Cannes. Azur et Asmar.

Xan Brooks finds Michel Ocelot's Directors' Fortnight entry, Azur et Asmar, "a likeable jaunt through a land of muezzins and souks; warm-hearted and beautifully designed," but decides to ask the target audience what they think, for example, "seven-year-old Hugo, who says that he liked the beginning, and Annicke (also seven), who preferred the end. Four-year-old Salima is visiting the cinema for the very first time but clams up like Garbo when I ask her about it."

"Francophone and Arabic-speaking tots should dig this first and foremost," writes Variety's Leslie Felperin, "but with careful marketing and perhaps dubbing, entrancing pic could crossover to offshore viewers of all ages, especially those who liked, say, Spirited Away."

Posted by dwhudson at May 25, 2006 6:44 AM