NZIFF Film Review: "The Red Turtle" (2016).

"Presented by Studio Ghibli, the people who brought you Spirited Away, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises" comes The Red Turtle. This animated fantasy drama film directed by Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit, written by Pascale Ferran, and produced by Wild Bunch and Studio Ghibli. Through the story of a man shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds, the film recounts the milestones in the life of a human being.

Hayao Miyazaki saw Dudok de Wit's short film Father and Daughter (2000) and wanted to make a feature film with him. In 2008, Vincent Maraval, head of Wild Bunch, visited Studio Ghibli and met with Miyazaki. Miyazaki showed him the short film and asked him to find Dudok de Wit, with the prospect of co-producing a feature film with Dudok de Wit as director. Maraval approached Dudok de Wit in London and convinced him to take on the project.

The film stars the voice talents of Emmanuel Garijo, Tom Hudson, Baptiste Goy, Barbara Beretta, Maud Brethenoux, Mickaël Dumoussaud, Elie Tertois, and Axel Devillers. While the characters feel very simplified at times, there are scenes that put great weight on performance and subtle expressions, in a way that's nearer to the classical American tradition than most Japanese animation.

Everything in it exudes a special magic that emanates in a slow and leisurely narrative rhythm, that transports us unfailingly to another time. The result is a pleasing, if bloated and simplistic, experience destined to be overpraised because of its lauded creative team. The material might be fantastical, yet due to the universal themes of womanhood and true happiness, the film's story is exceptionally grounded. A great, grounded realist with a firm eye but a light touch, Dudok de Wit's leisurely feature film directorial debut has a rare serenity and grace. In an era where anime films seem to blend into each other aesthetically, Dudok de Wit's impressions seems marvelously alive - its modesty in images makes them feel as if they're being created before our very eyes. There exists a compelling experiential satisfaction of the closure of a mythical character journey full of ebbs and flows, complexities and emotional introspection, all expressed fully in the compassionate drawings of Dudok de Wit. Flurries of expressiveness swirl into subtle shifts in style; it's these fiercely elemental illustrations of one girl's forbearance, defiance and longing which mark Dudok de Wit's film as one of Studio Ghibli's final masterpieces. A hauntingly mesmeric masterpiece that creeps beneath the skin and truly transports the viewer into an enchanting world of myth and magic. A poignant gem, very different in tone to the studio's most celebrated works, Grave of the Fireflies and Spirited Away, but no less worthy of praise and admiration. No one goes to Studio Ghibli for incident. This is a film-making model that favours contemplation over manufactured climaxes. The Red Turtle is one of the most beautifully animated films of this or any other year. A mezmerizing display of impressionist animation.

Simon says The Red Turtle receives:

Also, see my NZIFF review for A Touch of Zen (侠女).