Ivan Tsarevitch et la Princesse Changeante

When night falls in the big city, the dilapidated cinema between the high-rise buildings comes to life. This is where a girl and boy meet to invent their stories, and the wizened projectionist puts them on the screen. Night after night they are able to slip into new roles, journey to different times and places where adventures abound: in prehistoric underground caves guarded by ogres; in ancient Persia, where a sorcerer’s apprentice has to rebel against his master; or in a palace in India, where a tormented sailor and his cat seek the promise of a new life. Ultimately, they find themselves in the Russian legend of Ivan Tsarevitch, who faces seemingly impossible tasks in a race against time to save his dying father…Michel Ocelot continues the narrative framework from his “Tales of the Night” (2011) and adeptly demonstrates the magic of cinema, with no limits placed on fantasy. His three storytellers work with the same technique of virtual silhouettes, which the filmmaker has mastered in recent years. They draw inspiration from ancient lore, such as Russian fairytales and the famous illustrations by Iwan Bilibin, and combine them with their own ideas and imagination. And the result is four very different fairytales in finely crafted yet austere images. Like “Kirikou and the Sorceress” and other films by Ocelot, “Ivan Tsarevitch and the Changing Princess” is an absolute delight for any audience. This was also confirmed at this year’s International Children’s Film Festival in New York, where the film enchanted children and adults alike. (sch)