Ernest and Celestine Returns to the Big Screen with A Trip to Gibberitia!

At long last, the producers behind the first Ernest and Celestine film has made a sequel, and it’s a perfect continuation!

Ernest and Celestine A Trip to GibberitiaPlaying at the Chicago Critics
Film Festival May 7, 12pm (
tickets)

While not everyone has read the original books by Belgian children’s author Gabrielle Vincent or saw the first movie over a decade ago, Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia stands very well on its own. It also has an undeniable charm, and a presentation worthy of Hayao Miyazaki‘s watercolour technique back when films were made by hand.

There’s even some humour which is endearingly familiar. It’s as though this new movie is tapping into my love for Sherlock Hound. This Italian-Japanese series also used a similar approach to misfit antics, and as for what the law enforcement represents, they’re just as much like the keystone cops. They enforce a steadfast rule in the town the bear (Lambert Wilson) and mouse (Pauline Brunner) visit. The actors reprise their roles like no time has passed. That is, nothing has really changed in their relationship since the first film from ten years ago.

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Where Worlds Collide and The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou

What’s amazing about The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou is that it is not a full-blown tale of terror. It’s more of a gentle thriller.

The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou TIFF Poster
Available to preorder on Amazon USA

Available on VOD
Coming to DVD on April 25, 2023

Just what Elsa (Lou Lampros) transforms into in The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou may have many viewers believing she’s a Loup-Garou, but truth be told, what changes inside can be much worse! This French-made film offers a great mystery.

Ultimately, this tale is focused on Jacky (Thomas Parigi) and the relationship with his grandmother Gisèle (Edwige Blondiau), who is a local healer. She uses folk medicine and her gift of altering one’s electrical meridians through the laying of hands (she calls it magnetic therapy) to cure the sick. She hopes to pass on her talent to him, but not everyone in the village is convinced he has that magic, too. Sadly, when she passes, the villagers will have no one else to turn to. 

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The NFB’s Adds 2 New Comic Strip Chronicles and is Presenting at the Montreal Comic Arts Festival!

National Film Board of Canada LOGO

The National Film Board of Canada has humour and serious drama in store with two pieces now in its online Comic Strip Chronicles Collection. This series of shorts looks at the strong connection that exists with comic strips–in its traditional Sunday funnies format–with animation. When considering the latter, it also delves deep into thoughtful experiences too.

More events are planned this weekend. These two particular works will be screened at the Films et Table Ronde Entourant L’univers de la BD event (in French and organised by the NFB) and the Montreal Comic Arts Festival, beginning May 7.

There’s also a terrific retrospective written by Marc St-Pierre on The NFB’s blog to get readers up to speed on what the Animation Studio of the French Program has been up to in the past several years. The article is written in French, and it can be parsed through Google Translate.

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The Prince’s Voyage Set To Land May 18th!

Directed by the venerable French animator Jean-François Laguionie (The Painting, Cannes Palme d’Or winner Rowing Across the Atlantic) and Xavier Picard (King Arthur and the Knight of Justice), this movie is a beautiful and exciting movie adventure that promotes acceptance and diversity.

The Prince's Voyage
DVD/Blu-Ray Available to pre-order on Amazon USA

This spring, Shout! Studios invites you to embark on an extraordinary journey with The Prince’s Voyage when this highly anticipated animated feature debuts on a two-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) and Digital on May 18, 2021.

Directed by the venerable French animator Jean-François Laguionie (The Painting, Cannes Palme d’Or winner Rowing Across the Atlantic) and Xavier Picard (King Arthur and the Knight of Justice), this movie is a beautiful and exciting movie adventure that promotes acceptance and diversity. Available for the first time on North American home entertainment shelves, The Prince’s Voyage Blu-ray Combo Pack contains insightful bonus content and is a must-have for collectors and animation enthusiasts.

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The Prince’s Voyage Set to Land in America May 18th!

The Princes Voyage Blu-Ray Cover
Available to preorder on Amazon USA

Coming May 18, 2021
From SHOUT! STUDIOS

This spring, Shout! Studios invites you to embark on an extraordinary journey with The Prince’s Voyage when this highly anticipated animated feature debuts on a two-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) and Digital on May 18, 2021.

Directed by the venerable French animator Jean-François Laguionie (The Painting, Cannes Palme d’Or winner Rowing Across the Atlantic) and Xavier Picard (King Arthur and the Knight of Justice), this movie is a beautiful and exciting movie adventure that promotes acceptance and diversity. Available for the first time on North American home entertainment shelves, The Prince’s Voyage Blu-ray Combo Pack contains insightful bonus content and is a must-have for collectors and animation enthusiasts.

A production of Blue Spirit Productions (Oscar®-nominated My Life as a Zucchini) and Melusine Productions (Wolfwalkers), The Prince’s Voyage screened at The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, New York Animation First, and Chicago International Film Festival to great audience enthusiasm. Filmmaker Jean-François Laguionie received an Honorary Cristal Award at the 2019 Annecy for his illustrious career in animation.

Continue reading “The Prince’s Voyage Set to Land in America May 18th!”

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