Sirocco og Vindens Rike

Internasjonal presse skriver:

“Welcome to the imagination of French director Benoît Chieux, who has crafted — in the year 2023, against considerable odds — a truly spectacular psychedelic excursion in the vein of head-trip classics The Fantastic Planet and The Yellow Submarine. It’s been roughly half a century since those two movies demonstrated just how liberating the medium of animation can be, but you wouldn’t know it to watch Chieux’s hand-drawn curio, which takes the mesmerizing dream logic of such projects and applies is to an Alice in Wonderland-style plot. Sirocco suggests France’s answer to a film like Miyazaki’s Spirited Away by way of all the other aforementioned references - and yet, there’s an originality to it that keeps things surprising.”
Variety (A+)

“A distinctive and original piece of world-building that, at the same time, pays homage to legendary figures in animation – mainly Miyazaki. A beguiling and surreal story of sisterhood and survival. A loving tribute to one of the all-time greats of the medium. Younger audiences will be charmed by the film’s invention and moments of inspired silliness.”
Screen (A+)

"Chieux’s Soulful Psychedelic Adventure Is A Triumph Of The Imagination. This eye-catching, dimension-traveling adventure might be aimed at kids, but there’s plenty here for adults who grew up believing the possibilities of animation might be endless. Now that Disney has done its best to persuade us otherwise, Chieux’s fabulous Sirocco is here as a palate-cleanser, tucking away a tender story of love and loss in an insanely imaginative psychedelic brainstorm. If Matt Groening and Miyazaki took magic mushrooms and watched The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine together, they could conceivably come up with a movie to match this. Sirocco is very much its own creature, unique and effortlessly surprising.”
Deadline (A+)

“A work of great visual and narrative ambition, packed with so many beautiful and inspiring Ghibli-inspired poetic inventions."
Telerama (A+)

“That, my friends, is what I call an opening film! What a pleasure it is to keep on seeing 2D animated productions transport us to such an extent. Like Carmen and Juliette, we're blown, propelled through the air by Selma's red deltaplane, carried from one end of the kingdom to the other in its thick, colorful clouds. Sirocco is an incredible sensory experience, with a sumptuous score by Pablo Pico. Filled with humor, Chieux's film is sure to appeal to younger audiences. But above all, it shows the power of animation and children's literature to deal with sensitive subjects such as grief and, in a way, consent. In French animation, it's been a while since we've seen such a mesmerizing proposition...”
Cinematraque (A+)

“Sirocco is a strange object with a semi-psychedelic style (very 70's ambiance), which seems to draw as much inspiration from the work of Moebius as from The Wizard of Oz, My Neighbor Totoro or Where The Wild Things Are. In the midst of these crushing references, however, Chieux manages to inject moments of poetry (the idea of the wind represented "physically" is a pure success) and burlesque (the youngest of the two kids is hilarious, as is the village mayor's wacky walk).”
Premiere (A+)

“A dazzlingly inventive French animated film, Blowing a breath of fresh air on French animation. Magnificent.”
““A breathtaking animated film packed with creativity and invention, an imaginary world teeming with originality, and featuring extraordinary creatures and impressive scenery.”
“One of the richest, freest and most moving stories of recent years.”
“Benoît Chieux invents a new visual mythology, a graphic epic of warm, flat colors, at once limpid and grandiose, where every scene is a source of wonder and surprise, like this firmament where translucent medusa-flowers replace the stars.”
Télérama ★★★★

“We found THE Christmas cartoon of the year, and it's French!”
“This magical tale marvels with its poetry and graphic originality, capable of captivating all ages.”
“Magicians such as Grimault (The King and the Bird), Miyazaki and Takahata seem to have bent over the cradle of this enchantment with its refined graphic style. These big names in international animation would probably not deny the poetry of this work.”
“The originality of the drawing and the magnificent score by Pablo Pico transport the audience into a world in which we feel at home.”
20 Minutes ★★★★

"Claiming the adventure film genre and drawing inspirations from Miyazaki's aerial fïgures, Edelmann's pop art style (Yellow Submarine) or the characters sketched by Maurice Sendak (Where The Wild Things Are)."
Cahiers du Cinéma ★★★★

“Sure to thrill kids and parents alike!”
Positif ★★★★

“An invitation to a fantastic voyage, beautifully animated, visually dazzling and subtly emotional.”
Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace ★★★★

“Exquisite and intelligent!”
L’Obs ★★★★

« A lovely initiation tale about the power of imagination, enhanced by sublime graphics and superb music. An animated film that challenges the form and content of Studio Ghibli's productions.”
La Croix ★★★★

“A total gem!”
Le Journal du Dimanche ★★★★

“A film bursting with imagination, airy and swirling.”
Les Fiches du cinema ★★★★

“Chieux's film depicts the movement of air masses, swelling, coloring and darkening clouds as they accelerate. Through the drawing and music of composer Pablo Pico, he suggests the breath that animates us all.”
“A long journey to the edge of a phantasmagorical world, full of poetry.”
“Majestuous!”
Le Monde ★★★★

“A sensory tale, Benoît Chieux's beautiful children's film, awarded at the Annecy Festival, creates wonder along melancholy: the ability of fiction to heal wounds.”
Libération ★★★★

“Visually splendid, Sirocco will take you to the higher ground of animated poetry, thanks in no small part to Pablo Pico's score.”
Paris Match ★★★★