Kirikou and The Sorceress

Kirikou and The Sorceress was a fun and exciting animation to watch. Based on African folk tale. Michel Ocelot was the chief creative director transforming the traditional folk into his own by adding a few more elements to the story to expand and enrich the tale for a viewing audience. According to the official English website for Kirikuk, the animation took five years to complete. Artistic elements were taken from ancient Egypt, Africa, and France. The animation was made and produced in France. Producer, Didier Brunner observed the animation process as an investor knowing that the projects time of completion and financing was greatly underestimated. When the final product was complete and released Brunner was amazed by the colors and detail that were displayed throughout the film.

In a design perspective, both the character and set design were breath taking in that the people were so realistic. I really liked the wizardry and mystical elements that both the Sorceress and Wise Man of the Mountain had. The dark shadows, mechanical minions, and fiery background that surrounded the Sorceress, compared to the cool holy glowing appearance of the wise man. These surroundings helped heighten their characters purpose in the movie. It brought them out of the realism of the other tribe members and into the realm of magic and adventure. Even Kirikou had a major feature that made him stand out, his size. Yes, he is stated to have been born premature on his own terms, but throughout the progression of the story he still remains small compared to the characters that surround him.

The backgrounds in which Kirikou travelled ranged from the barren desert to the rich lush forests. In the characters section of the official English website of Kirikou, they stated that all shrubbery that was shown in the film were not all native to Africa. They were based loosely on Egyptian drawings as well as those of the Douanier (Henri) Rousseau. Looking into the Rousseau style of drawing the Guggenheim website gave insight on the life and work of Henry Rousseau. He was a Post-Impressionist French painter based in Paris in the late 1800s into the early 1900s. Though he never travelled outside of Paris his colleagues and friends inspired him with their descriptions of their international travels to tropical places. He is noted for his jungle environmental pieces. Michel Ocelot stated, “He wanted each plant in the film, even those hidden in the forest, to be a small masterpiece.”

Overall I truly enjoyed every aspect of this animation from the design elements, traditional African music and historic/mystical/romantic storyline. Kirikuk is ranked number thirty-two on Time-Out’s 50 Top Animated Features. Looking at Kirikuk and other features that made the list, aspiring animators can pick out and observe what elements are needed to make a list like this later in their developing careers.

Works Cited:

African Folk Tale - Kirikou and the Sorceress (folklore, Folktales). Web. 22 Oct. 2010. <http://www.kirikou.net/index.html>.

"Guggenheim Collection - Artist - Rousseau - Biography." Collection Online. Web. 22 Oct. 2010. <http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_bio_139.html>.

"Time Out's 50 Greatest Animated Films – Part 2 with Time Out Film - Time Out London." Time Out Worldwide - Your Guide to the Best Things to Do in the World's Greatest Cities including London and New York. Web. 22 Oct. 2010. <http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/8837/>.

"WebMuseum: Rousseau, Henri." Ibiblio.org - Storytelling. Web. 22 Oct. 2010. <http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/rousseau/>.