BALLERINA
France/ Canada, 2016, 89 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Elle Fanning, Dane De Haan, Maddy Ziegler, Carly Rae Jepson, Kaycie Chase.
Directed by Eric Sommer, Eric Warin.
Ballerina is a French- Canadian coproduction, with attractive animation, France in the 19th century, Paris and its streets in the river, the Eiffel Tower in construction, the Statue of Liberty in construction, and the Paris Opera house. There are also scenes in the countryside, especially a stately building serving as an orphanage on the coast.
The film is clearly aimed towards a children’s audience, especially young girls who have aspirations to be dancers or ballerinas – and their devoted mothers. There is a rather lively young boy who might make the film enjoyable for a boys’ audience (or not).
Felicie is a feisty young girl at the orphanage, dreaming to be a dancer, with a music box that was left with her by her mother at the orphanage door. She is friends with Victor who wants to be an inventor. There is a ferocious superintendent, and a nun looking like a Daughter of Charity who tut-tuts and has a very bleak outlook on the realities of life.
In some slapstick comic scenes, with Victor disguised as a nun and a chicken under his habit for a bosom, with wings he invented, on an off wagons, careering and crashing, the couple eventually arrive in Paris but are separated.
This is mainly Felicie’s story, and she finds the building, is ousted by a toothy guard, encounters the cleaner who helps her but wants to get rid of her. Nevertheless, Felicie perseveres, helps with the cleaning, experience the haughty Madame and her snobbish daughter who also wants to be a ballerina. Felicie is given a letter by the postman with the invitation for the daughter to go to the dance school but Felicie goes instead, knows nothing of the movements or what is required of her but, with the cleaner’s help, is able to make an impression, even reaching the final for the audition to take a starring role in The Nutcracker, the snobbish girl being her rival.
Actually, not all plain sailing. Felicie does not win the audition and is bundled back by the haughty Madame (the equivalent of the witch in so many animation stories) and has to escape from the orphanage again, this time on the back of the motorbike by the once aggressive supervisor.
In the meantime, Victor has a job on the Eiffel Tower and is busy trying to develop wings for flight.
This all comes to a head, Madame threatening Felicie on the Statue of Liberty, Victor flying to rescue Felicie and confronting Madame.
Fortunately, there are some changes of heart at the end, and Felicie is able to demonstrate her dancing agility and her passion which leads to a satisfactory happy ending.
A bit of a difficulty for the historically-minded is that the setting is 1887, the beginning of the building of the Eiffel Tower, and The Nutcracker was not performed until 1892. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in the US in October 1886. And the orphanage superintendant rides a motor bike!
Much more enjoyable than anticipated.
1. French- Canadian animation? The universal appeal, characters, situations, music and dance?
2. The animation style, the colour, the visuals of the orphanage, exteriors, interiors, mansions, the dance Academy, the characters? Attractive? The touch of the villains with the caretaker, the superintendent, the nun?
3. The range of music, the use of the classics, Tchaikovsky and Swan Lake, the Nutcracker? Contemporary music and songs?
4. The appeal for young audiences, Victor for the boys, Felicie for the girls? The ballet for the girls? Orphans, dreams, hopes, experience of oppression, freedom, achievement, help, mistakes, overcoming mistakes, winning?
5. The title, Felicie, her age, at the orphanage, left with her music box, treasuring it, the dream about her mother as a dancer? Wanting to escape, with Victor’s help? Victor
disguised as the nun? The chickens, his wings and flying? The journey, the pursuit, the wagon, the crashes? Paris, exploring, their separation, the rendezvous, Felicie finding the Academy, the hostility of the guard, encountering Odette, Felicie following her, Odette sending her away? Felicie offering to clean with Odette, squeaky clean? The work together, her incessant questions? At the mansion, the haughty mother, her rudeness and exploitation of Odette? The daughter and her snobbishness, the dancing and her ambitions? Her throwing away the music box? And Victor fixing it – twice? Felicie taking the letter, pretending to be Chloe, at the rehearsals, her ignorance? Odette supporting her? Teaching her? Learning, meeting Victor?
6. Victor, wanting to be an inventor, his trying wings? Disguised as the nun, the literal ups and downs of the journey? Fixing the music box? The pigeons, falling on the boat, meeting the boy continually eating, the building of the Eiffel Tower, getting work, meeting Felicie? Wanting to take her to dinner, his being stood up, hurt? The ballet rival? Felicie’s apology, the music box? Hiding in the box and Felicie’s apology? The finale with the wings, the rescue, the confrontation with the haughty mother? The kiss?
7. Odette, the former dancer, her injury, her life, cleaning, her poverty? Madame, haughtiness and harshness? Odette and the shoes for Felicie? Felicie, being late for the rehearsal and audition, Odette upset? The reconciliation at the end?
8. The staff, the severe guard, the boisterous designer, the instructor and his expertise, responding to Felicie, the choice between her and Chloe, Nora being rejected? The auditions, Felicie being late, falling? His seeing her leaps and display? Giving her the part?
9. Madame, the significant witch figure from animation films? Treatment, at the audition, Chloe and her snobbery, arrogance, despising Felicie, destroying the music box? Her change of heart, congratulating Felicie, the only answer for the instructor was that she danced because her mother told her to?
10. Madame, consigning Felicie to the orphanage? Her attack on Felicie, the Statue of Liberty, climbing, Victor and his wings, her entanglement and comeuppance?
11. The nun, tut-tutting, her harsh attitude towards real life?
12. The Russian boy, skills, dating, fighting Victor? Felicie, late, falling, her apology, Odette helping her, the shoes, Chloe’s support, dancing with the prima ballerina?
13. A pleasing film, children, dreams and hopes, achievements, barriers, success?
