Fresh from Sundance, the Boulder International Film Festival chose to screen the new English-dubbed version of the delightful animated film, Ernest and Celestine. I was looking forward to hearing Forrest Whittaker as the bear but sadly, knowing that William H Macy was the voice behind the head Dentist made me picture him and took me out of the narrative. There were many instances where in the original, the words were not mainly just sounds and murmurs and did not distract from the painterly images on the screen. In the English-dubbed version, those words are more distinct and become distracting.
I’m happy for the filmmakers if this version gains them a larger audience; although I imagine that the Academy Award nomination should be enough to do that…but catch the original version if you can!
My original post from April 2013:
This delightful French 2-D animation has lovely water-color painted backdrops and a sweet story of two unlikely friends trying to survive in a world where creatures keep to their own kind. A small misstep in an over-long central bit spent in the mouse dental office but the drawings are so charming that it’s easily forgiven. One of my favorite films of the festival, “Ernest et Celestine” is a charming film suited for all ages.
Rating: 4 cups of cocoa
Drinks with films 