Babar: The Movie Reviews

Babar the Elephant has captivated young children for 50 years, first in the books by Jean de Brunhoff, then in those by his son, Laurent, who also created a TV series starring the lovable pachyderm. Now Babar has made it to the big screen in BABAR: THE MOVIE, an animated feature that will undoubtedly charm most younger viewers, but may leave their parents yawning. Told in flashback by the adult King Babar, the story revolves around the heroic efforts of young Barbar (voiced by Gavin Magrath) and his sweetheart, Celeste (Sarah Polley), to rescue Celeste's village from marauding rhinos. Little Babar overcomes both fear and adversity by relying on his own wits, all the while dealing with others in a spirit of generosity and cooperation. Drawn in comforting pastel colors and given gentle, intelligent, humorous faces, the elephants are especially charming, and, of course, do almost everything with their trunks. BABAR: THE MOVIE has some shortcomings, however. Because it retains the visual simplicity of the Babar books, the film's animation is a little flat; the mild colors, so winning on the page, tend to look washed-out on the screen. As in Disney's BAMBI, the film also contains scenes of tearful, abandoned babies that may upset very young or sensitive children, and young female viewers will be disappointed to find that Celeste is a wimp. Overall, however, the film is a salutary and amusing entertainment.