US PREMIERE - NYICFF is thrilled to kick off our 2013 festival with the extraordinary new film from the producers of Kirikou and the Sorceress, Triplets of Belleville and The Secret of Kells. Fresh from standing ovations at Toronto and Cannes, Ernest & Celestine joyfully leaps across genres and influences to capture the kinetic, limitless possibilities of animated storytelling. Rarely has so much charm, warmth, intelligence, and wit been packed into a film that audiences of all ages can enjoy. Deep below snowy, cobblestone streets and tucked away amongst winding tunnels, lives a civilization of hardworking mice, terrified of the bears who live above ground. Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer – and when she nearly ends up as breakfast for grumpy troubadour Ernest, the two form an unlikely bond and are soon living together as outcasts, creating la vie boheme in a winter cottage. But it isn’t long before their friendship is put on trial by their respective bear-fearing and mice-eating communities.
It is no exaggeration to say that first time director Benjamin Renner has created cinematic magic. Like a gorgeous watercolor painting brought to life, a constantly shifting pastel color palette bursts and drips across the screen, while wonderful storytelling and brilliant comic timing draw up influences as varied as Buster Keaton, Bugs Bunny and the outlaw romanticism of Bonnie and Clyde. But bringing it all together and the key to the film’s unique appeal, is the on-screen chemistry between the two lead characters – a flowing, tender and playful rapport that will put a smile on your face and make your heart glow. Do not miss this movie. Ernest & Celestine is destined to become a classic and will be watched and re-watched for generations to come.
View trailer here
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