TUSK (FRANCE/1980/ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY)

Set in turn of the century India, surreal director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Tusk narrates the story of an English girl named Elise born into a rich family living in the British colony. On the day that Elise comes into the world, so too does an elephant named Tusk, and the two are to unwittingly share each other’s trials and tribulations throughout the rest of their lives. Both Elise and Tusk find themselves at odds with their circumstances, Elise rebelling against her parents’ expectations while Tusk tries to escape slavery. A chance meeting at a raucous parade brings the two to meet, and the superstitious Elise seizes her opportunity to free her kindred spirit from his situation.

Jodorowsky is said to have only taken the film on as a means of keeping busy before his ultimately defunct Dune project, and was reportedly so disappointed with the result of this film that he attempted to destroy all working copies of it. Those versed in Jodorowsky’s otherworldly cinematic imagination may be disappointed by the straightforwardness of this one, but in all honesty it isn’t that bad. Aside from the occasional fart joke, Tusk tackles the concepts of fate and serendipity with surprising maturity for a children’s film, and the parallels made between the lives of Elise and Tusk are sweet if obvious. Kudos for the story must go to Reginald Campbell, whose book Poo Lorn of the Elephants formed the basis of the film, but the interpretation is all Jodorowsky’s. A warm, colourful oddity.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (USA/2009/SPIKE JONZE)

Adapted from the much-loved children’s book, Where The Wild Things Are follows Max, a mischievous 9-year-old who finds great difficulty in connecting with others. After a day of feeling neglected by his family, Max dons a wolf costume and playfully bites his mother on the shoulder, but when she reacts by yelling at him, he runs away from the house. Tears cascading from his eyes, he finds a dilapidated boat, and sails through the night until he comes across an island. His insatiable curiosity leads him to a forest where he encounters the Wild Things, a group of large monsters with animalistic traits. Though initially sceptical, the Wild Things accept Max’s childish bravado as a noble characteristic and declare him their new king. But just as Max believes he has this microcosm under his control, his new friends prove to be more vulnerable than expected.

The film is gorgeous to look at, and the extensive efforts put into animating the Wild Things appropriately have definitely paid off. Director Spike Jonze captures precious flickers of humanity through the character of Max, and at no point in the film does he appear more precocious than necessary. However, there is something a little off about Where The Wild Things Are. Whether it’s the fact that the Wild Things themselves are too rational to be as ‘wild’ as Max’s imagination, or the overwhelming sense of self-righteous hipness, the film feels incomplete, and it’s more than likely a result of the film’s hasty child-oriented revision.

THE FABULOUS WORLD OF JULES VERNE (CZECH REPUBLIC/1958/KAREL ZEMAN)

Taking its cue primarily from Jules Verne’s Face au Drapeau, but also borrowing from his other novels, this energetic fantasy story follows inventor Thomas Roch as he attempts to get approval for his new invention, an intensely violent explosive called the Fulgarator. Lacking governmental support, he is suddenly kidnapped by the dastardly Artigas who helps him create a working model of the weapon. Of course, Artigas has an ulterior motive as he plans to use it in his conquest of the world, and Roch is brought into a crisis of conscience when Artigas reveals where he plans to use it next.

Karel Zeman’s multi-disciplinary, multi-dimensional animation never fails to impress, and here it is absolutely enthralling, even in the absence of colour. Sets are streaked with thick black lines in mimesis of the woodcut illustrations in Verne’s original books. Though the animation of the machinery and the weapons are superb considering the time, the film is at its best during the underwater scenes – jellyfish and seahorses dance alongside the ship, deep sea divers duel for treasure, a basking shark circles the water predatorily. The story is one of Verne’s lesser works, and if you’re not with the film at the beginning, it’s likely you’ll never get into it, as many of the characters are somewhat interchangeable. Nonetheless, there’s entertainment for all ages to be had from this adventure, and few viewers will go wanting. If Méliès were still alive in the fifties, this might just have been his swan song.

LILIYA BELGII (RUSSIA/1915/WŁADYSŁAW STAREWICZ)

An unnamed little girl wanders through the woods aimlessly, until she comes across a dead lily pulled from its roots. Taking the lily home with her, she shows it to her entomologist grandfather, who begins to tell her a fantastical story about it. The lily had been growing for a time in a beautiful spot by a stream, becoming the envy of many a flowering plant. The lily, so says grandfather, was so beautiful that she inspired grasshoppers and frogs to convene beneath her and play music. But of course, such majesty has the ability to attract negative attention too, as a group of territorial beetles plan to kill her as part of the expansion of their empire. Despite the lily’s protestations, she is callously cut down and used as a bridge for the beetles to wage war on their neighbours. Of course, the rest of the woods refuses to let this happen, and the beetles are ambushed by frogs, grasshoppers, and even a furious pine cone.

Władysław Starewicz, the animator responsible for this touching short, was one of the first artists to make use of stop-motion animation, frequently using dead insects and animals as his puppets. Here, he mixes it with live action to tell a saddening tale of death and belligerence, in clear reference to the First World War which had been ongoing for a year when this film was made. Though aimed at children, the message of Starewicz’s film should resonate with everyone through its heartrending purity.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX (USA/2009/WES ANDERSON)

Based on Roald Dahl’s much-loved children’s book, Fantastic Mr. Fox is Wes Anderson’s first foray into animation and boasts an impressive cast. The titular Mr. Fox is a suave, discerning individual who is determined to provide his family with the best life possible. Having bought up a home in a tree near three sizable farms, Fox decides to take advantage by stealing foodstuffs from each farm. Before long, the disgruntled farmers conspire to kill the crafty intruder, tracking his home to the tree and attacking it with diggers. Fox begins to lose sight of his survival instincts, instead set on restoring his pride, but when his wife’s vulnerable nephew Kristofferson is put in danger, he determines to choreograph an ingenious plan to put everything right.

Anderson has taken a fair few liberties with the source material, creating a sardonic family drama in the guise of a children’s animated film. Essentially, we’re in Tenenbaums territory, so Dahl purists beware. In fact, it is hard to gauge what Dahl would have made of this version, given his distaste for Mel Stuart’s equally witty interpretation of Willy Wonka. Stop-motion animation was an inspired decision, given how textural the original story was. Attention is paid to the movement of every hair, every blade of grass, and yet Anderson still avoids compromising his visual trademarks. Occasionally, with all the salacious sarcasm and cute anthropomorphism, the film gets a touch too smooth for its own good, but it’s a minor flaw in an otherwise irresistible masterwork.

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO SOLD THE SUN (SENEGAL/1999/DJIBRIL DIOP MAMBÉTY)

Sili is a twelve-year-old paraplegic girl living a hand-to-mouth existence in downtown Dakar. Despite her physical disability, Sili is a tenacious, mature individual who is determined to make a life for herself selling Le Soleil, Senegal’s national newspaper. Though adults never doubt her resolve, her peers aren’t so accepting and often victimise her, knocking her to the ground. When a benevolent customer gives her 10,000 francs for all of her newspapers, she is stopped by a policeman who questions her sudden wealth. Frustrated, Sili marches him to the station where she successfully argues her case and even convinces the sergeant to free the agitated political prisoner they had detained at the start of the film. Though revitalised by this sudden surge of power, Sili keeps her head, remembering to give the money to her employers and even standing up against serious physical threats from rival vendors.

The film hangs on its effervescent lead character, whose indefatigable smile could very well be the sun of the title. Sili is constantly challenged in her occupational endeavours, particularly as this field of work is dominated by older, able-bodied males, but we never see her struggle or give up. It is clear that Mambéty’s message is one of unfettered optimism, but one can’t help thinking that the film would have benefited from more convincing obstacles. Nonetheless, The Little Girl Who Sold The Sun captivates and inspires, and those discouraged by more defeatist African films would do well to watch this short but sweet treasure.