Le chien, le général et les oiseaux

The other and quite critical review has persuaded me to write my very first one after hundreds of ratings on this website and thousands of movies watched. Which include quite a lot of animated movies for children. This one, even if it may not be an absolute masterpiece, deserves much better than it could seem.

First, the story is quite impressive: it deals with war, old age, loneliness, nature, urban life, animal freedom, challenge of the law, achievement, dreams, death… without any difficulty for a 4-year-old child. On this point, it's worth many masterpieces of the brilliant Miyazaki.

The great work of Tonino Guerra, based on real testimonies and adapted by himself, is used at its best, and mixes perfectly complexity and ease of understanding. The main character does not need of identification to be really moving, and the editing can afford flash back and several dreams with a surprising clarity.

Second, graphics: there are also based on Sergueï Barkhin's drawing used in the original book. There are enhanced by an impressive work on perspective and perception of space, with lots of "quotations" of famous painters, Van Gogh, Chagall, etc. Colors also reveal massive researches and subtlety. All there are visually efficient, rich and subtle.

Sounds and music may be more understated, but they show a very welcome lightness even if the few darker scenes, including army battles. They escape the loudness war that has concerned even movies for the youngest and spoiled many of them for a couple of decades.

Nonetheless, the use of computer to animate the drawings could look old-fashioned, a bit "8-bit style". But the movie does not pretend to be technically impressive, and rather focus on feelings, understanding of the world, humor or power of imagination to move young children with a great success.

Finally, this film manages in what a lot of works of art are looking for: to hide a large amount of complexity and work under appearances of simplicity, almost naivety.