Boy & the World (2013)

Original Title

O Menino e o Mundo

Genre

Animation | Adventure

Director

Alê Abreu

Country

Brazil

Voice Cast

Vinicius Garcia, Lu Horta, Marco Aurélio Campos, Felipe Zilse, Alê Abreu

Storyline

Cuca (Vinicius Garcia) is a boy who lives in a distant world, in a small village in the interior of his mythical country. One day, he sees his father leaving in search of work, embarking on a train towards to an unknown capital. The weeks that follow are of anguish and confusing memories. Until then, one night, a breath of wind breaks into the bedroom window and takes the boy to a distant and magical place.

Opinion

In times when 3D animation is trending, Brazilian Alê Abreu outperforms most of the animation flicks with a film that may seem childish at first glance, but I assure you it is not.

Featuring a touching story of a small boy trying to reunite his family, "Boy & the World" is a well-made, poetic film that has more heart than the majority of movies for kids.

The colorful animation, which indeed stands out from the crowd, is perhaps the best part of the film: the drawings, made with endless imagination and that go from pastels to wax crayons, oil painting, to collage - like a kid would do -, create such spectacular images that make words superfluous. The most important is the way these elements were put together. Abreu doesn't try to find aesthetic perfection, instead he tries to make the whole film touch the viewer's emotional strings.

Along with its sublime and ipnotic score, the film has a different, artistic way to express everything, from landscapes to people, war to nature, and feelings. 

"Boy & the World" is not just a kids film. It actually is suitable for all ages because everyone can find some food for thought. In fact, while the children will enjoy the adventure of the little boy, everyone else, mostly young-adults and adults, will reflect on the working world, human rights, ecology and poverty.

Don't let you trick by the language: the film is almost dialogue-free and the few dialogues are in backwards Portuguese, meaning you don't need to understand that.