♦ Ernest and Celestine. The trip to Charabie***

by Jean-Christophe Roger and Julien Chheng

French animated film, 1 h 19, from 5 years old

” It’s this way and only this way ! » In Charabie, native land of the bear Ernest, we do not discuss too much the ukases of the judge who rules the country. Forced to return there, Ernest and his mouse friend Célestine come up against a dictatorship where music is strictly regulated. The Charabians, who are only allowed to play one and the same note, get drunk on orchestral improvisations in clandestine bars.

The opportunity for the directors to offer some beautiful, funny and symbolic visual finds. All animated with a vivacity and sensitivity that brings the watercolors to life even more wonderfully.

» READ THE STORY AND THE REVIEW: “Ernest and Celestine”, the trip to the land of animation

♦Inu-Oh***

by Masaaki Yuasa

Japanese animated film, 1 h 38

Operatic and political fable telling the story of friendship between a deformed singer and a blind musician monk in medieval Japan, straight out of the whimsical mind of Japanese filmmaker Masaaki Yuasa, Inu-Oh is an incredible animated feature film combining rock and sarugaku (ancestor of No theater). A virtuoso exercise in style, in the spirit of the great mangaka Taiyo Matsumoto, but also a political fable on those left out of history, which is part of a long Japanese literary and graphic tradition.

By dancing and singing on stage the poetic chronicle of clan struggles in the twelfth^e century for the control of the Empire of the Rising Sun, the artist gradually wards off the curse: his deformities disappear little by little through the magic of catharsis. But the singer quickly comes up against the power of the Shogun who wants to rewrite history. Power and illusions of art.

READ THE REVIEW: “Inu-Oh,” a medieval rock opera about the power of art

♦ Operation Santa Claus***

by Marc Robinet and Caroline Attia

Program of French animated short films, 43 min, from 3 years old

In a big house, a spoiled child dreams of spending Christmas with his two wealthy but absent parents. William’s unreasonable demand for Christmas and his father’s weakness lead to global catastrophe. Here is the capricious little boy who has gone on an operation to repair his stupidity, accompanied by his neighbour, little Alice, and guided by the hilarious elf Gérard Patrick Sophie (GPS). Will they be able to save Santa Claus from the clutches of the “world’s greatest wildcat hunter” ?

This adventure is served by an artistic team that offers a chiseled graphic universe, rich in colors and materials, whose beauty reaches its peak at the end. Perfect for letting the beautiful range of emotions of the two children express themselves, who are not lacking in character! A funny and poetic story, which has all the ingredients to create stars in the eyes of young and old.

But before that, you must first visit the Land of the Aurora Borealis, the short film that precedes it and features the young Colin. Orphaned, he goes to live with his grandfather, and gradually learns the secrets of the Far North. This short film offers a rich reflection on man and nature, in the immensity of the ice deserts, in the middle of a wild nature. An initiatory tale, overwhelmingly sweet, which puts you in a very good mood before meeting William and Alice.

♦ Puss in Boots 2. The Last Quest**

American animated film, 1 h 42, from 6 years old

The last time we left Puss in Boots was in 2011. He rode a horse in the scorching desert sun, looking for new adventures and the alluring Kitty Paws of Velvet. More than a decade later, the hero hasn’t changed. Here he is, pursued by the most terrible enemy he has ever had to face. There is only one solution to escape this mysterious white wolf: find the wishing star that will grant the wish of whoever finds it. But the treasure interests many people, starting with Goldilocks and his mafia bear family, and the terrible Jack Horner, the same one who climbed the beanstalk.

Accompanied by his ex-fiancée and a chihuahua (which borrows a lot from Shrek’s donkey), here is our Cat embarked on an epic, served by visuals with a more stylized paw than those of the first opus, and whose graphics varies by scene. A beautiful demonstration of animation, which nevertheless gives the film a sometimes messy composite aspect. The references are numerous, with a special mention for the arrival of the big bad on a machine borrowed from madmaxand nods to Sergio Leone.

The result is a lively story with a slightly darker theme than the previous one, and punctuated by the flamenco steps of the little hatted feline. This western with Andalusian accents should delight the whole family.

♦ Avatar. The way of the water *

by James Cameron

American film, 3 h 12, from 12 years old

Thirteen years after the triumph ofAvatar, the sequel to James Cameron’s spectacular science fiction film, is being released in cinemas, eagerly awaited by its millions of fans and cinema operators. A phenomenon that combines steamroller marketing, state-of-the-art special effects, family praise and advocacy for nature. If the cinema experience is held, it will undoubtedly be necessary, in the future sequels – three other films are already planned… – to deploy a little more effort in the scriptwriting of what strongly resembles a pacifist western. .

READ THE REVIEW: “Avatar. The way of the water”, the great ecological-humanist bath of James Cameron