Lucie (Lucie Leontiadis) is a 9-year-old headed to Bectoile to vacation with her mother, Caroline (Mariana Le Guennec), and her colleague, Pierrot (Yannick Jaulin), who are archaeologists. Caroline grew up in Bectoile and her childhood home burned down there. Lucie wants to pursue her family's history.
The film begins with Lucie learning about her family's past from her mom. Lucie and her friend Yann venture into the woods, where they encounter a "Wizard" who lives there. She hands him a photo of her mother as a child, together with her parents. She asks the Wizard if the man in the photo is him, but he is unsure. Lucie is certain that it's him and this reveals one of the family secrets. This film is animated in a unique style, thanks to the director, Antoine Lanciaux, whose experience as an animator really delivers the artistry of this film For example, Lucie dreams of flying with the birds at night and they are illustrated in a way that makes it look as if they are layered on top of each other. The characters are all quite interesting. Lucie has a strong passion for adventure. Pierrot reminds me of the cool uncle. He sees Lucie practicing the guitar and teaches her a new song. Caroline is depicted as motherly, but fun. All of the voice actors are terrific and bring the characters to life through their voices. When Caroline sees her father for the first time in many years and when he realizes that she is his daughter, emotion oozes from them both. There's a song that plays in the background, La Mauvaise Réputation, that really captures the mood of the film. The beauty of the song is amazing, especially at the end when everyone sings together. My favorite character is Lucie. She is relentless about uncovering her family's secret. When her mom reveals how she never saw her father again after the mill burned down, she devotes her time to putting all the clues together. I love when she says she is happy to finally have a grandfather at the end.
The film's message is to do what you can to help others. Finding out her family's secret helps Lucie's family as a whole.
I give The Songbird's Secret 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12. The dialogue is in French with English subtitles. By Motunrayo A. and Zamyra G., KIDS FIRST!
Lucie (Lucie Leontiadis) is a 9-year-old headed to Bectoile to vacation with her mother, Caroline (Mariana Le Guennec), and her colleague, Pierrot (Yannick Jaulin), who are archaeologists. Caroline grew up in Bectoile and her childhood home burned down there. Lucie wants to pursue her family's history.
The film begins with Lucie learning about her family's past from her mom. Lucie and her friend Yann venture into the woods, where they encounter a "Wizard" who lives there. She hands him a photo of her mother as a child, together with her parents. She asks the Wizard if the man in the photo is him, but he is unsure. Lucie is certain that it's him and this reveals one of the family secrets. This film is animated in a unique style, thanks to the director, Antoine Lanciaux, whose experience as an animator really delivers the artistry of this film For example, Lucie dreams of flying with the birds at night and they are illustrated in a way that makes it look as if they are layered on top of each other. The characters are all quite interesting. Lucie has a strong passion for adventure. Pierrot reminds me of the cool uncle. He sees Lucie practicing the guitar and teaches her a new song. Caroline is depicted as motherly, but fun. All of the voice actors are terrific and bring the characters to life through their voices. When Caroline sees her father for the first time in many years and when he realizes that she is his daughter, emotion oozes from them both. There's a song that plays in the background, La Mauvaise Réputation, that really captures the mood of the film. The beauty of the song is amazing, especially at the end when everyone sings together. My favorite character is Lucie. She is relentless about uncovering her family's secret. When her mom reveals how she never saw her father again after the mill burned down, she devotes her time to putting all the clues together. I love when she says she is happy to finally have a grandfather at the end.
The film's message is to do what you can to help others. Finding out her family's secret helps Lucie's family as a whole.
I give The Songbird's Secret 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12. The dialogue is in French with English subtitles. By Motunrayo A. and Zamyra G., KIDS FIRST!
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