vin99 What a fine piece of animation, highly underrated; Showcases the meaning of lifelong friendship and love that can overcome public's prejudice. Really heartwarming tale that can be endearing for kids, yet exhibits a maturity that adults can very much relate to. Highly recommended.

guccipix I just completed the HD version of Ernest and Celestine with English voice overs. I must say, it may just be the most visually appealing movie I have ever seen! The title characters are very lovable and the English voice actors did a great job. The plot holds up well, and unlike many movies aimed towards children, it has a great message.I recommend Ernest and Celestine as a movie for the whole family, because while kids will love it for the visuals, parents are likely enjoy the plot.Other than maybe a few proportioning issues with the objects within the film, there were very few problems. I give this one an 8/10, really good!

richard-1787 I saw this movie last month up in Cleveland, in a movie theater. I very much liked it, with one reservation: I felt that Forest Whittaker's voice was wrong for Ernest, the bear.Now that it's out on DVD and I've had a chance to watch it in the original French, I can see that the voice does, in fact, make a big difference. The French actor who voices Ernest, Lambert Wilson, does not sound at all like Forest Whittaker, and it makes Ernest come off as less gruff. He explains, in his segment of the "Making of" film that is included on the DVD, and which I very highly recommend, that he made a conscious choice not to sound like a "Disney bear" because that was not in accord with Ernest's character and the style of the art. It really does make a big difference. You might try watching at least part of it once in French with English subtitles, to see.The story of this movie is nice, and the last scene is a lot better than just nice, as the halls of an unjust and inhumane justice come tumbling down, and Ernest and Celestine are able to escape the racist prejudices of their respective societies.But the real beauty of this movie is the art. The watercolor style is very original, and at times has a real poetry, especially when Ernest and Celestine pass the winter in his cabin and make art, he music and she drawing.Here, again, you can increase your appreciation of the movie by watching the "Making of" film that accompanies it on the DVD. The movie is based on a series of illustrated children's books by a French author-illustrator who had passed away before the movie was made. You get to see the extent to which they tried to reproduce her watercolor style, but also the things that they added that were new. Two of those things that, of necessity, had to be entirely new, and that play a big role in how you perceive the story, are the way the characters move and the music provided. If you stop to think about it, you never see Winnie the Pooh, or Charlie Brown, or any of the great British or American animated characters move in the children's books and comics that have been turned into successful movies or TV programs. Coming up with a way of having them walk, stretch, etc., that is in keeping with how we already imagine their character is not easy. But the animators have solved that problem perfectly in this movie.The background music is also very important here. Just as the jazzy music in the Peanuts TV programs played a major role in characterizing the characters, so the music here, very original, develops these characters and this story without overwhelming it. Another complete success.I don't know what a small child would get out of all this. Some parts are funny, but I don't know if there's enough action to hold small children. For "children of all ages," however, there is a very beautiful and original movie that is not to be missed.

RforFilm It's interesting how studios and creative people would assume they know what people want. Disney knows that people want to see fairy tale stories and grand animation making the way for memorable characters and catchy songs. Warner Brothers knows that people want to see really fast animation alongside some good visual gags as perpetrated by unique charters with a lot of heart. Most other studios seem to copy either formula in their own projects. It's not too bad of an idea as long they can make their movies just as original and unique (projects like Despicable Me or Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs).But I'm surprised with how these two formulas are the only ones that studios want to take a chance on. I've already talked about how I miss traditional hand drawn animation in movies today. You could say that children don't watch those kinds of movies anymore. But I ask of you "Why are classics like Snow White, The Looney Toons and Popeye still being watched by modern kids?". It's because they too has great legacies of good characters and memorable situations. There is always room for other options in animation that want something different. That would be one of this years Oscar nominated movies, Ernest and Celestine.In a lot of ways, this is nothing like modern Disney, Pixar, or the other big names. This tells a simpler story about friendship; a bear and a mouse. So in a world where mice live underground while bears walk and talk, living how we would, both sides agree that each species is evil and shouldn't we interacted with. At an orphanage, a young mouse Celestine is more curious about why the mice and rats are afraid of bears. She has a job of collecting bear teeth so that mice dentists can file them down for their fellow rodents to wear.She gets stuck in a garbage can where she is discovered by a starving musician bear, Ernest (played by Forest Whitaker). His first instinct is to eat Celestine, but she quickly scolds him for wanting to do so, confusing him. They make a deal to help each other, but the plan goes amiss and the two hide from the law in Ernest's home in the woods. Most of time is shown them interacting with each other and their skills; Celestine with her obsession with nature and art and Ernest and his spark for music and clowning.As I've said, this is a different offering from most of the other animated movies out. Ernest and Celestine is a much quieter movie about friendship. Though there's the principle tone about prejudice, the situation is simple at best. There's no villain or threatening force looking to destroy them. It's just this bear and mouse interacting and becoming friends. And you know what? That's all you really need with this kind of story. This is a very sweet and likable story that benefits from some really nice animation and two leads that both kids and adults would really like.Celestine may just be a young girl whose no higher then a few inches, but she still manages to be very spunky without being too annoying. It's her curiosity that rubs onto me that makes me want to learn about this world more. Ernest is a grouchy loner, but has plenty of heart that allows himself to absorb a lot of new ideas from this little mouse. The movie looks like one large watercolor painting, really letting the art taking control of the design and story. It looks beautiful. It feels more like something I would get from Winnie the Pooh; is simple but it works really well.I'll give this ten watercolor kits out of ten. Ernest and Celestine isn't exactly the most original story around, but it wins my heart with a very unique look and a gentle tone that anyone can enjoy. It's good old fashioned story telling at it's best. This is an absolute must with families.