ERNEST AND CELESTINE

Featuring the voices of: Lambert Wilson, Pauline Brunner, Anne-Marie Loop, Patrice Melennec and Brigitte Virtudes.
Writer: Daniel Pennac.
Directors: Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar and Stephane Aubier.

Rating: 4/5

The late Belgian author Gabrielle Vincent’s books about the unlikely friendship between a sweet-natured mouse named Celestine and grumpy, ne’er-do-well bear named Ernest came to magical life on the page and find a similar passion via water-coloured textures and warm-hearted fullness in this highly-anticipated film adaptation.

A triumvirate of directors (Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, Stephane Aubier) make full use of the imaginative treatment afforded Vincent’s much-loved works by scriptwriter Daniel Pennac, who has taken elements from several tomes to create an original narrative created in the spirit of the books.

A captivating opening sequence set in a boarding house for mice in training to be dental assistants (teeth are currency in the underground world of the mouse colony) outlines the relationship between the subterranean rodent population and the brutish, above-ground world of the bears. Despite being taught that never the twain shall meet, Celestine (voiced by Pauline Brunner) dreams of a world where each exist in harmony.

Starving after having been woken from hibernation by robins and snowflakes, Ernest (veteran leading man Lambert Wilson) stumbles across Celestine, who has been trapped in a garbage can after a night raid to collect teeth went wrong. Predator and prey come face-to-face, only to strike up an ‘odd couple’ partnership and undertake an adventure that pits them against the prejudices that have kept the species apart.

The pairing grows in depth over a series of episodic misadventures, although it is the dialogue shared in the quieter moments and the superbly-timed character interaction that gives the film its resonance, far more so than the sometimes extravagantly staged schtick. The animation technique is particularly effective in conveying both the beauty of the landscape and the inner self of key characters; tight close-ups reveal the kind of emotional meaning in the slightest of facial movements that the most experienced of live-action actors would struggle with.

Despite a decided lack of bold primary colours, the likes of which mainstream audiences feed on in an animation era ruled by the CGI divisions of major studios, Ernest and Celestine provides a sweetly subtle alternative to the barrage of manipulative emotional cues usually called upon in this modern age. It is a beautiful work (that will play just as well whether sub-titled or dubbed), effortlessly engaging the hearts and minds of young and old alike.