Kirikou and the Sorceress

"Kirikou" redirects here. For the video game based on the film, see Kirikou (video game).

Kirikou and the Sorceress
Original French film poster
Directed by	Michel Ocelot
Produced by	Didier Brunner
Written by	Michel Ocelot
Starring	Doudou Gueye Thiaw Maimouna N'Diaye Awa Sène Sarr
Music by	Youssou N'Dour
Editing by	Dominique Lefevre
Distributed by	Gébéka Films
Release date(s)	9 December 1998 (1998-12-09)
Running time	71 minutes
Country	France Belgium Luxembourg
Language	French
Budget	3,800,000 €

Kirikou and the Sorceress (French: Kirikou et la Sorcière) is a 1998 traditional animation feature film written and directed by Michel Ocelot. Drawn from elements of West African folk tales, it depicts how a newborn boy, Kirikou, saves his village from the evil witch Karaba. It is a co-production between companies in France, Belgium and Luxembourg and animated at Rija Films' studio in Latvia and Studio Exist in Hungary.

It was so successful that it was followed by a midquel, Kirikou et les bêtes sauvages, released in 2005, and adapted into a stage musical, Kirikou et Karaba, first performed in 2007. Another midquel, Kirikou et les hommes et les femmes, is in production as of December 2011 for a late 2012 release.

Plot

In a little village somewhere in West Africa, a boy named Kirikou is born in a spectacular way. But he's not a normal boy, because he can speak and walk immediately after being born. He is also very determined. His mother tells him that an evil sorceress has dried up their spring and devoured all the males of the village except for one. Hence the tiny Kirikou decides to accompany the last warrior, his uncle, to visit the sorceress. Kirikou tricks the sorceress and saves his uncle. He saves the children from being kidnapped by the sorceress's boat and saves them later again from the sorceress's tree. Next, he bursts the monster who was drinking all the village's water. He then travels to ask his wise old grandfather about the sorceress, and faces many obstacles in the process. The grandfather finds that Kirikou is always asking questions, which is a good thing. The grandfather tells him that she is evil because she suffers: bad men put a poisoned thorn in her back. Kirikou manages to trick the sorceress and removes the thorn. The sorceress is cured. She kisses Kirikou and he becomes an adult. Love reigns.

Production

The film is a co-production of Les Armateurs, Trans Europe Film, Studio O, France 3 cinéma, RTBF and Exposure in France, Odec Kid Cartoons in Belgium and Monipoly in Luxembourg. It was animated at Rija Films' animation studio in Latvia and Studio Exist in Hungary, with backgrounds painted at Les Armateurs and Paul Thiltges' animation studio, Tiramisu, in Luxembourg, digital ink and paint and compositing by Les Armateurs and Odec Kid Cartoons in Belgium and voices and music recorded in Senegal.

Cast

The original French voice acting was performed by a cast of West African actors and schoolchildren and recorded in Dakar. The English dubbing, also directed by Ocelot, was made in South Africa.

The cast of the English version of the film.

• Theo Sebeko — Kirikou (voice)
• Antoinette Kellermann — Karaba (voice)
• Fezele Mpeka — Uncle (voice)
• Kombisile Sangweni — The Mother (voice)
• Mabutho 'Kid' Sithole — The Old Man/Viellard (voice)

Themes

Aesthetics

The Kirikou films are characterised by their flat, two-dimensional, look, as opposed to current trends in three-dimensional computer animation. The lush African colours and patterns were inspired by the works of the "naïve" French painter "Le Douanier" Henri Rousseau. Ocelot's latest feature film Azur et Asmar explores the world of North African and Islamic folklore, architecture, art and calligraphy.

Nudity

The film contains several instances of non-sexual female nudity, and male nudity to a lesser extent, as would be the norm in pre-colonial Africa. This was controversial enough to delay the film's US release until 2002.

Release

The film has been licensed by distributors in numerous countries, including:

• Argentina – Prodifilms
• Brazil – Cult Filmes (VHS), Paulinas Multimídia (DVD)
• Canada – Remstar Distribution
• Denmark – Angel Films A/S
• France – Gébéka Films
• Germany – MFA Filmdistribution
• Japan – Albatros Film (2003, theatrical), Ghibli Museum Library (DVD)
• Russia – RUSCICO (2004, video)
• Spain – Alta Classics S.L. Unipersonal
• United Kingdom – British Film Institute
• United States – ArtMattan Productions (2000, dubbed)

Accolades

Year	Award Show	Award	Category	Result
1999	Annecy International Animation Film Festival	Grand Prix	Best Animation Film	Won
1999	Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema		Environment and Health Award	Won
1999	Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema		Silver Castle	Won
1999	Chicago International Children's Film Festival	Adult's Jury Award	Feature Film and Video – Animation	Won
1999	Chicago International Children's Film Festival	Children's Jury Award	Feature Film and Video – Animation	Won
1999	Cinekid Festival		Cinekid Film Award	Won
1999	Kecskemét Animation Film Festival	Kecskemét City Prize	KAFF Award	Won
1999	Oulu International Children's Film Festival		C.I.F.E.J. Award	Won
1999	Oulu International Children's Film Festival		Starboy Award	Nominated
2000	Ale Kino! – International Young Audience Film Festival	Silver Poznan Goat	Best Animation Film	Won
2000	Cartagena Film Festival	Prize of the Children's Cinema Competition Jury	Best Feature Film for Children	Won
2000	Montréal International Children's Film Festival	Special Jury Prize	Feature Film	Won
2002	British Animation Awards	British Animation Award	Best European Feature Film	Won (tied with Chicken Run)

External links

• Kirikou and the Sorceress official USA Web site
• Kirikou et la sorcière at Le Palais des dessins animés
• Kirikou and the Sorceress at AllRovi
• Kirikou and the Sorceress at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Kirikou and the Sorceress at the Internet Movie Database
• Kirikou and the Sorceress at Rotten Tomatoes
• BBCi review
• The Guardian review