My Life as a Zucchini (2016)

After losing his mother, a young boy is sent to a foster home with other orphans his age where he begins to learn the meaning of trust and true love.

Director:

Claude Barras

Writers:

Céline Sciamma (screenplay writer), Germano Zullo (contributing writer)

Stars:

Gaspard Schlatter, Sixtine Murat, Paulin Jaccoud

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 22 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gaspard Schlatter	...	Courgette (voice)
Sixtine Murat	...	Camille (voice)
Paulin Jaccoud	...	Simon (voice)
Michel Vuillermoz	...	Raymond (voice)
Raul Ribera	...	Ahmed (voice)
Estelle Hennard	...	Alice (voice)
Elliot Sanchez	...	Jujube (voice)
Lou Wick	...	Béatrice (voice)
Brigitte Rosset	...	Tante Ida (voice)
Natacha Koutchoumov	...	Courgette's Mother (voice) (as Natacha Varga-Koutchoumov)
Monica Budde	...	Mme Papineau (voice)
Adrien Barazzone	...	Mr. Paul (voice)
Véronique Montel	...	Rosy (voice)
Romane Cretegny	...	Fillette (voice)
Evelyne Bouvier	...	Maman de la fillette (voice)

Storyline

Courgette (Zucchini) is an intriguing nickname for a 9-year-old boy. Although his unique story is surprisingly universal. After his mother's disappearance, Courgette is befriended by a police officer Raymond, who accompanies him to his new foster home filled with other orphans his age. At first he struggles to find his place in this strange, at times, hostile environment. Yet with Raymond's help and his new-found friends, Courgette eventually learns to trust and might find true love.

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Plot Keywords:

loneliness | orphan | orphanage | foster | foster home | 

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and suggestive material

Details

Official Sites:

GKIDS [United States] Indie Sales [France]

Country:

Switzerland France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

24 February 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Life as a Zucchini

Filming Locations:

Rhône-Alpes Studios, Lyon, France

Box Office

Budget:

€6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,472, 26 February 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$292,279, 7 April 2017

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$219,663, 19 March 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rita Productions, Blue Spirit Animation, Gébéka Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wilhelm scream: when one of the kids falls off his sled after being hit by a snowball.

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Quotes

Raymond: Your mum is no longer there, Icare.
Courgette: My name is Courgette!
Raymond: Courgette... Did your mum call you that? Hm. My name is Raymond.
Courgette: Did your mum call you that?

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Crazy Credits

About halfway through the credits, we see an animated sequence based, apparently, on the lead actor's audition tape.

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Connections

References Supergirl (1984)

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Soundtracks

Eisbär
Written by Martin Eicher
Performed by Grauzone

User Reviews

Mature take on youth that still keeps a child-like tone

My Life as a Zucchini was nominated for Best Feature Film at the 89th Academy Awards. And for a 70 minute feature, that says a lot. This French-Swiss stop-motion animation film takes on a mature content but never fails to keep its child-like tone and to an extent, its innocence.

It follows the story of Icare (but prefers to be called Zucchini), who lives with his alcoholic mother. After an accident, Zucchini has been sent to an orphanage by a policeman named Raymond. Zucchini's start at the orphanage is rough—thanks to the Simon, the bully. From there on, we are immersed into Zucchini's adventures as he learns of friendship, of family and of love.

This animated film ravel with its wonderful visuals that reminds us of the days when its was toys over tablets. In a way, this serves as a nostalgic treat for teenagers. Almost every scene carries a powerful meaning. But its greatest feat is looking at the lives of these children through a different lens—they are all abandoned, damaged or broken. One has her mom deported, the other has his father jailed— these are all mature themes but nevertheless, real.

But despite all that, Zucchini and his crew are all still children. They play, they dance, they sing. The film never stops to carry this child-like tone. The colorful aesthetics are impactful and an array of vibrancy spreads across the screen. It is a brave film that looks at life at an emotional depth. It's an eye-opening experience.