Week Two of Animation First REWIND showcases great feature films and lyrical shorts from the last three seasons that have been curated ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS. From the first edition’s opening night celebration featuring a 3D screening of Minuscule, which is currently offered on Amazon Prime, to last year’s wildly popular screening of The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily, the festival has proven that animation is truly a universal language for kids of all ages.
Free Shorts: Surrealist Poems of Robert Desnos
France’s most talented new animators bring the poems of surrealist author Robert Desnos to life in playful shorts that were screened at FIAF as part of Animation First 2018.
Click on the film name to stream it online.
Ages 8 & up
In French without English subtitles
Read English translations here
Couplet de la rue de Bagnolet
Dir. Quentin Guichoux (l’Atelier), 2015, 3 min
Dans un petit bateau
Dir. Charlotte Cambon (La Poudrière), 2015, 3 min
J’ai tant rêvé de toi
Dir. Emma Vakarelova (La Poudrière), 2015, 3 min
La Grenouille aux souliers percés
Dir. Juliette Cuisinier (Emca Angoulème), 2015, 3 min
Le Salsifis du Bengale
Dir. Raphaëlle Stolz (Les Gobelins), 2015, 3 min
Les Quatre sans cou
Dir. Alix Fizet (La Poudrière), 2015, 3 min
Paris
Dir. Justine Vuylsteker (Esaat), 2015, 3 min
Ages 10 & up
Dir. Alexandre Espigares, France, 2018, 85 mins. Color.
Voices of Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Paul Giamatti, Eddie Spears.
Dubbed in English
Based on the eponymous 1906 novel by Jack London, this elegantly-animated adaptation follows White Fang, a young wolf-dog pup, through a series of encounters with animals and humans in the Yukon Territory during the 1890s gold rush, where men and animals were left to fend for themselves.
For his first feature film, Alexandre Espigares, who co-directed the Oscar-winning short Mr. Hublot, captures the essence of London’s rugged tale but softens the edges for a younger crowd. The detailed oil-painting-textured visual technique make for a strikingly beautiful and vivid retelling of White Fang’s story.
The film was screened at FIAF as part of Animation First 2019.
Stream on Netflix
Feature Film: Minuscule: The Valley of the Lost Ants
Ages 8 & up
Dir. Thomas Szabo & Hélène Giraud, 2013. 88 min. Color.
No dialogue.
Winner of the 2015 César Award for Best Animated Film, a rare 3D-screening of the film was presented at FIAF for the opening night of the first edition of FIAF’s Animation First Festival in 2018.
A young ladybug gets caught in the middle of a war between red and black ants fighting over the remains of a picnic. With a jaw-dropping mix of digitally animated characters and live-action backgrounds filmed in two of France’s most scenic national parks, Minuscule provides a surprisingly realistic look at the insect world.
Told without a word of dialogue, it is a rip-roaring environmental fable for viewers young and old.
While the characters are pint-sized, critics have favorably compared Minuscule to mega-blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars.
Stream on Amazon
Feature Film: Marona’s Fantastic Tale
Ages 8 & up
Dir. Anca Damian, 2019, 92 min
In French with English subtitles
Screened at FIAF as part of Animation First 2020
New York Times Critic’s Pick: “The director Anca Damian has a playful drawing style, and her kinetic frames are always creating something new for the audience to enjoy.”
After an accident, Marona, a small Labrador mix with a big heart, reflects on all the homes and humans that have welcomed her throughout her life. Brilliantly told through vibrant colors and dazzling animation, this charming tale follows Marona’s adventures as she meets and is adopted by fascinating characters, including a circus acrobat and a sweet young girl with an eye patch.
Director Anca Damian breathes Marona’s world into being, using an inventive mix of cut outs, 2D, and 3D animation techniques to impart the wisdom of an average dog with an extraordinary life.
FIAF Members can watch the film for $6 (regular price is $10). Please email membership@fiaf.org for the discount code.
A portion of the proceeds go to support FIAF.
Stream on GKIDS