Time to finally get my foreign film into my list of animated films I saw in 2013. Technically by the wiki, Ernest and Celestine came out in France and Belgium in 2012 but I don’t believe it was widely known until it hit film festivals in North America in 2013. That’s where I heard about it and ever since I heard about it and seen the trailer I’ve been desperate to watch it. I’m the guy who really likes those down to Earth tales, stories that don’t engage through action and suspense but through character development and interactions. That’s exactly why I liked Mary & Max so much. But now that I’ve seen Ernest and Celestine was it worth the wait?
Celestine is an orphaned mouse that lives in the underground world of rodents, as she works as a collector of teeth as teeth in this society are vital to survival and development. However above ground there is a society of bears where Ernest lives. He’s a bumbling street musician who after having his instruments confiscated by the police is starving for food. This is when Ernest and Celestine meet as Ernest at first tries to eat her. When she convinces him not eat her and leads the way to a cellar full of food, an unlikely bond forms between the two. But as their bond blooms they manage to upset the societies’ of both mice and bears and the rest of the movie details how they live on the run.
Firstly I want to state that both Celestine and Ernest are great characters. In writing terms I would describe the two as creatives trapped in a standardized world. While Celestine, as the movie starts, goes along with the daily grind of collecting teeth, while also freaking out her peers and guardians with questions about befriending bears, Ernest is the complete opposite. Ernest has chosen to leave the city in hopes to remain a creative, keeping his bumbling optimism, and clown like attitude. Both characters demonstrate extroverted personalities being confined by the rules that their societies laid out for them and only together can they truly be themselves. Or the less fancy way of saying it, because the two have similar problems their chemistry melds perfectly.
On a pure character level Celestine is quick witted, open minded and definitely the brains of the two, while Ernest is very simple and honest about his thoughts and feelings, which results in some really funny moments. The other characters… I barely remember them in the context of singular characters. As the movie went on I treated the secondary mice characters and other bears as just two bodies opposing Ernest and Celestine and I think that’s the correct way to think of them. Because of their own all the side characters are plain forgettable and just used as foils to Ernest and Celestine.
For the past few movies I’ve had trouble really putting detail into my thoughts on the art style of the animate movies but not Ernest and Celestine. The movie was originally based on a series of children’s books under the same name and the style reflects this origin. The entire film looks as though it is from a children’s book, with its fine lining, more subdued watercolors and textures, and a calming and child-like atmosphere. After looking at some of the original children book’s artwork I can say Ernest and Celestine’s art style looks a lot like it but “modernized” and cleaned up. It’s really refreshing to see this sort of update to a nostalgic property treated with such respect and done with such attention to detail.
But what about the story? I would say it’s very clean, and straightforward what happens and what will happen but unlike in say Planes, Turbo, Free Birds, Epic, and The Croods, the characters help mask that. Their banter and dialogue is just so fluent and natural that it’s easy to ignore the straightforward nature of it all. However, where the film lacks I felt was in its third act. This act is entirely about just Celestine and Ernest living together and learning to cooperate and while it’s my favorite act, at the same time it’s the worst paced.
It starts off with Ernest after saving her from the cops wanting to ditch her, but she manages to get herself a room in Ernest’s basement in a “Mice live below, Bears live above” living arrangement. Then there are a few minutes of Celestine hating her time as Ernest loudly plays the piano and snores. Then the next day she has a nightmare and suddenly Ernest is comforting her. While this is in character this is the rate the rest of the act goes. Celestine learns to paint, Ernest is sick, Ernest has a nightmare, Celestine comforts him, Ernest acts like a clown, and Celestine gets scared by a news broadcast. The third act just won’t slow down and let these moments be moments and sink in, because of this it leave she just wanting more and feeling somewhat cheated.
But wanting more just shows how much I really liked this movie and even with the sped up pace, the third act isn’t awful by any means. Ernest and Celestine are wonderful characters, the artwork and atmosphere is relaxing and immersive and the story is engaging and with its uses of mirroring narratives between Celestine and Ernest its really hard fro me not to be invested. While I thought Frozen was a superb movie on all levels, and it’s definitely worth a watch and buy, my favorite movie of 2013 is definitely Ernest and Celestine.
Written By Taylor “Whyboy” Wyatt
Taylor Wyatt DC Blog 
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