasons, the moods there are and the richness to its elegance is something to be greatly admired for once you watch it you will never forget the world and the creatures in it you find. The forest is an amazingly designed place as well as the town like something out of a fairy tale that none of us knew existed, I dare even say this is a movie that is more Hayao Miyazaki than anything Hayao Miyazaki has done recently!
The characters themselves are all very likable in how kind and interesting they are, there are some unlikable characters that put together a part of a story I won't spoil but very much like Miyazaki's Spirited Away these characters that turn out to be quite rotten are well..rotten, but there is some humanity in there, in fact a lot of these characters resemble humanity in its kindest as well as its cruelest, each one comes off rather memorable and carry you through the simple-yet-over-whelming story of family, love, obsession and sadness that is done very well.
The spirit animals, who have bodies of humans but with heads of animals, that live in the woods in particular are very phenomenal to take-in, the way they're animated gives them so much character in their reactions and movements and even more splendid is that they never talk which is very difficult to do right but they succeed with how their expressions and actions define their being. We have the mysterious Bobcat, the helpful Horse, the strange Frog and the motherly Deer who is also very gorgeous and stunning to look at, in fact all of these spirit creatures are great.
Their presence in every scene they're in just bring up a great rush of powerful emotions, love and magnificence that will forever be engraved into your minds and hearts for always, in all honesty Disney WISHES it could capture and bring the same beauty that, let's face it, is severely missing from anything Disney's done for YEARS, but even comparing this movie to anything Disney or Miyazaki has done is a massive disservice because it's its own thing (I believe it's adapted from a novel) nevertheless it does not make it any less than what it is and for sure I can say it's a masterpiece.
The Day of the Crows is a movie that will sadly be over-looked by most people because it is far too great than anything that mainstream America could ever tolerate to be in their midst, the animation is greatly done with elegance and beauty that only further proves that traditional hand-drawn animation is not friggin' dead and excels with its brilliance that mainstream and even indie realms of animated story-telling are severely lacking when it comes to both the animation, the story and especially the character aspect that can drive any story as simple as one about what it means to have family.
A great movie that deserves to be seen by those who not only want to relive the grand days of hand-drawn animation that, in great respects, will never lose the emotional connection that so many CGI animated movies seem to have a very difficult time and often failing to prevail, but an animated movie that tells a great simple story with memorable characters that will never let you go as we venture out into our own outer-world to find ourselves and the great values we can carry on.
10/10, best movie of the year (even though this came out in 2012), I must find a DVD copy of this and the book it was based from!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/21/23
Full Review
Audience Member
When the wild-child meets the world.
I have seen a few French animations like 'Eleanor's Secret', 'Zarafa' and others. They were so cute, unlike Hollywood's, these were targeted for the children, but adults can watch them as well. No logic can be expected since it is an animation, it ain't masterpiece either, but a pure fantasy tale and the honest entertainment piece. The plot was loosely based on the French children's book of the same name and a feature film debut for the director. Obviously a low budget film, but nothing short to be a high quality flick.
This was not a movie with the beautiful character models like from the Disney fairytales, but they were adorable and enjoyable by the portrayal. That's what I always like in the European animations. Technically sounds good, but the stories are what so special in the French animations. This was about a nameless boy, who lives in the heart of the forest with his father. All his life lived within the circle of a boundary, but what happens once he crosses it is what the story that explores.
The boy was the centre of the story, his adventures, discoveries and understanding of the human civilization is the movie. The boy's character was not unusual, he has been just like the other version of Tarzan or Mowgli of the French version, who is a feral and curious about the world. Everything going to change when he meets the other creatures of his own and a girl of his age. The circle of life repeats, to break the curse and brings the curtain to the sweet narration.
"Our forest stands in the middle of the sky.
And the stars turn around like the beast attached to his stake."
The end describes the meaning of the title. It was a 90 minute movie, but feels too short. If we talk about the film characters, Jean Reno rendered his voice to one of the main characters. As the characters rough in the looks, the story as well not that pleasant. Of course it is a children's movie, but character behaviours were rough and tough like the father bashing his son, huntings and deaths. Violent, but smooth and clever which are acceptable.
The 2D animation has died only a decade ago in the Hollywood, but great to see them still alive in the other part of the world, but facing the recognition problem which might lead to extinction. I have grown watching the cartoons, but now feels like time to say goodbye not too long from here. Now I am monitoring attentively the new products so that I can keep updating in the last hours of this awesome technology. I recommend this film for all ages. As far as the movie, it delivers what was intended to tell. Hope you like the film, as I tried to convince in this review.
8/10
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
French cartoons certainly aren't as safe and processed for mass appeal as American cartoons. A bit inconsistent, but cool.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/12/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Theres never a dull moment in this pleasently beautiful 'Studio Ghibli' like French animated feature. The Day of the Crows sores high above the typical animated flare, to others its just enough to make the cliches shine brighter than ever. Full of colourful characters with a fairy tale like plot within an authentic French Pre-WW1 setting, theres so much to like about this film from spiritual guidence, cute tones, beautiful animation, etc. This is a top class traditionally animated feature for Kids and Adults to embrace with such warmth and appriciation.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Testé avec une enfant de 6 ans et une de 12 ans : ça marche à tous les coups! Très beau visuel, jolie histoire, subtile, la grande a pleuré...
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/18/23
Full Review
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