“Yuku and the Himalayan Flower” by Arnaud Demuynck and Rémi Durin, in addition to its charm, has the distinctive feature of addressing children with unsweetened messages, in addition to its excellent music.
A little gem born in Belgium, the animated film “Yuku and the Himalayan Flower” is both a novelty and a reunion. It has something novel and unusual in the design of the characters, the handling of the colors, the rhythm that without losing agility remains calm, and something else that we will talk about later.
And it has the tone, the structure and the veiled intention of the old children’s stories that described the adventures of a child on his first trip away from his family, a trip in search of something more valuable than a treasure. In these adventures there were always new friends, advice to avoid possible dangers, also serious dangers, beautiful joys, personal growth, and at least a couple of good lessons for life, and for all children.
In this story, Yuku is a little mouse who goes out in search of a distant, bright flower, perhaps necessary to light the way for her grandmother, who is already beginning to say goodbye to her family and is talking about a blind mole who will lead her through dark tunnels to a happy meeting with her ancestors. For her part, Yuku will see the light of day, other animals, the flower, of course, and a new place within the family.
From there, she transmits to her little brothers something she learned singing a duet with a fox. She plays the ukulele and sings with everyone, ska, blues, boogie, rap, it is very varied, but this song has unusual lyrics, never heard in the children’s songbook: “one day it will be the last, / enjoy it with gratitude”, “Spring will come / and one day it will be the last. / Live with intensity”. And it is such a cheerful and catchy ballad that the kids leave the cinema singing it.
By the way, it is displayed here very well dubbed into Spanish, But if you want, you can easily find the original songs on YouTube, by Lily Demuynck-Deyder (the little mouse) in duet with the rapper Arno (the rat guardian of the castle), Tom November (the bad wolf), Alice on the Roof (the stuttering rabbit), Agnes Jaoui (the fox) and others.
Directors, Arnaud Demuynck and Rémi Durin. Designs, Paul Jadoul. Two details: Arnaud He is also the author of several children’s story books, and the father of the little mouse. And Agnes Jaoui She is a French actress, director and singer who came to Bafici a couple of times, with some very enjoyable films (“The Taste of Others” is especially recommended, but only for adults).
“Yuku and the Himalayan Flower” (Yuku et la fleur de l’Himalaya, Belgium, 2022); Dir.: Arnaud Demuynck and Rémi Durin. Animated film.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
