Review: Summer feels supremely cozy in Edmond and Lucy's Sunny Days

Remember when summer meant something? When you were a kid, and suddenly you had months ahead of you with nothing to do, nowhere to be, no commitments or classes or tests. Every day could be a new adventure, or a bout of laziness. I spent a lot of summer days wandering around town with my friends, popping up at random other friends' doors to see who was around, who wanted to hang out. Get some ice cream, walk on the railroad tracks (dangerous), play video games. There was nothing better than getting the phone call announcing a game of ultimate frisbee was happening that afternoon, or a pool party. Boy, those were the days.

Now, summer is just another season during which I work, but one where the sunny days outside feel like a tease. (In theory, at least -- I'm not a big fan of the heat.) So I thoroughly enjoyed spending 45 minutes with some new-to-me animal friends in the delightful Edmond and Lucy's Sunny Days, which combines 4 episodes of the Edmond and Lucy show into a cozy summery package. Across these adventures, our characters make the most of the good weather and abundant free time, just as kids should.

This movie was my introduction to Edmond and Lucy, which is a children's show based on a popular book series written by Astrid Desbordes and illustrated by Marc Boutavant. From glancing at the books, it looks to me like the animators did a smack-on job of capturing Boutavant's style in their show/movie. These woodland creatures are so adorable with their big eyes and cute voices. I'm particularly taken with Mitzi the bat and The Thing, which is a giant bush-esque bird creature with ghostly human hands. Her design is so fun.

As for our main characters, Edmond is a squirrel and Lucy is a bear. From the movie, I wasn't quite clear on if they're siblings or friends. They share a room, but they're obviously different species, and in one of the segments Lucy talks about her mom in a way that makes it feel like her mom isn't Edmond's mom. It's unclear, though the series Bible that was provided to me refers to them as siblings, so we'll go with that. They're a fun duo because they're very different: Edmond is careful and neat, while Lucy is a bit wild, kind of a mess. That provides some obvious friction, but at the end of the day, they always manage to find a way to get along and accomplish what they've set out to do.

Because of the film's episodic structure, it bops along super quickly. There are four segments: Edmond and Lucy trying to recreate (and maybe improve upon) a perfect day; forming a band, including repairing a broken double-barreled flute; following a riddle-filled poem's instructions to find a hidden spring; and finally, trying to determine who the oldest residents of the forest are (spoiler alert: it is not Edmond's charming grandma, Mima). 

On each adventure, various characters pop in or accompany Edmond and Lucy. All the various combinations are fun, and I loved discovering the supporting players' personalities, as well. This is a preschool-aimed show, so it's very gentle and light, with worthwhile lessons about working together, being a good friend, listening to others, and coming up with creative solutions to your problems. 

With its cute characters, clever adventures, and upbeat music, I can see how Edmond and Lucy has become such a beloved hit.