Sunday at the Palm: “Boy and the World”

16 Mar Sunday at the Palm: “Boy and the World”

Telluride Film Festival presents “Boy and the World” at Sunday at The Palm. “Dazzling!  Boldly imaginative…an enchanting visual treat,” raved Variety. Scroll down to watch the charming trailer.

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, BOY AND THE WORLD is a Brazilian adventure that follows a young boy named Cuca as he leaves the cozy confines of his rural life and ventures into the big city in search of his father. Described as “kaleidoscopic,” the film is a visual and textural masterpiece that increases beautifully in complexity as Cuca’s small universe expands.

Stunning as an art piece, the animation is hand-drawn and uses a mixture of colored pencil, photo collage and paint.

“Simple line drawings of the village give way to broad brushstrokes forming giant bushels of cotton lining country roads and sweeps of pastel churned into roaring waves,” wrote GKids, the New York film house responsible for the distribution of such cinematic greats as Hayao Miyazaki and Michel Ocelot, “Approaching the city, industrial landscapes are inhabited by animal-machines, whirling carnival colors and exploding fireworks fill the sky above decoupage favelas, while flashing neon advertisements and garish shop windows illuminate the night.”  

However, it is music that is the driving force behind the boy’s voyage, as the entire movie is almost entirely wordless, yet the poignant narrative takes the audience on an exploration of important social issues such as economic inequality, war, and environmental degradation. Pan-flute, samba, and Brazilian hip-hop act as the powerful soundtrack to humanity as seen through the eyes of a young boy on his passage through life.

 “Among the best films ever released by GKids!,” wrote Film Comment.

For a preview, watch this trailer:

Sunday, March 20, 4:00 p.m. ● Michael D. Palm Theatre for the Performing • Rated PG ● FREE TO ALL ● Running time 80 minutes