In the feature-length, animated film “Mia and the Migoo,” families are introduced to a courageous girl who overcomes numerous obstacles to reunite with her father and save life itself.
Directed by Jacques-Remy Girerd, this English language version of a French movie follows the motherless, impoverished Mia (Amanda Misquez) as she tracks her father Pedro (Jessi Corti) to a remote mountain where he is helping build a resort.
Along the way, our heroine runs into a sorceress (Whoopi Goldberg), who wields a knife to cut the girl’s hair while she sleeps. Soon after, Mia befriends the goofy Migoo (Wallace Shawn), a doughy creature that guards the tree of life — an eyesore to the resort’s investors.
The artistry of the film’s 500,000 hand-painted frames had my 5-year-old gasping with delight, and we both appreciated the original score by Serge Besset, performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra.
Sub-titled bonus features detailing how Girerd pulled it all together will awe viewers of all ages, and possibly inspire a new generation of illustrators and musicians.
“Mia and the Migoo” DVD, $19.98, www.amazon.com.
