Kirikou and the Sorceress

One of the coolest grandfather characters in all of cinema. The animation is Kirikou and the Sorceress doesn't impress as much with its technical sophistication as much as it does with its vibrancy and artistic design, which will each go much further in establishing the film as an enduring representative of the medium. Simple but distinctively presented, this adaptation of West African folktales (a collaboration between half a dozen or so film companies that are surprisingly exclusively European) feels like just the right combination of realistic qualities, the supernatural, and distinctive cultural elements. If someone tries to convince you that Kirikou is aimed exclusively at a younger audience, know that they're wrong; while it may seem passé to some to release a film with a character that is pure of heart struggling against a greater evil, this feature debut from French director Michel Ocelot demonstrates a particular competency for storytelling and visual design that makes it a rewarding experience for any viewer. No idea why the nudity here was considered controversial upon release, even for a movie that is ostensibly aimed at a younger audience; it's tastefully done and non-sexualized, more reflective of the greater comfort with the human body among the cultures that inspired the narrative than anything else. (3.5/5)

Sometimes the moral of the characters are so thin and fast-changing that bothers a little bit, but the story is worth-watching just for the knowledge of another culture (that is never shown anywhere), the static animation is charming and to see a voice cast as good as this, even when the animation falters, they save the film. Is good to know other worlds aside from USA.

One of those movie with as good animation as original script, it's a success for the Animation French Cinema. 9/10

It's a West African fairy tale competently told through animation.

A superbly charming animated film! The soundtrack evokes a strong presence of culture that is ever present throughout the movie. The humor was quite cute, and it consistently felt like a delightful little fairy tale. I would recommend!

One of the best foreign animated movies ever made.

this movie changed my life. in a negative way

Really great Kids movie! finally a movie that doesn't dumb kids down but empowers them.

Saw it so long ago when I was so young, and re-watching it made it even better as I understood more and being African I can say this is quite a work of art, even in general. One of the animated films I will remember with such fondness.

The dubbing was serviceable at best, but otherwise it was great. The art: gorgeous. The story: very interesting. While I've seen stories where a child wiser than the adults goes to solve all the problems, I did not anticipate all the beats. Especially towards the end. Wish I had seen a higher quality video.