The Red Turtle and 3 Other Most Visually Striking French Animated Movies
This is the perfect pick if you are tired of Hollywood animation.
French animation, noticeably different from the work of Pixar and DreamWorks Studios, impresses with its diversity of techniques and genres. It includes projects for children and adult cartoons that address sensitive topics.
1. The Red Turtle, 2016
The main character finds himself stranded on a desert island and tries to build a raft. However, a large red turtle keeps breaking the raft, preventing him from leaving the shore.
One day, he notices the turtle has washed up on the beach and turned over, so he leaves it to die. Contrary to his expectations, though, the animal turns into a woman.
The Red Turtle is a joint animated film by the French studio and Studio Ghibli. Director Michaël Dudok de Wit tells an allegorical story about family, aging, and the relationship between humans and nature without using dialogue.
2. Mars Express, 2023
The story takes place on Earth and a Martian colony in the year 2200. Private detective Aline Ruby and her android companion, Carlos Rivera, investigate an increasing number of cases involving robots – someone is removing the restrictions from their programs.
The partners soon stumble upon a global political conspiracy affecting all aspects of Earthlings' lives.
This neo-futuristic sci-fi film references Blade Runner, Black Mirror, and the works of science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. Despite this continuity, director Jérémie Périn finds an original approach to the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence.
3. A Cat in Paris, 2010
Zoé is a girl who is having a hard time dealing with her father's death. One day, she decides to follow her cat, Dino, suspecting that he is leading a double life.
She turns out to be right, and this is how she meets Nico, the cat's second owner and a jewel thief. Zoé soon discovers that Dino is involved in a series of robberies that her mother is investigating.
A Cat in Paris is an animated hit from 2012 that received Oscar nominations. This adventurous story about a girl and her cat evolves into a real noir thriller involving clan wars, the mafia, and robberies.
4. Ernest & Celestine, 2012
Celestine, a mouse from an underground city, grew up hearing scary stories about menacing bears that inhabit the surface. One day, she met a bear named Ernest and realized that these animals were actually harmless, especially when they weren't hungry.
Since both are outsiders in their respective worlds, they decide to live together. However, the mouse and bear kingdoms are unhappy with their friendship.
Soft watercolor animation and an abundance of pictorial details create a unique, contradictory world.