Lucie (Lucie Leontiadis) is a 9-year-old headed to Bectoile for a vacation with her mother, Caroline (Mariana Le Guennec), and her colleague, Pierrot (Yannick Jaulin), who are archaeologists. Caroline grew up in Bectoile, so there is a lot of family history there, which Lucie wants to uncover. Caroline's childhood home burned down and her family has secrets which Lucie pursues with help of the songbirds and her new friend Yann (Anton Souverbie-Giorgis).
The film begins with Lucie hearing about her mom's childhood from her mom. When Lucie and Yann venture into the woods, they encounter the "Wizard" who lives there. When she hands him a photo of her mother 's family when she was a child, Lucie asks the Wizard if the man in the photo is him. He is unsure, but Lucie believes it is one of the family secrets. This film is animated and stands out due to its unique animation style. In the beginning Lucie dreams about flying with the birds at night and the animals appear layered on top of each other. Lucie has a strong passion for adventure. When she notices something, she doesn't ignore it; instead, she investigates it. Pierrot, Caroline's colleague, is like a cool uncle. When he comes over to their place and sees Lucie practicing playing the guitar he teaches her to play a song. Yann comes in later when he helps Pierrot fix the moped. Lucie's mother, Caroline is depicted as a cool mom; when she rides with Lucie on the moped they sing together.
All of the voice actors are terrific. We see a burst of emotions when Caroline sees her father for the first time in many years. When he realizes that she is his daughter emotion oozes from him. There is not a lot of music in the film but one song plays in the background called "La Mauvaise Réputation." The beauty of the song is amazing, especially at the end of the film when everyone sings together.
I commend the director, Antoine Lanciaux, for his amazing work. His experience as an animator definitely shows in the artistry of this film. My favorite character is the protagonist, Lucie. She is annoying at times and sad when her mom reveals that she never saw her father again after the mill burned down. After learning that, 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. Discovering her family's secrets helps her 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, so you need to be able to read pretty quickly to enjoy the film. By Motunrayo A. and Zamyra G., KIDS FIRST!
Lucie (Lucie Leontiadis) is a 9-year-old headed to Bectoile for a vacation with her mother, Caroline (Mariana Le Guennec), and her colleague, Pierrot (Yannick Jaulin), who are archaeologists. Caroline grew up in Bectoile, so there is a lot of family history there, which Lucie wants to uncover. Caroline's childhood home burned down and her family has secrets which Lucie pursues with help of the songbirds and her new friend Yann (Anton Souverbie-Giorgis).
The film begins with Lucie hearing about her mom's childhood from her mom. When Lucie and Yann venture into the woods, they encounter the "Wizard" who lives there. When she hands him a photo of her mother 's family when she was a child, Lucie asks the Wizard if the man in the photo is him. He is unsure, but Lucie believes it is one of the family secrets. This film is animated and stands out due to its unique animation style. In the beginning Lucie dreams about flying with the birds at night and the animals appear layered on top of each other. Lucie has a strong passion for adventure. When she notices something, she doesn't ignore it; instead, she investigates it. Pierrot, Caroline's colleague, is like a cool uncle. When he comes over to their place and sees Lucie practicing playing the guitar he teaches her to play a song. Yann comes in later when he helps Pierrot fix the moped. Lucie's mother, Caroline is depicted as a cool mom; when she rides with Lucie on the moped they sing together.
All of the voice actors are terrific. We see a burst of emotions when Caroline sees her father for the first time in many years. When he realizes that she is his daughter emotion oozes from him. There is not a lot of music in the film but one song plays in the background called "La Mauvaise Réputation." The beauty of the song is amazing, especially at the end of the film when everyone sings together.
I commend the director, Antoine Lanciaux, for his amazing work. His experience as an animator definitely shows in the artistry of this film. My favorite character is the protagonist, Lucie. She is annoying at times and sad when her mom reveals that she never saw her father again after the mill burned down. After learning that, 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. Discovering her family's secrets helps her 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, so you need to be able to read pretty quickly to enjoy the film. By Motunrayo A. and Zamyra G., KIDS FIRST!
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