Nocturna

Acceptable cartoon movie with enjoyable original screenplay by Adrià García, Víctor Maldonado , Teresa Vilardell and inspired by Japanese tales and Miyazaki movies . This is an attractive and entertaining adventure in traditional animation , no ordinary computer generator . In the aging orphanage the days pass very uneventfully , but the nights are something quite different ; at least for Tim they are . Tim is a boy who lives at an orphanage and afraid of dark but he will have several adventures . However , when the stars start going out in the sky he finds himself exploring the world of the night along with a new friend . As the light reflected from the stars is the only cure for his fear of the dark . As Tim to be aware that his favorite star has vanished , and unfortunately it's not going to be the last one and he will do what it takes to see it shine in the night sky once again . One night his fear leads him to the rooftop , then , Tim falls off the roof but he is rescued by a weird being . As Tim meets a particular role that goes by the name of the Cat Shepherd (voice by Imanol Arias) ; together with his sympathetic cat Tobermory , that will become Tim's personal guardian , the Shepherd is in charge of cats that watch over children , making kiddies sleep peacefully . As Tim needs his star more than anything in the world , and he will stop at nothing to accomplish it . Tim convinces the Shepherd to take him to see Moka , the guardian of the night , and pleads for him to return the stars to the night sky but Moka pays scarce attention to the boys pleas . Later on , Tim asks the Cat Shepherd to take him to the Lighthouse of the stars , where he thinks he may find the answer to the strange phenomena . Step by step our friends will discover something strange is happening and Tim is unknowingly the one behind it all .

Agreeable and charming fairy tale starred by Tim , his fellow the Cat Sheperd , Tim's best friend , and a likable cat , all of them race against the clock through the streets and jumping rooftops pursuing the rare phenomena that have made to disappear the star as well as light and to find out why . The movie is a bizarre animation film in which our little hero , an enthusiast , passionate orphan , takes on ominous threats that are putting in danger the night and the inhabitants of Nocturna as well as encounter the vanished star . The film shows a strange and fantastic world called ¨Nocturna¨ , plenty of Gothic and high buildings and where live hundreds of the most diverse creatures and they work to create the night as we all know it . The film is quite amusing with emphasis on cartoon spectacle and influenced by Ghibli Studios and especially ¨Spirited away¨ by Ayao Miyazaki . Animation production by Jose Pozo is nice , Nicolas Errera's musical score is first-rate and very spectacular . This sensitive soundtrack is splendidly composed and performed . Production by Julio Fernandez , ruling of Filmax Productions and Fantastic Factory is fine . He has become one of the most important producers of the country . Actually, the position of his organization responds fully to the opportunities of the European and international markets in the leisure sector, emphasizing on the fantastic genre, through Fantastic Factory and animation with Filmax Animation , to the global market on home video, television and also theatrically . He has produced successful cartoon films as ¨El Raton Perez I and II¨ or "The Hairy Tooth Fairy", ¨Gisaku¨ , ¨El Cid : the legend¨ also directed by Jose Pozo and ¨Goomer¨, among others . The motion picture was well directed by Adrià García and Víctor Maldonado . The film got a great number of prizes and nominations , such as : Barcelona Film Awards 2007 Won Barcelona Film Award Best Animated Feature Adrià García Víctor Maldonado ; Goya Awards 2008 Won Goya Best Animation Film Adrià García ; and nominated Annecy International Animated Cristal Best Feature Adrià García , Víctor Maldonado .

Nocturna is one of the best animated films I've seen, not just recently but ever. The animation is some of the most beautiful-looking I've seen from any animated film in a while, and I say this as a huge animation fan, with colours especially that have a perfect mix of Gothic atmosphere, surrealism and warmth. The music score is enchanting too, sparkling and adventurous, while the story is original in concept and very creative and simple with an appreciative message, the writing is is dynamic and never cheesy or stilted and the characters are both memorable and appealing, Tim is cute but never in a cloying sense, you actually do root for him. The voice work is wonderfully professional.

So all in all, a gem of a film, not just animated but of film in general. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is the kind of children's movie I particularly dislike. I can't write any spoilers, as I quite watching about about half an hour.

The first 10 minutes or so make it seem as if this is going to be a very atmospheric, magical, mystical experience, but then it replaces all of that in favor of a mechanistic bureaucracy filled with clichéd characters. Most of the characters are some version of the lovable curmudgeon -- grouchy, impatient, irritable, with a heart of gold -- or the inept, incompetent stooge. The dialogue is trite and predictable.

As some one else wrote, it is not Miyazaki. It is not Neil Gaiman. It is, however, the Spanish version of "Monsters, Inc."

I love some things about this film. The overall storyline of the boy overcoming his fear of the dark was great. The visual design of the world and all the little creatures and workers that create "the night" were very imaginative. But there were a few things that let it down like the annoying personality of the protagonist and the rather repetitive plot that doesn't really go anywhere until near the end. I get what it's going for, but it wallows in its diversions too much to make the impact it wants to.

It's always nice to accidentally stumble upon a movie that didn't get the praise and recognition it rightly deserved in the first place. It's even nicer when it's animated.

The story starts with Tim, a night-time fearing orphan who takes great refuge with mother nature's night-lights, the stars. After a prank by some of his fellow orphan brothers, he scrambles up onto the roof so the dark doesn't envelope him. And this is when he notices that the stars are beginning to disappear. But luckily for him he then meets the Cat Herder, his new found friend and ally to figuring out the mystery of the missing stars.

The story itself isn't strong enough to carry you alone, but thanks to a creative world and unique artistic style that reminded me of a Tim Schafer game in ways, the movie combines all aspects of film-making to create something worth-while and memorable.

At the movie's core is Nocturna; the name of the magical land that controls the night and sleep for all the little boys and girls of the world. In this land there's a Cat Herder that is in charge of all the cats that purr you to sleep. There's a trio of hair-dressers that give you 'bed head'. There's even a bothersome little man who with a tiny whisper, will have you wetting your bed. And that's just for starters.

With a tried and true, but rather simple story about courage, and not being afraid of the dark at it's center, you're not really blown away by any story arc. The delivery of it's message through imagination is the real saving grace. Because of the art style and professional voice work, the movie will eventually rise above it's unfounded place in that big well of under-appreciated films.