Birthday Wonderland

An anime variation on The Nutcracker and The Chronicles of Narnia about a high school girl, chosen by an ancient prophecy, who has to deal with a crisis plaguing a magical parallel world, in this case a lack of water. The simple story of the heroes' journey from point A to point B is based on visual ideas, contains a strong ecological theme (picturesque villages with sheep in contrast to the smoky city and industrial metallurgy) and culminates in an emotional conclusion shrouded in original mythology. However, the film as a whole lacks drama and tension (the heroes are never really in any danger) and, moreover, it’s quite ordinary, i.e., it amounts to a change of motifs that have been seen many times before. This pleasant fairy tale, also suitable for children, is slightly above average purely thanks to its imagery. (06/10/2019)

I do not have much to add to Filmmaniak’s review. At the beginning it was difficult for me to keep my attention, and almost the whole time I could hardly feel any significant suspense, not to mention detect any drama throughout the movie. In my opinion, the animation lacks any real charm, however, it still manages to conjure up some nice panoramas and landscapes, so it serves its purpose. It has a very simple narrative, free of anything that would keep me glued to the screen and not let go, although, at the same time it does have a point and a message. So what did I take away from this movie in the end? I got the impression that it was just average and I also felt the desire to get out of the house tomorrow and go for a walk in the forest, or at least go for a smoke on the balcony and look at the stars... the world is big and beautiful, right? 5.5/10. (08/02/2020)