Search - Kirikou And The Wild Beast on DVD

Glowing Animation of an African Fable

Gerard D. Launay | Berkeley, California | 08/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the most interesting animated tales I have ever seen on DVD is "Kirikou and the Sorceress" - an unqualified 5 out of 5. That film tells the story of a tiny boy born with magical powers and canny intelligence who defeats a witch in the forest who is capturing the male warriors of a Senegalese village tribe.

The next movie "Kirikou and the Wild Beast" is a sequel and like most sequels it never quite matches the originality of the earlier film. In fact, the magical birth of Kirikou is never explained or referred to. What is the purpose of the next film? It is a collection of short tales of Kirikou's adventures - such as riding a giraffe, outsmarting a powerful hyena, or creating lovely and valuable pottery for the village trading post.

Nevertheless - the new film exceeds the original in one department - glorious animation design. Unbelievable. The artwork is equal to the best animation anywhere - computer or otherwise. So many of the frames resemble the jungle paintings by the French self-trained artist Henri Rousseau who stunned the art world in the early 20th century. And for this alone, I would readily recommend the movie."

Loved it, can't wait for the English version

A. Miller | Broomfield, CO | 01/25/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Our family is a big fan of Kirikou and this one is no exception. Beautiful animation, interesting stories, and he is his usual clever self -- "small but mighty"."