Ernest & Celestine 2012

     There is a very special world where bears live above ground in cities and rodents live underground.  The bears hate the rodents and the rodents hate the bears.  Celestine grew up in an orphanage with other mice and she has no relatives.  She is an apprentice mouse dentist.  Her job is to go up above ground and gather teeth from the bears.  She’s having a tough time obtaining teeth and is sent back to gather 50 teeth.  Bears have the strongest teeth and if a rodent loses their teeth they can’t eat.  Their missing teeth are replaced with bear teeth.  Ernest is a poor street musician rejected by the other bears.  Celestine helps him and they begin an unusual friendship.

      This is a good and interesting movie that captures your imagination with a different, simple, creative and heart-warming story of an unusual friendship.  Rodents stealing bear teeth to replace their own teeth?  A very large bear who can be grumpy and a tiny artistic mouse living together?  Not a typical fairy tale?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

80 min, Animation, directed by Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Benjamin Renner with the voices of Forest Whitaker, Lambert Wilson, Pauline Brunner, Mackenzie Foy, Lauren Bacall, Anne-Marie Loop, Paul Giamatti, Patrice Melennec, William H. Macy, Brigitte Virtudes.

Note:  Imdb 7.9 out of 10, 97% critic 88% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*.

Special Note:  This film was originally filmed in France with different actors for the voices of the lead roles.  The animation looks hand drawn and is gently colored more like subtle watercolors.