The Animated World of Paul Grimault (French: Le Monde animé de Grimault) (2019)
Director: Paul Grimault
FIrst Watched : 3/15/25
7/10 Stars
A collection of newly restored short films from the imagination of Paul Grimault, an icon of French animation. Shorts vary widely in quality, from a lackluster 4/10 to a much more admirable 7/10 stars, the collection is a fine example of being greater than the sum of its parts, showcasing how such a pioneer in early animation- the much more acclaimed and recognized Hayao Miyazaki had personally singled him out as an inspiration- evolved over the course of his eclectic career.
The following are the 8 shorts in the curated collection, listed in the order they are played. Anomalously, they are in chronological order of release date except for "The Passenger of The Great Bear" from 1943 and "The Scarecrow" from 1946, which have been interchanged.
Le Marchand de notes (The Note Seller), 1942, 10 minutes, 4/10 stars:
Pretty dull. When you use such lackluster uncolored animated, the story better be good enough to compensate. No dice.
L'Épouvantail (The Scarecrow), 1946, 10 minutes, 6/10 stars:
Sorta surreal or maybe a fever dream? Definitely much wackier and weirder than the other ones in this collection. In a good way. A conniving cat in drag! Loud but cute birds to rescue. And a scarecrow that has his body chasing his head. Did I already mention that cat dressed as a seductive human woman?
Les Passagers de la Grande Ourse, (The Passengers of the Great Bear), 1943, 9 minutes, 4/10 stars:
Not very engaging. The story wasn't told with much pizzazz. It wanted to, but did not did not succeed in this endeavor. Plus, why are we changing the name for a short for the American market? It's The Great Bear!
Le Voleur de paratonnerres (The Lightning Rod Thief), 1946, 10 minutes, 5/10 stars:
Fun and quick, but too forgettable to be rated much higher. It does deserve credit for some entertaining animated slapstick, though. And what seems to almost be a signature for Grimault, an extremely huggable dog.
La Flûte magique (The Magic Flute), 1946, 9 minutes, 6/10 stars:
The return of the musical boy, with an adorable and loyal puppy. Quick fun, completely predictable, but the mellifluous soundtrack was enough for that extra star.
Le Petit Soldat (The Little Soldier), 1948, 11 minutes, 7/10 stars:
This is the best of the collection. One can easily imagine adding some depth and side adventures for the other loosely sketched characters and turning this into an excellent feature length animation. This is a very early Toy Story with an allegorical political twist- "destruction of all toys" by a giant spin top that literally whisks its victims away? Pixar had some forerunners! And this might be all classical tunes, but no less well done then "You've Got A Friend In Me". The animation may not be the most appealing to watch, but the little effeminate toy soldier slowly backflipped his way into our hearts.
Le Diamant (The Diamond), 1970, 9 minutes, 7/10 Stars:
Certainly inspired by Astro Boy, with its futuristic animation. Plays like a silent; there is no dialogue but a few fun sound effects and the villagers communicate with the greedy man scientist via grunts. It is certainly visually pleasing; the vibrant colors are a very welcome change from some of the previous monochrome shorts in this collection. This one adds even more in the representation of the colorful desert oasis. It certainly addresses some loaded themes in less than 10 minutes, colonialism and the eradication of remote cultures and tribes. Unfortunately, the story lacks in its simplicity and there's isn't enough time to develop characters. This is the short one would most be able to easily imagine developed into a feature length film.
Le Chien mélomane (The Dog Who Loved Music), 1973, 11 minutes, 6/10 Stars:
This one does provide several laughs, most via the rebellious dog who has access to a futuristic translator machine which aids in his communication with his master. His master seems to be the sole purveyor at an arms plant, from which- following some pretentious shenanigans with said pet dog- he eventually flies away from to sell enough of his ammunition to first one then both countries in a war to eliminate each other. Returning home, back to mundane life, the eponymous hero finds dislike in a new instrument he has created that represents a violin. Further shenanigans ensue as loud music and chasing each other around munition storage do not go together well. Interestingly, while the animation style is clearly updated in this final short, it looks like a downgrade overall from a few years ago and closer to his last shorts in the late 1940s. Most disappointingly, however, is the storyline which falls flat here- while it delivers laughs, it doesn't seem to go anywhere.
