Annecy Review: Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! had me going Awww!

Being an animation lover and running this blog mean that I end up watching a good number of movies where I'm not the intended audience. While there's a lot of animation that's a four-quadrant, mass-appeal type deal, and plenty of adult-only stuff too, a huge portion of animation is still geared toward younger viewers, and rightfully so. Sometimes when I check out these kid-specific movies, I find my mind wandering a bit, lulled by slow pacing or simple storytelling. But sometimes, I'm basically transported back to being a kid, putty in the movie's hands, whooping and laughing along the whole time.

That's what happened while I watched Kiri and Lou Go Raaa!, a movie that is as charming and adorable as its fun title. This is a feature-length addition to the Kiri and Lou franchise, a claymation / stop-motion animated series from New Zealand. Kiri is a little yellow dinosaur with a quick temper and a lot of gumption. Lou is a supremely friendly, and often afraid, purple elephant-like creature. They're a bit of a strange pairing, maybe not a friendship you'd expect, but they're inseparable buddies.

But they weren't always. This movie delves into how the two met and became friends, despite being so different. The story is being told by this little hopping walrus thing to an even smaller creature who looks like a Jinjo from Banjo-Kazooie. That thing sees Kiri and Lou going about their usual fun-filled day and is like...have they always been like this? The answer is a resounding no. So we get the story of how Lou attempted to rescue Kiri from a flood, which leads to an adventure involving being stranded at sea, going inside a sea monster, facing off with massive rock-like dinosaurs, and surviving a volcanic eruption. It's a lot of excitement packed into an hour. And I haven't even mentioned the musical numbers!

Because this story is being narrated by one of the characters, there are some fun meta moments. "Skip the scary part!" And we do, which then leads to..."But how did they get away from those scary monsters?" Rewind, play it back. The strong emphasis on the storytelling, and how the listener hears it, makes for a lot of fun. Think The Princess Bride.

Kiri and Lou are immediately lovable characters. Lou is so gentle and good-natured, often ignored and even bullied by his herd, despite often being the most observant among them. Jemaine Clement voices him, providing the perfect bit of oh-shucks oafishness to him. You just want to give him a hug.

Kiri was my favorite. Voiced by Olivia Tennet (and how!), she is an absolute riot. In these flashbacks, she's a feisty loner, prone to threaten a good biting anytime she doesn't get her way. She has a lot to learn, and she's lucky (and eventually grateful) to run into Lou. Lou takes the time to teach her about friendship: Kiri has never even heard of it. Along the way, she learns to be a little gentler, slower to anger, and kinder. And every step of the way, she's adorable.

As is the entire movie. This genuinely might be the cutest movie I've ever seen. The animation is so wonderful, the kind of design that makes me giddy. I swoon! The characters are so adorable, hugely expressive in how they move and emote. I love the paper details and textures of the environments, the way you can see the fingerprints and fine grooves in the clay of the characters, all the color. It's a fantastic looking movie, one of those where it's a joy to look at every frame. That the story, characters, and music are all so great almost feels like a bonus. The cuteness would've been enough for me! 

But the filmmakers don't rest on their cute laurels, rather crafting a fantastic adventure that teaches young viewers how to be a good friend, and providing lots of laughs and sweet moments that will tickle anyone watching who's still in touch with their inner child.