Nocturna 2007

     Tim lives with other boys in an aging orphanage.  Girls are also in the orphanage but they are separated from the boys.  Tim studies the stars at night and this cures his fear of the dark.  Other kids get mad at Tim because he doesn’t retrieve a ball that fell into the basement.  It was too dark and Tim couldn’t see the ball?  One night, some of the kids steal the doorknob to the doors leading to the window where Tim always looks out.  Tim goes to the rooftop and he begins an adventure.

     Tim always looks at the same star in the night sky.  While he is looking, the star disappears and other stars begin to also disappear.  On the rooftop, Tim discovers a character that goes by the name of the Cat Shepherd and he has the faithful cat Tobermory with him.  Tim’s personal guardian is Tobermory.  Tim convinces the Cat Shepherd to take him to Moka.  This is the guardian of the Night World.  Tim pleads with Moka to return the stars to the night sky.  Moka doesn’t pay attention to Tim and the Cat Shepherd takes Tim to the Lighthouse of the Stars.  Maybe Tim can get some help from the Lighthouse of the Stars??  The actual story is about a child’s nightmare about loss and overcoming fears.  The story in this film is interesting and also the type of animation!!  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

80 min, Animation directed by Adria Garcia and Victor Maldonado with the voices of Imanol Arias, Herve Caradec, Roger Carel, Catherine Cerda, Florence Dumortier, Evelyne Grandjean, Joe Lewsi, Molly Malcolm, Patrick Noerie, Robert Paterson, Patrick Pellegrin, Philippe Peythieu, Jean-Luc Reichmann, Natalia Rodriguez, Lloyd F. Booth Shankley.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, Amazon, Rotten Tomatoes 83% audience, Letterboxd average 3.5*out of 5*,  Common Sense Media Barbara Shulgas age 8+, 4* out of 5*, 3* positive messages, 2* role models, 2* violence & scariness, 1* sex, 2* language, 1* drinking, drugs & smoking.

Special Note:  This is a Spanish, French and United Kingdom collaboration.  There are two other films with the same title from 1979 and 2015 but they have entirely different stories.  The meaning of the title word Nocturnal is being active or happening at night rather than during the day or of the night, or relating to the night.