Out of nowhere comes this simple looking but gorgeously animated feature that I've ever seen, with one of the most beautiful musical scores I've heard, that was able to give me all the emotions I felt during the opening montage sequence of Disney's "Up," but in an 80 minutes feature. Reading what I just wrote there, I myself am thinking that I'm giving this movie too high of a praise. Then I'm reminded that I was genuinely moved to tears multiple times during the movie, and found myself having a hard time holding those tears back during the end credits. I guess I'm a sentimental fool, but wow did this movie hit me in all the right spots.
This animated feature was able to say a lot, for a movie that has the simple premise of a castaway that's stranded on an island, and the not so simple encounter with a red turtle. It's like the melding of a realistic setting and a fantasy situation. What it really is though, is a celebration of the circle of life. From desperation, loneliness, anger, survival, determination, companionship, dreams, family, death, and rebirth, this movie spoke to me in so many levels. All of that achieved through the power of it's own visual narration, and without the use of any dialogue whatsoever.
Some people might take issue with some of the more fantastical elements of the story, as well as one particular scene that may be hard to watch to the point of giving up on the main character, but don't let that dissuade you from seeing this. "The Red Turtle" will likely not be the most famous animated feature around, but Director Michaël Dudok De Wit should be happy in being able to create a very personal feeling masterpiece of a movie.
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