Nocturna (2007)

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

This is the kind of children's movie I particularly dislike. I can't write any spoilers, as I quite watching about about half an hour.The first 10 minutes or so make it seem as if this is going to be a very atmospheric, magical, mystical experience, but then it replaces all of that in favor of a mechanistic bureaucracy filled with clichéd characters. Most of the characters are some version of the lovable curmudgeon -- grouchy, impatient, irritable, with a heart of gold -- or the inept, incompetent stooge. The dialogue is trite and predictable.As some one else wrote, it is not Miyazaki. It is not Neil Gaiman. It is, however, the Spanish version of "Monsters, Inc."

Nocturna is one of the best animated films I've seen, not just recently but ever. The animation is some of the most beautiful-looking I've seen from any animated film in a while, and I say this as a huge animation fan, with colours especially that have a perfect mix of Gothic atmosphere, surrealism and warmth. The music score is enchanting too, sparkling and adventurous, while the story is original in concept and very creative and simple with an appreciative message, the writing is is dynamic and never cheesy or stilted and the characters are both memorable and appealing, Tim is cute but never in a cloying sense, you actually do root for him. The voice work is wonderfully professional.So all in all, a gem of a film, not just animated but of film in general. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Tim is a little boy who is afraid of the dark, but loves the stars. Every night he drags his bed to the window so he can be watched over by his star. One night unable to sleep he climbs to the roof of the orphanage and looks out over the city and notices that the stars, including his star, are going out. In his frenzy to do something he falls off the roof, but is rescued by the Cat Shepherd. The Cat Shepherd is in charge of the cats that watch over all of the children and help put them to sleep at night. When Tim refuses to go to sleep The Cat Shepherd agrees to help Tim get to see the head of Nocturna the world of the night, who might be able to help him solve the problem of the missing stars. This in turn becomes a journey across the night world as Tim tries to find the source of the darkness.I've seen Nocturna twice in two days and while I really liked it after the first viewing I fell even more under its spell upon the second. This is quite simply a magical movie that improves with each viewing (I'm planning yet another viewing in the next day or so). Trust me this is a great film. If you've ever wondered why your hair is messed up in the morning, or who makes the noises at night, or who steal your socks this movie is for you. As Tim goes through the night world he discovers the answers to these and other questions (which are referenced through out the movie and seeing how they are is what makes the film so much fun on multiple viewings) Its magic.Watching the film I was reminded of other films, Monsters Inc, Spirited Away, Moongirl, and a few others, but seconds after I thought that the film was like one thing I almost instantly realized that I was wrong, it maybe like these films for a moment, but in the end they are nothing like them, this is a film that creates its own unique world (which is clearly evident in its design, music and witty dialog). This is a film that ultimately is a unique masterpiece.(If nothing else the familiarity that flashes up makes the film more special in that it makes it easier to believe that what we see happening in the film is really what happens in our world after we fall asleep).This film needs to be seen, by anyone who wants to see a good movie- not just an animated film or a kids film- just a good film. It's special. Search this one out.And why doesn't this film appear to have a US distributor? I had to see this as an imported region 2 DVD(Which has a super English voice cast.) This is an animated film that deserves to be seen as big as possible. I regret not seeing it at the New York Children's Film Festival when I had the chance because the thought of seeing Tim moving through the city on the big screen is just too amazing to contemplate (It looks great on a big screen TV but on a big movie screen its probably even better).

I watched this movie last night and I didn't know anything about the movie, I was really pleasantly surprised. The story of a young boy afraid of the dark, that lives in an orphanage and mapped the stars on the roof of the building. He has a personal star and one night this star vanishes, in the process of finding out what the cause is of the disappearance he meets all sorts of interesting people, including the North Star. There are plenty of laughs, at some points even an ah so that's how it works. Our little hero is on his way to a lighthouse with the cat shepherd and ends up on a roof with a conductor, this person is responsible for all the strange noises you hear in the night.I am going to save this one for my son to watch when he is a bit older.