Gorgeously animated and completely enthralling - The Evening StandardA huge hit in France and joint winner (along with Chicken Run in 2002) of the British Animation Award for best European feature KirIkou and the Sorceress is the perfect antidote to Disney.Based on a traditional West African folk tale the film tells the story of the 10cm tall Kirikou a small boy who delivers himself from his mother's womb to emerge walking and talking. Kirikou undertakes a perilous journey in order to discover the secret of the evil sorceress who has cursed his village eating up the men-folk and drying up the spring.Director Michael Ocelot's rich animation plunges his audience deep into the African bush a place of myth and spirituality. The animation style and setting are unapologetically African with no attempts to westernise the people or setting. The drawings of plants and trees in Kirikou are stylised reproductions of real tropical flora inspired by Egyptian drawings and the paintings of Henri Rousseau.The specially commissioned score by Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour uses only traditional African instruments. The soundtrack adds another rich layer to this magical African fairytale a treat for adults and children alike.
