Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest (2006)

Good movie but grossly overrated

Absolutely Fantastic

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I found the first fifteen minutes or so of this movie painful to watch; flat clunky animation of not much happening set against clumsy 3D backgrounds. I have nothing against slow, thoughtful movies, or less-than-state-of-the-art animation. But this was lacking any kind of spark. There was no life in it. It was like watching someone else wandering around in Second Life doing nothing in particular. The character of the father was particularly awful (the flat, "I am delivering a line" voice-over in the English version didn't help - not that the actor could have really done anything with the lines he was given, they were real: "I am going to advance the plot now!" stuff.) He wasn't even a TWO dimensional character. However, after this overly long set up, and once the action moves to the unnamed Arabian country, the movie picks up and becomes a lot more interesting, both visually and narratively and by the end, though I was not entirely blown away (the protracted 'dilemma' ending was far too long) I was happily satisfied. But then I'm not really the target audience. So, over to the target audience....My daughter Holly (aged 7) says: "I thought this film was really good when Azur had two keys and threw them into the two cavern door when they needed it. It was a bit scary when he didn't have the key for the slashing irons but his brother did and he used it. It was fun. The wee girl as the princess was good. It was one of the most enjoyable movies I've ever watched!"

I recall the trailer of "Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest" was impressive, hence I made it a point to catch it when it's briefly showing at the local indie theaters. It was 99 minutes well-spent and more when writer-director Michel Ocelot appeared at the closing credits. We learned that he created the animation in Photoshop, it was a 6-year effort to have the feature length completed, distributed and first released in France in 2006. The drawings are beautifully detailed and in brilliant colors, depicting a thoughtful dramatic story that exudes fairytale adventure qualities and encompasses cultural diversity themes.Azur is fair-skinned and blue-eyed, and Asmar is dark-skinned and dark-eyed. Both are brought up by Asmar's mother who is also nurse-mother to Azur. When they grew up, together they became fascinated with the legend (as told by mother Jénane, voice of Hiam Abbass who's the mother in "The Visitor" 2007) and pursuit of the rescue to the Djinn Fairy. In their adventures, they met and gained the allied assistance of the agile, energetic little Princess Chamsous Sabah, and accompanied by the goggle-eyed opportunist Crapoux. The adventure segment reminds me of Tarsem Singh's "The Fall" (2006), its visually exotic elements and magical characters. The challenges they encounter and have to resolve one by one are reminiscent of the excitement and anticipation in "The Lord of the Rings" series. The conclusion is nothing short of the grandeur and sparkles of Disney-fare court finale as in "Beauty and the Beasts" or "Sleeping Beauty." Yes, definite an animation to enjoy (on the DVD, there is English version which is free from distraction of subtitle-reading.) Also available on DVD, do check out the other marvelously original and worthwhile writing & direction of Michel Ocelot's animation feature: "Kirikou and the Sorceress" (1998) - simply entertaining story & adventure with (tiny) little Kirikou, including intelligently instilled cultural diversity points of view, subtle or not. Aptly paced music again enhanced Ocelot's skillful storytelling, both enjoyable for children and adults as well.

"Impossibly gorgeous" animated French film AZUR & ASMAR opens in San Francisco Friday! Film director Michel Ocelot will be attending both the 4:15 and 7pm shows on Friday at the Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema. The 4:15pm show is an audience Q&A, while the 7pm show is an introduction to the film.The film has received wonderful reviews for its remarkable visual beauty and timeless story of multicultural friendship and adventure.In English - Recommended for ages 6+ Set in the Middle Ages, Azur and Asmar is the story of two boys raised as brothers. Blonde, blue-eyed, white skinned Azur and black-haired, brown-eyed, dark-skinned Asmar are lovingly cared for by Asmar's gentle mother, who tells them magical stories of her faraway homeland and of beautiful, imprisoned Fairy Djinn waiting to be set free. Time passes, and one day. Azur's father, the master of the house, provokes a brutal separation. Azur is sent away to study, while Asmar and his mother are driven out, homeless and penniless.Years later, as a young adult, Azur remains haunted by memories of the sunny land of his nanny, and sets sail south across the high seas to find the country of his dreams. Arriving as an immigrant in a strange land, Azur is rejected by everyone he meets on account of his "unlucky" blue eyes, until finally he resolves never to open those eyes again. The once-beautiful child clad in gold is reduced to a blind beggar. Yet, blind though he is, little by little and step by step, he discovers a beautiful and mysterious country. Meanwhile, back in her homeland, Azur's nanny has become a wealthy merchant and Asmar has grown into a dashing horseman. Reunited but now as adversaries, the two brothers set off on a dangerous quest to find and free the Fairy of the Djinns.

This movie has it all for all ages - eye-popping visuals, perfect subject independence, gorgeous music and it is chock-full of wonderful messages and story-telling for everyone.The richness in the images is equaled by the richness of the subject matter: a story rewarding curiosity, fidelity and bravery deals with the excitement of discovering little-known cultures, eras, religions, foods, habits of dress, languages, music and the other sex...The trailer and the brief description by the distributor hardly do this piece of magic justice. A must-see as soon as it becomes available near you.