Reno Rangan
A little sweet animation from South America. The official entry from Uruguay for the best foreign language film at the 2014 Oscars, but did not make into the final. This is the story of a little school girl, Anina, followed by a fight she has got into, as a punishment she and the other girl gets each a sealed letter from the school principal to safeguard until the further notice. Through those days what she learns and how it comes to end leads to the final segment of the story.Well intended story, but a bit lacks the cheerfulness. I mean in some parts it falls short in development and keeps it dull mood. Especially in the early mid parts, but later on till the conclusion, it's got a better. Visually, its stunning on its own way, surely an impressive animation, but overall film was short as 80 minutes. Adapted from a children's novel and beautifully made.For me, I think they should have been a bit careful. There's nothing problem in the story, sketches or in the pace, but the overall flow was not sparkling enough like those Hollywood counterparts. Other than those tiny stumbles, this is a fine animation, especially being a non North America, Europe and Japan product. Not a must see, but I don't find any strong reason to skip it, particularly for the animation fans.6.5/10
Harhaluulo54
I waited this since 2013. At some point I stopped searching information about it. I recently found out it has been available English subbed since late 2015's. I watched it in the same day and well.. I was disappointed. Originally I wanted to see it for the art -because let's face it: that poster picture of the movie looks absolutely fabulous. The art was good and animation too. Since I enjoy simplicity, I liked how it looked, but everything else was.. meh. The movie is clearly aimed for children under 5 years of age, and it really didn't have any magic to offer to adult audience -unlike most animation movies do. The story centers around this girl who the movie got its title from: Anina. Her life is pretty sad because her name is lame as Anina is aninA also when written backwards. Everyone who isn't 5 of course knows such trivial matters don't actual mean anything. The movie is supposed to be about some self-discovery, but actually it was about boring children being children, having bad characteristics and nothing more. I didn't enjoy it.
Gonzalo Lerena
Being that animation is not something usual in the Uruguay film industry I was highly interested in watching this movie. So I rented it, with some expectations already, knowing that it was nominated for several awards. I was still impressed by what this cinematographic piece achieved.First of all, the story is really simple, but original and well put together. Most of the characters are fun and have certain charm (save for Anina's crush and best friend, which are very bland). It has a somewhat surreal tone but still bases itself upon the childhood memories the people behind this film could have had. The soundtrack isn't particularly memorable, but it does the job.The voice acting (I'm talking about the Spanish version) is really solid and breathes life into the characters. However (sigh) the animation is the weakest part of this great package. It's not awful, but it is somewhat mediocre. The art style is beautiful and yet the characters move poorly. This is were the lack of budget is more evident. Overall, if you could find this movie, give it a shot. You probably will appreciate it for what it is. Keep in mind that it is the product of a different culture and therefore another reality.
kill-the-boxtrolls
This movie dives into the mind of a cheerful child named Anina. She is bullied by the kids at school because of her name. Anina is a scared little girl with an overactive imagination with a best friend. She is given a black letter containing a punishment that she can't open for a week, which worries Anina. She seems to dislike that little blonde- haired girl. And her love for a small blonde-haired boy is too strong. You'd think she has a crush but it's love.The characters are not realistic; I know Anina is still young and she can get jealous (in fact, that's not immature for anyone at all) but she still can act more her age. There is little emotion in this. The movie bores you with no plot, just shows the life of the girl and her mind. It was so boring that I just skipped some parts. The characters can be childish. The movie is just weird, the girl thinks unrealistic thoughts and watches movies.
AD
