Deep below snowy cobblestone streets, tucked away in networks of winding subterranean tunnels, lives a civilization of hard-working mice, terrified of the bears that live aboveground. Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer, and when she nearly ends up as breakfast for ursine troubadour Ernest, the pair forms an unlikely bond. But it isn’t long before their friendship is put on trial by their respective bear-fearing and mice-eating communities. Like a gorgeous watercolor painting brought to life, the film draws on influences as varied as Buster Keaton, Bugs Bunny, and the outlaw romanticism of Bonnie and Clyde. Based on the classic Belgian book series by Gabrielle Vincent, “Ernest & Celestine” is the winner of France’s Cesar Award for Best Animated Feature and numerous festival prizes. Screen Daily enthuses: “A delightful melding of visual style and narrative pirouettes, ‘Ernest & Celestine’ is a just-about-perfect hand-drawn animated feature.”
