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osprey_archerI’ve already written about most of the movies I saw this March, but there are a smattering of others, including Leap!, a movie set in fin-de-siecle Paris. More or less. Felicie spends a lot of time running around in what appear to be jeans shorts, which might have been appropriate for ballet practice but certainly weren’t appropriate street wear in 1890.
However, the movie isn’t about historical accuracy, but the Joy of Dance, and also the Joy of Flight. Felicie’s best friend Victor is a budding young inventor who makes unlikely flying machines. Indeed, they escape from the orphanage together in a contraption he calls “Chicken Wings.” (“Chickens don’t fly!” Felicie protests. Victor’s first set of wings don’t work too well either.)
It’s a sort of fairy tale, about two kids achieving their dreams with unlikely yet charming rapidity, and the beauty of Paris; I also particularly liked the way that the movie dealt with Felicie’s rival, snooty rich girl Camille Le Haut. At first Camille seems just plain mean, but then you see how hard her mother pushes her and how little chance Camille has ever had to learn about kindness or friendship, and then the two girls have a dance off (more movies should have epic dance battles) during which Felicie executes a grand jete so epic that Camille Sees the Light and apologizes for her past behavior, and the two reconcile.
This is a plotline that I see not infrequently in boys’ stories about sports rivalries, but I don’t think it’s as common in stories for girls, so it was nice to see it in this context.
I also quite liked Felicie’s relationship with her mentor, the former dancer Odette. (Voiced by Carly Rae Jepsen! Who knew Jepsen could act? She’s great, by the way. I was so impressed when the credits rolled and I saw her name. Another happy surprise: Mel Brooks plays the cranky orphanage supervisor with a heart of gold.) I wasn’t thrilled with Felicie’s not-quite-a-romance with Victor but there’s so much else going on in the movie that it was easy to ignore.
In short, a cute, fun movie. Highly recommended for a rainy afternoon or a cozy evening in. Possibly not recommended to watch with someone who has studied ballet and will take it upon themselves to complain about Felicie’s ludicrously swift progress.
I also watched a number of short animated films by the Soviet director Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya, “The Daughter of the Sun,” “The Cat Who Walks by Himself,” “Geese-Swans,” and "The Amber Castle," none of which lit a fire under me. The animation in “Geese-Swans” was at times quite beautiful, though: I loved the sketchy birch trees and brown impressionistic forest.
However, the movie isn’t about historical accuracy, but the Joy of Dance, and also the Joy of Flight. Felicie’s best friend Victor is a budding young inventor who makes unlikely flying machines. Indeed, they escape from the orphanage together in a contraption he calls “Chicken Wings.” (“Chickens don’t fly!” Felicie protests. Victor’s first set of wings don’t work too well either.)
It’s a sort of fairy tale, about two kids achieving their dreams with unlikely yet charming rapidity, and the beauty of Paris; I also particularly liked the way that the movie dealt with Felicie’s rival, snooty rich girl Camille Le Haut. At first Camille seems just plain mean, but then you see how hard her mother pushes her and how little chance Camille has ever had to learn about kindness or friendship, and then the two girls have a dance off (more movies should have epic dance battles) during which Felicie executes a grand jete so epic that Camille Sees the Light and apologizes for her past behavior, and the two reconcile.
This is a plotline that I see not infrequently in boys’ stories about sports rivalries, but I don’t think it’s as common in stories for girls, so it was nice to see it in this context.
I also quite liked Felicie’s relationship with her mentor, the former dancer Odette. (Voiced by Carly Rae Jepsen! Who knew Jepsen could act? She’s great, by the way. I was so impressed when the credits rolled and I saw her name. Another happy surprise: Mel Brooks plays the cranky orphanage supervisor with a heart of gold.) I wasn’t thrilled with Felicie’s not-quite-a-romance with Victor but there’s so much else going on in the movie that it was easy to ignore.
In short, a cute, fun movie. Highly recommended for a rainy afternoon or a cozy evening in. Possibly not recommended to watch with someone who has studied ballet and will take it upon themselves to complain about Felicie’s ludicrously swift progress.
I also watched a number of short animated films by the Soviet director Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya, “The Daughter of the Sun,” “The Cat Who Walks by Himself,” “Geese-Swans,” and "The Amber Castle," none of which lit a fire under me. The animation in “Geese-Swans” was at times quite beautiful, though: I loved the sketchy birch trees and brown impressionistic forest.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-02 12:47 am (UTC)That sounds really charming. Thank you for the writeup!
no subject
Date: 2018-04-02 12:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-02 03:09 am (UTC)As a movie, it sounds cute/nice, but I was bugged by the cover image because you had a line of well-behaved dancers and then Felicie doing her wild, free-spirited, different thing. "Express yourself' and "Let your inner creativity shine" are fine, good things, but part of being a good ballet dancer is also about being able to do things together with the group. But that's not a criticism of the film, and I'm glad the film was good.
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Date: 2018-04-02 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-04-02 11:52 am (UTC)And from a marketing perspective, the cover image says to young-girl viewers (the main audience, I'm assuming): "Look--here is a you-like character, learning ballet! She's fun, creative, and unique, like you!" That's likely to hook more viewers than something more conformist-seeming. And kids aren't going to be pedantic about ballet (probably).