Honestly i always assumed the reason for that was because as its stated, his Father was a bit of a loner living in the Lighthouse with his son. And being one of the only birds in the island (i think, i may have missed if there were other bird charatcers besides the rubber duck) this may have lead to some discrimination and suspicion due to him flying and planting seeds around the island. This problaby leads to the authorities and the people not bothering learning the names of the father and son as one is a outcast and criminal and the other is the the only child.
There is something deeply, inherently, crushingly depressing in this movie. It's so... dark, cruel, sad, unfair... The only nice, clean, positive and harmless character - that little alarm clock - is a literal machine. A machine, that actually has more soul and humanity than the "breathing" characters. It stays naive and positive, yet it's constantly beaten, mangled, mocked, whatever, by anyone else. It's even more true in the comic book, at a point it's almost a "comic relief", in a twisted way... Really, that movie broke me, in a "Slient Hill 2-esque" way.
Maybe because it's too relatable to life. everybody has a problem but most people pretend its not a problem, when it clearly is and if you keep putting it off you just going to hate yourself again.
...You know what's high-high-high Quality, so much so that i randomly recommend it to random people randomly? Starship Goldifsh. Cliffside. Internecion Cube. Thats better than most of what Hollywood does. Even ONE SINGLE LINE, one One-Liner, in Starship Goldfish, is arguably better than all of Modern Doctor Who. No kidding. One-Liners who are better than entire Franchises... wow?
I dont think its supposed to be like that, to me i would say that the message of the movie is that it gets by without any message, like life. Nobody cares who your "supposed" to be, things will happen weather you like it or not, you think anyone else cares that dinkys father is supposed to be alive? no, they dont and thats not to say that dinky was perfect when her father was alive either or the kid in the lighthouse or the kid in the junkyard, all their lives are interconnected and nobody can live in this world without being affected by everyone else, like a pack of dominoes. the events of this movie take place without a certain amount of pleasure, they go from a to b like a passing train and they dont care if your there to witness or not.
Gkids in an interesting distributor because they're not like 4kids where they highly edit everything for a child audience. They'll pull small foreign film from across the globe and present them in their purest form. They're even known for being the current rights owner for most of the Ghibli collection as well as Studuo Trigger's Promare.
@@TicyPhenylFanClub it’s very understandable that the dubs and translations of Funimation and Viz are for the more mainstream audience of censor happy, obnoxious entitled househusbands and housewives. The far more interesting reason why the Funimation dubs are censored all along is that this world is filled to the brim with shady human beings.
I love how Dinky's stepdad looks like a normal human wearing animal ears; she sees him as an impostor: someone trying to impersonate her dad. As someone who has been through the same situation i can confirm that's a pretty accurate representation of how it feels, but delivered just with visuals.
Like many animated films in the world today, it gets assumed that it's "meant for children." By the time people realize it isn't, it's too late -- no one who was an adult would go see a "kid's film" and no adults with kids would take them to such a "horrible kid's movie." It's just another victim of animation = kids mentality, it would seem.
@@seanrosenau2088 I would say that film is appropriate enough for kids to see, you shouldn't shield kids from horrible things that happened in the past, thats how they learn not to repeat the past
When I was a child I used to personify my toys and pretend that every time I went away they would become alive. But, when used to sleep with one of my toys I then would feel bad because i would think the other toys were jealous of the one toy I sleep with and become sad. This is what I believe the stare off between the inflatable duck and the pig means, its a figment of Little Fox's imagination. Little Fox probably feels bad about making many friends because he doesn't want to hurt the one he has. He's making this up in his head. Also in the end, the duck and pig end up dying, which shows Little Fox is afraid of losing his friends, while it also can mean the affects of caring too much. (The pig and the horse can also be tied to Dinki and Sandra, and how Little Fox does not want them to fight and feels as though friendship is finite to one person) Anyways that my theory.
You’d think that the people of the island would’ve left, but then again they likely couldn’t have survived in the Big City. Also Birdboy’s design reminds me of the Knight from Hollow Knight
There's actually a little detail in the movie where the main 3 trying to escape the island mention the older brother of a rat they know managed to get to the big city and became successful. Later when they come across the landfill and encounter a rat, the fox realizes it's the same rat who supposedly left and became successful.
@@AStupidUnknownUser Dinky and even Little Fox definitely look in keeping with the AC style. Birdboy on the other hand would stand out more if he showed up to an island, since he kinda looks like a Tim Burton character from what I can see here. I think it's the color scheme and empty abyss eyes but Jack Skellington instantly came to mind for me.
The pig and the duck could be a metaphor for inflation. (the pig representing savings and the duck being inflation due to being an inflatable pool toy).
The designs for the demons and spider hooked me in, they don't hold back on the visual representation and how inner demons can be more terrifying than anything else.
One thing I do find rather clever about the English dub is how they had Zacharias' mother and the spider voiced by the same actor (Cindy Robinson) rather than having two different actors voicing them. It honestly conveys the spider being a metaphor for the addiction far better.
I’m one of THE biggest fans of this film. I own every version of the books, the films, and even hidden relics relating to the early release of the film. It’s so amazing someone big finally reviewed it! Alberto is also currently working on a film just as disturbing called, “Unicorn Wars”. You should totally review it once it’s released!
Awesome! I want to watch it but I'm scared of the ending. I know you should never do this but I need you to tell me how it ends, I won't be able to watch otherwise because of my anxiety
@@Ohgrosswhatsthat SPOILERS That’s okay! I understand. This film is quite dark alone and the ending couldn’t be any more sadder. Dinky is left to fend for herself and the island when her escape with her friends fails due to a storm that hit. Bird Boy is then found by the dogs and is killed through a heart gun-shot wound. Although Bird Boy is dead, Dinky does not know that. The love of her life has vanished, and if she can’t leave the island, it’s up to her to defend it and heal it as Bird Boy was. She eventually does, and birds, trees, and fish are seen to return at the end of the film, implying to us Dinky did it. She saved the island.
"The film focuses on a group of anthropomorphic animals living in a post-apocalyptic world after a recent factory disaster killed off much of the population and decimated the wildlife" I didn't realise Biomutant was based on a film
Fun fact : both the police dogs are voiced by the same actors that voice admiral Zhao and Aang in the Basque dub of Avatar: The Last Airbender. As a Basque person myself, It's quite impossible to hear these characters speak and not imagine them being other people in other cartoons, which I find very funny :) .
Dogs are usefull worthy part of civiliced society, while birds are stupid as shit creatures that die to everything that only have one skill and thats shitting on everything from above. Fk birds
@@trolledfrog678 Dudeee:... What's funny is I remember vividly waiting for the DLC after Dragonborn that was rumored to be about Hammerfell. Then it was like naw, all that'll go to a full-fledge game. So around the time Fallout 4 dropped I figured we'd have a good two years until TESVI, and then I blinked and it's been a decade smh
I remember seeing this film for the first time at the Ottawa International Animation Festival in 2016. All throughout, I felt rage, confusion and fear just like the characters did--but the ending and themes made it worth watching. (SPOILERS: READ MORE AT YOUR OWN RISK) In the end, the kids' boat capsized on their way to the Big City, forcing them to retreat to their shitty island (all but Birdboy, who saves them from death at the cost of his own life). However, there's a kind of hope when a grieving Dinky discovers the hidden oasis where Birdboy's tree and flora grow. She sees the glowing acorns and feels Birdboy's spirit, implying that Dinky could go on to plant the acorns and return life and beauty to her island. The ending hints that in darkness there's light to be found, and if you want to see positive change, it can start with you.
This is the kind of stuff that would probably do well as a series on a streaming site like netflix. A series with this artstyle, especially the demon scenes, would be awesome.
I can not stress how much I love the style. It's hard for animated films outside of america and japan to get widespread attention but some of the most beautiful films I've ever seen have come from countries like Spain and Russia
It looks like a beautiful film, it’s a shame it didn’t do that well in the box office, I assume that people thought it looked like a children’s movie and didn’t want to see it, or that they didn’t really understand all the metaphors Also that it’s in Spanish, a lot of people probably haven’t heard of it or didn’t want to watch it because of that
An interesting little detail I noticed: all of the police and bullies are dogs, and Dinki, Sandra, Zorrito (Little Fox), and Birdboy are all animals that have been seen as pests. A bit of irony in the plot comes in the form of Zacharias hating life on the island and vowing to leave on his boat the day his mother dies. His mother does die the day the kids steal from him. He even ends up rescuing them when their inflatable duck capsizes and doesn't survive the storm. If they had just asked him to take them somewhere else, he may have sympathized and let them go with him, or even drop them off on the way to his own destination. But now he can't leave. He doesn't have the money for it.
@@Prince_ofHearts9 because dogs do what they're trained to do. If they're trained to attack, they attack. If they're trained to see others as different and act like different is bad or less than, they will do that. It's also a given considering the aforementioned outcasts (Dinki, Sandra, Zorrito, and Birdboy) are all animals that have been seen as pests which dogs have been trained to deal with
@@seraphinasullivan4849 Yeah, now that you bring it up i think it's supposed to partially symbolize how discrimination is something learned through the words of others- comparing those who follow the status quo aren't irredeemable demons but mislead people who do terrible acts because they are told what they're doing is good, they are dogs who can't think for themselves.
I read littlefox as a-spec, just saying, as someone who related to the discrimination, his constant desire to connect with others, but failed (regardless of who they are, shown with the "eye shines" which is a very Important Thing.) But mostly his very intense attachment to inmate objects. So notice as how it focuses on certain aspects of each character how they just simply bleed into the meta. Each character does this, the competition between the duck and piggy bank is an expression of how littlefox can impact the viewer too- by personifying the imamate objects the way HE See's them. Distracting from reality with humorous personalities he perceives and writes onto them with personal meaning.
...You know what's high-high-high Quality, so much so that i randomly recommend it to random people randomly? Starship Goldifsh. Cliffside. Internecion Cube. Thats better than most of what Hollywood does. Even ONE SINGLE LINE, one One-Liner, in Starship Goldfish, is arguably better than all of Modern Doctor Who. No kidding. One-Liners who are better than entire Franchises... wow?
I commend the writers for sticking to their guns and not appealing to the lowest common denominator. I think we need to normalize films that don’t just play it safe. When executed well, these types of films are far more impactful and significant. For instance, Avengers Endgame was an adrenaline-filled, fun must-see that I could watch again once or twice. But I’d watch Barefoot Gen multiple times and be left with deeper feelings each viewing, and you wouldn’t have to be an established fan of the franchise for me to recommend it to you.
Right! I would adore having more films that just leave me thinking days upon days, having me cry or think about my actions even years later. Hell, I DO love those family fun films (like Luca or other happy go lucky movies), but films and books like Animal Farm, Grave Of The Fireflies, The Breadwinner, and so much more give a wonderful take on things you would never consider. Like Grave Of The Fireflies? That movie made me rethink World War Two and how not everyone on the Allies side was innocent in the ordeal. Yeah, the Allies saved lots of people under Hitler's regime, but that doesn't take away the fact that civilians suffered for a war they didn't even agree with. I'll still be thinking about that movie way longer than I will with a happy-go-lucky movie that says "racism is solved" or some moral like that.
This is why I’m not going mainstream anymore unless it’s actually good If films wanna make real money they need to stop making such boring repetitive dull corporate garbage
The amount of symbolism and clever ways to portray things like drug addiction,psychopathy and mounting, bloodthirsty rage is better than the actual Psychonauts. Still not as weird as The Milkman Conspiracy, but maybe that's a good thing. Edit: Can someone send me a UA-cam link to the English dub? I can't find it 😢.
If you liked Birdboy, the director has another movie coming out in a month! Unicorn Wars! I’m fairly excited for it, especially since this movie is so good.
Saberspark just reviewed that. Oooh boy, is that one a doozy! I heard it is getting a US blu-ray release on March 31. Don't know if it will have an English dub or not.
Those 2 scenes in the movie are disgusting and I felt was not needed and was just there to be shocking and disgusting cause besides those 2 things nothing else like that happens at all
Birdboy is also an allegory for the natural world which is often mistreated and poorly understood, and the demon's outburst representing man-made natural disasters.
@@PoyoPoyomfs yah I live in 2021 it's really cozy we got rid of every std in existence so it's a free for all sex paradise full of the most hedonistic desire and sin a human could ever possibly display
This is honestly my favorite non-Disney animated film, and I'm so happy someone reviewed it and seemed to understand it. It really deserves more love than it got because it's a beautiful film. If I remember correctly, the graphic novel was personal for Vasquez because Birdboy was modeled after a friend who was a drug addict that 'used drugs to fly.' You can see that in the short film, where he snorts some stuff then imagines flying away with Dinky because he can't fly for real. I think the story was also a commentary on the opium epidemic. That one scene where the rat dad and kid confront another rat dad and kid always makes me sad. The utter defeat the first dad feels when he sees his son, but not blaming the other child and adopting him on the spot with no words just stirs emotions. Such a good yet terrible moment. This film is just so good ughhhh
I just like how he reviews a lot of stuff I've never even heard of before. Saw this review was uploaded and watched the movie before coming back for the review. Steve has yet to fail me when it comes to good recommendations!
Please review "We met one stormy night" an anime about a wolf and a goat. It's so good and underrated! I also recommend "Zorbo and the lucky seagull" is also super underrated but highly recommended as well thanks! :)
I can appreciate this form of symbolic storytelling, as it's one of the advantages when using an animated format. But I can understand why some viewers would just be confused.
Same. Because I know Steve will give us something new and interesting - even though it most likely too dark for my innocent heart😂 but honestly I like his opinions too
Nunca pense que harias una reseña sobre una pelicula en español, he estado viendo tus videos desde el 2018 y tengo que decir tu forma de segmentar las peliculas es muy buena. I'll keep watching your content because i find the way you interpretate every movie very interesting and deep. Greetings from Chile.
I'm actually making a novel about humanoid animals and this is giving me inspiration. Edit: It's not going to happen, the project is completely cancelled, however I do plan on making other stories in the future, mostly depressing, melancholic drama stories involving things like war and purgatory. There will no longer be any humanoid animals.
@@dey4104 Thank you 😊 It's one of those things that starts of innocent, but leaves you with a little shiver down you're spine. Edit: I'm absolutely embarrassed by this, I deleted everything in this reply so you don't have to read it.
(This comment was written when the video was at 7:13, and may later become inaccurate) I think the bunnies on her shoulder may be representative of intrusive thoughts, like, you could be driving down the road and all of a sudden you hear a thought come along that says "you should hit that tree" or you're chopping veggies and all of a sudden you think "what would happen if I chopped my finger off" etc, etc. Those definitely aren't healthy thoughts, but plenty of people get thoughts like that sometimes
Good news the director of Birdboy is making another film called Unicorn Wars which should be out by next year. It also has a short that inspired the full film called Unicorn Blood
Has anyone recommend this Brazilian animated film called “Tito and the Birds” yet? It’s a highly underrated film that I stumbled on accidentally 2 years ago and I honestly enjoyed it. I would love to see someone review it eventually
Doesn’t look like the kind of movie for me but I appreciate the metaphors and glad you’re helping bring attention to a movie that put a lot of effort into its production
I really like the look of the stepdad character for it's weirdness, but I think it doesn't work in the context of everything else. I totally get the fact that he looks like a human in a strange furry costume because he's a "stranger" trying to replace dead dad. But him being the only one to look like this just makes it very strange to me. And I stand by my initial statement feeling the film needed some more of that weirdness in other character designs because apart from a few like Birdboy the character designs often felt very milquetoast and amateurish leaving only the inner demons and their animations interesting. This could very well be one of the films failing attributes in finding an audience, it's pretty hard to market something that might have great content but could very easily be mistaken for a bland and quick cash grab, and there are plenty of those really crappy animated films with zero effort. And this isn't that, don't get me wrong, but it sure looks the part
Some recommendations is the anime film called Wolf Children. A beautiful story on the struggles and joys of motherhood. And I know you usually do movies but a series to check out is the anime series called The Ancient Magus Bride. A visual beautiful story with a lot of dark moments. A young woman Chise suffering from depression was considering killing herself till a strange shady guy convinces her to sell herself in this secret auction. Which she is purchased by a strange man named Elias Ainsworth who is one of the last of the mages. He buys her so she can become his apprentice but also hopes to make her his bride. It is so full of Celtic lore as well as taking place in the English countryside. The visuals and music are fantastic. The story is amazing. And the growth of Chise and Elias relationship feels very organic. It’s very complex from being either a father/daughter, mother/son, and lovers judging what the situation calls for. Hope this peaks anyone’s interest
I'm a huge fan of this series (and made in abyss mentioned earlier) so I second this! Also, as a Brit myself, seeing my country portrayed a by another culture was really interesting
Oh gosh Wolf Children is such a beautiful film; made me cry so much the first time I saw it. The dynamic between the mother and her children, and the slow role reversal between the siblings, were SO well done. I haven't heard of The Ancient Magus Bride! I'll check it out! 😍
True I liked it way more than Harry Potter series. Harry Potter films are good to watch just for Snape and brilliant music that accompanies scenes. It is sad that a book series written by a woman doesn't have much beauty in (Fantastic Beasts brilliant on the contrary). I feel that if instead Harry Potter (who carelessly was experimenting with spells on random folks in school) we got a girl or a character that resembled Newt Skamander more we would get much more complex worldbuilding.
Gosh, I love this film. I found it scary and beautiful, and I couldn't stop watching. It left me with a sense of tender sadness. It speaks a language I can understand well. I'm so happy you found it and decided to review it (I really like your opinions about it), hope it will reach many more people :)
I'd never heard of this movie before seeing this video, though after it I decided to give the movie a watch (following the short) and I genuinely am so happy I did. Seriously, it HURTS that it doesn't have more recognition. I really hope the people that worked on it know how beautiful what they made is, because it definitely didn't show in their profits. I really hope the movie gets the notice it deserves one way or another
As far as future reviews, the only "darker" animated series (it's not a movie) that I haven't seen you review yet is the Japanese anime Wolf's Rain. IDK if it's a little too removed from your usual reviews Steve, but just a thought.
I remember finding a trailer of this by accident, and not knowing how to actually watch the film. I always loved the way the animation looked, as well as the art style! Glad to hear that it's actually pretty good, might go and watch it myself at some point! Thanks for the review!
Birdboy is fantastic and criminally underrated. Some of my favourite running themes are the sentient inanimate objects (the trash is said to be alive and multiply), the fantasy of escaping vs. the harsh reality that most people don't have the means to leave the island (shown through white mouse's brother), the "inheriting" of roles (the young cop and the police chief, Birdboy and Birdman and later Dinky and Birdboy) and the bittersweet conclusion that even if we're condemened to live in a shitty world, we can find meaning in trying to make it better.
@@TheRealNormanBates I don't know. I don't think we're ever told who "white mouse" is during the movie, they're only mentioned. Their brother is the mouse with the missing hand.
god i need to watch this film! just watching this video i was in love with the few clips of the animation we got to see, i cant even begin to imagine how much i would love the full thing. not to mention the style was adorable and so dark at the same time, this really looks like a gem of a film.
Steve would you ever consider reviewing a story or a book? Really, there's a series I've been reading for a few months and from what I've seen, only around a few thousand people have ever seen it or heard of it before The comic's name is Denma, and it's a complicated masterpiece of pure intolerance to to the notion of unrealistic. It gets pretty convoluted, but the storytelling is great, it's comical, it's full of action, but the reason I reccomend this is because there's a story about a man named Jiro in it and his fight against addiction and it would amazing if you could review his story, even if it's not the full story of Denma which is over 1000 chapters
9:20 One thing I’ve been thinking about this is the "competition" of attention and love for Little Fox, hence why they have that staredown to each other. Idk I was only thinking about that, maybe it is or not, but it’s just a theory.
Always happy to see new uploads! I'm so grateful you watch these so I don't have to! Please don't forget to possibly review Unico (in the Island of Magic) in the future! SUCH bizarre and traumatizing shit. For real. (Remember that clip I sent you on Twitter?) Keep up the great work, Steve!!!
@@blaquemarou let's just say it's a stop motion/live action "kid's movie" that's a different take on the classic tale of Alice in wonderland, and it's right up Steve's alley.
Even more amazingly, said Alice film was made a year before Mr Havel became the president who returned democracy back into a then united Czechoslovakia!
Remember: If the source of your problems isn't _strictly_ a chemical imbalance, drugs will not fix it. And if your problem _is_ a chemical imbalance, only the correct dose of the correct drug will help you and other drugs will make it worse.
@@izer0z When the source of your problem isn't chemical, chemicals won't fix it. It's pretty simple, drugs might numb you to emotional pain brought on by real life tragedy or something, but the underlying issue is still waiting for you as soon as the high wears off. Your body then gets resistant to the drug and you need a stronger dose in the future. The only reason drug use is complicated is because for a lot of problems, there _is_ a correct chemical and dosage of it that can help. Recreational use of someone else's prescription is never a good thing.
From what I've found from living with people on antidepressants, it's not as simple as finding "the right drug" as each different type has its upsides and downsides. It's more of a process of trial and error as the effect each kind has on each patient can be radically different. You can tell them that they shouldn't be doing it the "wrong way" but there's rarely even a "right way" to begin with.
@@RoninCatholic I don't think that's a very good way to look at it. The human brain is *extremely* complicated, and nothing has a single cause. Your description is also more accurate for recreational, dopamine inducing drugs. (Most) Antidepressants don't work like that. While there are some antidepressants that can be addictive and/or give you a 'high', they're not very popular among therapists these days. For example, a common class of antidepressants are called "SSRI"s, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter released in the brain by neurons communicating with other neurons. It is (generally) associated with more positive and stable emotions, and SSRIs essentially reinforce serotonin communication. They aren't addictive, don't give you any kind of 'high', and they are very difficult to overdose on. They also don't build up resistance. In fact, it's kind of the opposite. Some studies have shown that taking them can have long lasting or even permanent effects to help your mood overall, even once you stop taking the SSRIs because they help to reinforce those existing serotonin pathways. I've been taking SSRIs for years now, and I certainly don't feel addicted to them or anything, and I feel happier and less anxious than before (but of course, correlation is not causation). And finally, I want to say that you don't need one magic solution to mental health. Media often portrays mental health as being specifically caused by one thing and it's the goal of the character to defeat that one thing. But really, you can try as many or as few strategies as you want. Exercise, routines, social integration, therapy, anti-depressants, sleep habit, lifestyle changes, diet... all of these can help, and if they do, that's great. Don't feel like your path to happiness is somehow 'invalid' or 'fake' because it involves anti-depressants or therapy or something else. Ultimately, all thoughts are 'chemical imbalances' anyway. If you'd like sources for any of this, let me know and I can look some up, but it's pretty late where I am right now.
@@RoninCatholic no, that's not how it works. Painkillers don't solve a chemical imbalance. They block pain. Anti anxiety meds don't treat an imbalance either. We don't measure chemical imbalances before prescribing drugs like antidepressants because there isn't a baseline level of antidepressants and chemicals that must be followed. Don't make such statements when you aren't educated or trained for it.
thank you for reviewing this movie, its one of my favorites of all time. i really hope it gets the love and attention its been sorely missing for years because of this review
I was introduced to the comic book by my spanish teacher as she had us read and analyze it for one of our units last year so coming back to your channel (i've been a subscriber for some time!) and seeing that you had made a video on the film is really cool !!
There is this film called "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron ", and it'd be interesting to see you review it. Its about a horse and set in the wild west, and very well animated.
May I recommend 'The King Of Pigs'?. It's a korean animation movie about two childhood friends who meet one night to revisit the school they went to as kids where they faced severe bullying and experienced a traumatic event that still haunts them in their adulthood. Fair Warning: Bullying, Abuse, Depression, Violence, Death and animal violence
As a child, I constantly came across an advertisement for a full-length cartoon called "Tristan & Isolde". I have no idea what it is, but I would like to see a review from you on this cartoon.
You should review Netflix's other two Transformers: War For Cybertron chapters since it's been recently (and seemingly) concluded! And also because you reviewed the first chapter and liked it. I'm very interested in what you think of the other two chapters.
I happened to stumble upon it right when it came out (I tent to look through animation news groups regularly) and hearing it flopped financially is very sad, these are the kind of indie projects I really miss and wish were more of
So happy that you covered this film! I’m also surprised at how it didn’t do too well at the box office as well. But like you said, it’s pretty dark and doesn’t tell the story in a conventional way.
Love your videos, Steve. They are so relaxing to watch when I’m having dinner or breakfast. Always excited to see when you’ve uploaded. Keep it up! Greetings from Texas, USA.
is always welcoming to watch other films out of the typical holywood mainstream ones, it gives you a different perspective about takes and ideas from other sources. One more for my personal compendium thanks to Steve.
I would say the piggy bank and the duck were jealous of each other trying to take advantage of little fox. With neither one of them wanting to share their easy ticket to get what they want. They both wanted the same thing too. Not wanting to be left alone.
When I saw the dogs killing the birds because they're full of disease, I couldn't help but be reminded of what the soldiers did with all the animals left behind in the land surrounding Chernobyl - they also rounded them up, killed them all, and I believe burned the bodies because they were worried about the animals spreading radiation and disease, like rabies.
I watched this movie a while back. Personally I think this is one of the more bleak slice-of-life animated movies I've seen as all the characters here, esp the younger animals, are trying to get by... Mouse w/ her parents, rabbit w/ her developing psychosis, fox being untrusted by others [Zootopia parallel?], pig dealing w/ parental abuse, mouse learning to scrap like his father, and dog being trained to be as discriminating as his father as well. But Birdboy's struggles I suppose link all of these characters' struggles together in symbiotic fashion as he's was burdened to look out for the island [lighthouse reference] as his own father did.
Hey Steve, I think you should watch An American Tale, it’s an animated story about mice and cats by Don Bluth and it was a movie from my childhood and I remember being terrified by some scenes, there are three movies but the first one in particular scared the shit out of me, it’s kinda dark, so I hope that could convince you
@@estelaangeles2346 Yeah, but it wasn’t my point. The is a show of cute friendly animals going through horrific deaths. Just imagine it with an actual tragedy atmosphere like in this movie…
I want to thank you. I bought and watched this with a good friend last December and we both loved it. There were a lot of things he related to and corroborated on regarding the theme of drug abuse given he used to be a user himself. I really dig the subtle use of lighting to denote whether the visuals seen are real or just the perception of the character. Although that being said there were some moments that made us both simply ask "but why, though?" I would describe the scenes, but you probably can guess which two they are.
I adore this film. The Duck and pig don't want to be left behind, they think the other is their replacement.
That is exactly it. They see each other as a threat.
Make sense for me now
@@eldricost4384 me too
Do you know where to watch it? I can't find it anywhere
@@reddead102 If you'd like, you can rent/buy it on UA-cam. Renting it is $2.11 if I recall. I ended up buying it.
It’s downright criminal how such a great film like this bombed and didn’t get the attention it deserves. Truly underrated.
Ikr.
that was my profile picture
It could've gotten a sequel if the attention was big enough.
Any ideas as to how I can support this film to help make up for its box office bomb? I adore this in all of its entirety, and want to see more of it!
Maybe cuz it was only spanish and no English dub
The fact that birdboy's dad is called birdman is just so funny to me.
Maybe he was an Elemental HERO or a Neo-Spacian...
what’s next??
birdbaby- 💀
@@raddii3850 birdfetus
Honestly i always assumed the reason for that was because as its stated, his Father was a bit of a loner living in the Lighthouse with his son.
And being one of the only birds in the island (i think, i may have missed if there were other bird charatcers besides the rubber duck) this may have lead to some discrimination and suspicion due to him flying and planting seeds around the island.
This problaby leads to the authorities and the people not bothering learning the names of the father and son as one is a outcast and criminal and the other is the the only child.
He changed it from "Harvey".
There is something deeply, inherently, crushingly depressing in this movie. It's so... dark, cruel, sad, unfair... The only nice, clean, positive and harmless character - that little alarm clock - is a literal machine. A machine, that actually has more soul and humanity than the "breathing" characters. It stays naive and positive, yet it's constantly beaten, mangled, mocked, whatever, by anyone else. It's even more true in the comic book, at a point it's almost a "comic relief", in a twisted way... Really, that movie broke me, in a "Slient Hill 2-esque" way.
Maybe because it's too relatable to life. everybody has a problem but most people pretend its not a problem, when it clearly is and if you keep putting it off you just going to hate yourself again.
...You know what's high-high-high Quality,
so much so that i randomly recommend it to random people randomly?
Starship Goldifsh.
Cliffside.
Internecion Cube.
Thats better than most of what Hollywood does. Even ONE SINGLE LINE, one One-Liner, in Starship Goldfish, is arguably better than all of Modern Doctor Who.
No kidding.
One-Liners who are better than entire Franchises... wow?
There is a comic book?
I dont think its supposed to be like that, to me i would say that the message of the movie is that it gets by without any message, like life. Nobody cares who your "supposed" to be, things will happen weather you like it or not, you think anyone else cares that dinkys father is supposed to be alive? no, they dont and thats not to say that dinky was perfect when her father was alive either or the kid in the lighthouse or the kid in the junkyard, all their lives are interconnected and nobody can live in this world without being affected by everyone else, like a pack of dominoes. the events of this movie take place without a certain amount of pleasure, they go from a to b like a passing train and they dont care if your there to witness or not.
Feel you bro, AI should take over the world
It really is sad that this wasn’t a huge hit as it should have been.
It had so much potential.
Agreed.
@@elricky1996 great profile pic
I would definitely not watch this
Gkids in an interesting distributor because they're not like 4kids where they highly edit everything for a child audience. They'll pull small foreign film from across the globe and present them in their purest form. They're even known for being the current rights owner for most of the Ghibli collection as well as Studuo Trigger's Promare.
I think it's bc Gkids is owned by Studio Ghibli. I think it's their international subsidiary
wow cool that they don't alter and censor like funimation and viz
@Jacob J4746 Yes, thank you.
and I love them for that.
@@TicyPhenylFanClub it’s very understandable that the dubs and translations of Funimation and Viz are for the more mainstream audience of censor happy, obnoxious entitled househusbands and housewives. The far more interesting reason why the Funimation dubs are censored all along is that this world is filled to the brim with shady human beings.
I love how Dinky's stepdad looks like a normal human wearing animal ears; she sees him as an impostor: someone trying to impersonate her dad. As someone who has been through the same situation i can confirm that's a pretty accurate representation of how it feels, but delivered just with visuals.
So was this stepdad a jerk too or did things turn out better.
Impostor?!?!
@@ClearChain
sus sus
@@nathancaldwell5443 he was decent, it just feels odd the first few years
Noooo he just has all the fur on his head burnt off thats it
Like many animated films in the world today, it gets assumed that it's "meant for children." By the time people realize it isn't, it's too late -- no one who was an adult would go see a "kid's film" and no adults with kids would take them to such a "horrible kid's movie." It's just another victim of animation = kids mentality, it would seem.
More like the animation = kids = merchandise thing.
I accidentally took my nephew to see 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas'. Let's just say I'm not allowed to take him to movies anymore. LOL
me when made in abyss
@@seanrosenau2088 I would say that film is appropriate enough for kids to see, you shouldn't shield kids from horrible things that happened in the past, thats how they learn not to repeat the past
@@torytellstales That does make some sense. Problem is he was only five. If he was maybe thirteen it would have been ok. He was kinda traumatized. LOL
Its sad how stuff like bossbaby gets so much attention while masterpieces like this gets turned down.
DreamWorks paid the price for creating such an awful film.
@Spider-Venom ....your kidding right?
boss baby is stupid it cringe tbh
The boss baby is a good movie
@@BoxzoqzYT true but I really really wish, I could watch this movie with my brother.
When I was a child I used to personify my toys and pretend that every time I went away they would become alive. But, when used to sleep with one of my toys I then would feel bad because i would think the other toys were jealous of the one toy I sleep with and become sad. This is what I believe the stare off between the inflatable duck and the pig means, its a figment of Little Fox's imagination. Little Fox probably feels bad about making many friends because he doesn't want to hurt the one he has. He's making this up in his head. Also in the end, the duck and pig end up dying, which shows Little Fox is afraid of losing his friends, while it also can mean the affects of caring too much. (The pig and the horse can also be tied to Dinki and Sandra, and how Little Fox does not want them to fight and feels as though friendship is finite to one person) Anyways that my theory.
You’d think that the people of the island would’ve left, but then again they likely couldn’t have survived in the Big City.
Also Birdboy’s design reminds me of the Knight from Hollow Knight
I thought that design looks similar, but i coudn't remerber what it was.
Well, they're pretty empty inside.
Plague doctor!!
There's actually a little detail in the movie where the main 3 trying to escape the island mention the older brother of a rat they know managed to get to the big city and became successful. Later when they come across the landfill and encounter a rat, the fox realizes it's the same rat who supposedly left and became successful.
huh look into who worked on the movie and game as they are both spanish devs
“Animal crossing with a nuke dropped on it”
That actually explains everything lol
Yeah, imagine Dinky visiting your island!
@@AStupidUnknownUser Dinky does have a nice and cute design, and mouse villagers are some of the most hated for the “bad designs”
@@AStupidUnknownUser Dinky and even Little Fox definitely look in keeping with the AC style. Birdboy on the other hand would stand out more if he showed up to an island, since he kinda looks like a Tim Burton character from what I can see here. I think it's the color scheme and empty abyss eyes but Jack Skellington instantly came to mind for me.
The pig and the duck could be a metaphor for inflation. (the pig representing savings and the duck being inflation due to being an inflatable pool toy).
@uwau NO VERY BAD *sprays you with 99% hydrogen peroxide*
@uwau no more Internet for you today
@uwau Futa inflation
@uwau love your pfp.
@uwau uwu
The designs for the demons and spider hooked me in, they don't hold back on the visual representation and how inner demons can be more terrifying than anything else.
One thing I do find rather clever about the English dub is how they had Zacharias' mother and the spider voiced by the same actor (Cindy Robinson) rather than having two different actors voicing them. It honestly conveys the spider being a metaphor for the addiction far better.
I’m one of THE biggest fans of this film. I own every version of the books, the films, and even hidden relics relating to the early release of the film. It’s so amazing someone big finally reviewed it! Alberto is also currently working on a film just as disturbing called, “Unicorn Wars”. You should totally review it once it’s released!
Awesome! I want to watch it but I'm scared of the ending. I know you should never do this but I need you to tell me how it ends, I won't be able to watch otherwise because of my anxiety
@@Ohgrosswhatsthat SPOILERS
That’s okay! I understand. This film is quite dark alone and the ending couldn’t be any more sadder. Dinky is left to fend for herself and the island when her escape with her friends fails due to a storm that hit. Bird Boy is then found by the dogs and is killed through a heart gun-shot wound. Although Bird Boy is dead, Dinky does not know that. The love of her life has vanished, and if she can’t leave the island, it’s up to her to defend it and heal it as Bird Boy was. She eventually does, and birds, trees, and fish are seen to return at the end of the film, implying to us Dinky did it. She saved the island.
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that's so cool! :-) after seeing this vid i rlly wanna know more abt the films/books, do u have discord or somth? i'd love to learn more about it!
Do you think you could perhaps make a video showing your collection of all of the books and other things? I absolutely love seeing things like that
It was originally called "Psychonauts" but the title was changed in order to not be confused with the videogame of the same name released on 2005.
I love that game
@@Quazawe me too
Now I want to see this movie lol
Good game too. I heard it was going to be darker but they changed it.
"The film focuses on a group of anthropomorphic animals living in a post-apocalyptic world after a recent factory disaster killed off much of the population and decimated the wildlife"
I didn't realise Biomutant was based on a film
I was thinking Night in the Woods given the style but this makes me want to get Biomutant once I can~
@@Roadent1241 that was kinda weird to put ~ at the end but anyways, Biomutant is a phenomenal game and I highly recommend getting it
@@1217death It meant I expressed emotion in my statement, sorry.
I have it added to my list.
@@Roadent1241 dang, now u really make me want to play Night in the Woods again
If only biomutant had deep themes and atmosphere like this movie has
Fun fact : both the police dogs are voiced by the same actors that voice admiral Zhao and Aang in the Basque dub of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
As a Basque person myself, It's quite impossible to hear these characters speak and not imagine them being other people in other cartoons, which I find very funny :) .
Dogs obey, birds are free. This movie is a masterpiece on understanding strife.
Dogs are usefull worthy part of civiliced society, while birds are stupid as shit creatures that die to everything that only have one skill and thats shitting on everything from above.
Fk birds
This films is more like Animal Crossing in the Fallout universe, and the inclusion of Silent Hill world building.
I legit was playing fallout intro music over the footage
If I hadn't watched this review and only read what you just said... I'd already be reaching for my wallet. Like I'm definitely sold now
true
@@Psyanigh todd Howard promises us 16 times the detail
@@trolledfrog678
Dudeee:... What's funny is I remember vividly waiting for the DLC after Dragonborn that was rumored to be about Hammerfell. Then it was like naw, all that'll go to a full-fledge game. So around the time Fallout 4 dropped I figured we'd have a good two years until TESVI, and then I blinked and it's been a decade smh
I remember seeing this film for the first time at the Ottawa International Animation Festival in 2016. All throughout, I felt rage, confusion and fear just like the characters did--but the ending and themes made it worth watching. (SPOILERS: READ MORE AT YOUR OWN RISK)
In the end, the kids' boat capsized on their way to the Big City, forcing them to retreat to their shitty island (all but Birdboy, who saves them from death at the cost of his own life). However, there's a kind of hope when a grieving Dinky discovers the hidden oasis where Birdboy's tree and flora grow. She sees the glowing acorns and feels Birdboy's spirit, implying that Dinky could go on to plant the acorns and return life and beauty to her island. The ending hints that in darkness there's light to be found, and if you want to see positive change, it can start with you.
This is the kind of stuff that would probably do well as a series on a streaming site like netflix. A series with this artstyle, especially the demon scenes, would be awesome.
Netflix needs to pick it up
I can not stress how much I love the style.
It's hard for animated films outside of america and japan to get widespread attention but some of the most beautiful films I've ever seen have come from countries like Spain and Russia
It looks like a beautiful film, it’s a shame it didn’t do that well in the box office, I assume that people thought it looked like a children’s movie and didn’t want to see it, or that they didn’t really understand all the metaphors
Also that it’s in Spanish, a lot of people probably haven’t heard of it or didn’t want to watch it because of that
An interesting little detail I noticed: all of the police and bullies are dogs, and Dinki, Sandra, Zorrito (Little Fox), and Birdboy are all animals that have been seen as pests.
A bit of irony in the plot comes in the form of Zacharias hating life on the island and vowing to leave on his boat the day his mother dies. His mother does die the day the kids steal from him. He even ends up rescuing them when their inflatable duck capsizes and doesn't survive the storm. If they had just asked him to take them somewhere else, he may have sympathized and let them go with him, or even drop them off on the way to his own destination. But now he can't leave. He doesn't have the money for it.
Man I like dogs, why’d they have to do them like that
@@Prince_ofHearts9 You know, I find it to be refreshing seeing dogs in stories as antagonist instead of boring nice protagonist
@@Prince_ofHearts9 because dogs do what they're trained to do. If they're trained to attack, they attack. If they're trained to see others as different and act like different is bad or less than, they will do that.
It's also a given considering the aforementioned outcasts (Dinki, Sandra, Zorrito, and Birdboy) are all animals that have been seen as pests which dogs have been trained to deal with
@@seraphinasullivan4849 Yeah, now that you bring it up i think it's supposed to partially symbolize how discrimination is something learned through the words of others- comparing those who follow the status quo aren't irredeemable demons but mislead people who do terrible acts because they are told what they're doing is good, they are dogs who can't think for themselves.
I like to think it symbolizes the problem of feral species, who hunt with no reason and end up unbalancing the ecosystem
I read littlefox as a-spec, just saying, as someone who related to the discrimination, his constant desire to connect with others, but failed (regardless of who they are, shown with the "eye shines" which is a very Important Thing.) But mostly his very intense attachment to inmate objects. So notice as how it focuses on certain aspects of each character how they just simply bleed into the meta. Each character does this, the competition between the duck and piggy bank is an expression of how littlefox can impact the viewer too- by personifying the imamate objects the way HE See's them. Distracting from reality with humorous personalities he perceives and writes onto them with personal meaning.
...You know what's high-high-high Quality,
so much so that i randomly recommend it to random people randomly?
Starship Goldifsh.
Cliffside.
Internecion Cube.
Thats better than most of what Hollywood does. Even ONE SINGLE LINE, one One-Liner, in Starship Goldfish, is arguably better than all of Modern Doctor Who.
No kidding.
One-Liners who are better than entire Franchises... wow?
I commend the writers for sticking to their guns and not appealing to the lowest common denominator.
I think we need to normalize films that don’t just play it safe. When executed well, these types of films are far more impactful and significant.
For instance, Avengers Endgame was an adrenaline-filled, fun must-see that I could watch again once or twice. But I’d watch Barefoot Gen multiple times and be left with deeper feelings each viewing, and you wouldn’t have to be an established fan of the franchise for me to recommend it to you.
Right! I would adore having more films that just leave me thinking days upon days, having me cry or think about my actions even years later. Hell, I DO love those family fun films (like Luca or other happy go lucky movies), but films and books like Animal Farm, Grave Of The Fireflies, The Breadwinner, and so much more give a wonderful take on things you would never consider.
Like Grave Of The Fireflies? That movie made me rethink World War Two and how not everyone on the Allies side was innocent in the ordeal. Yeah, the Allies saved lots of people under Hitler's regime, but that doesn't take away the fact that civilians suffered for a war they didn't even agree with. I'll still be thinking about that movie way longer than I will with a happy-go-lucky movie that says "racism is solved" or some moral like that.
Ironically, for me, I almost fell asleep during Endgame. I was so bored.
This is why I’m not going mainstream anymore unless it’s actually good
If films wanna make real money they need to stop making such boring repetitive dull corporate garbage
@@notacatjustahuman modern family films are a shell of what they were in the 80s 90s
@@notacatjustahuman I blame it on corporatization
The amount of symbolism and clever ways to portray things like drug addiction,psychopathy and mounting, bloodthirsty rage is better than the actual Psychonauts. Still not as weird as The Milkman Conspiracy, but maybe that's a good thing.
Edit: Can someone send me a UA-cam link to the English dub? I can't find it 😢.
you can find it on 1337x if you Google it.
If you liked Birdboy, the director has another movie coming out in a month! Unicorn Wars! I’m fairly excited for it, especially since this movie is so good.
Saberspark just reviewed that. Oooh boy, is that one a doozy! I heard it is getting a US blu-ray release on March 31. Don't know if it will have an English dub or not.
I know that Steve mostly does films, but there's a series called Made in Abyss that I think is right up his alley
i agree that would be pretty epic
Love that series
He’s done TV shows too so it’s perfect.
Those 2 scenes in the movie are disgusting and I felt was not needed and was just there to be shocking and disgusting cause besides those 2 things nothing else like that happens at all
@@captainyasopp154 i feel it fits with the whole abyss and danger and how the adventure can just go from good to bad real quick
Birdboy is also an allegory for the natural world which is often mistreated and poorly understood, and the demon's outburst representing man-made natural disasters.
Its confirmed that china and india will start the apocalypse in 2036
@@estelaangeles2346 proof?
@@estelaangeles2346 Shitttt... 5 more years
@@umamifan wow you live in 2031
@@PoyoPoyomfs yah I live in 2021 it's really cozy we got rid of every std in existence so it's a free for all sex paradise full of the most hedonistic desire and sin a human could ever possibly display
This is honestly my favorite non-Disney animated film, and I'm so happy someone reviewed it and seemed to understand it. It really deserves more love than it got because it's a beautiful film. If I remember correctly, the graphic novel was personal for Vasquez because Birdboy was modeled after a friend who was a drug addict that 'used drugs to fly.' You can see that in the short film, where he snorts some stuff then imagines flying away with Dinky because he can't fly for real. I think the story was also a commentary on the opium epidemic. That one scene where the rat dad and kid confront another rat dad and kid always makes me sad. The utter defeat the first dad feels when he sees his son, but not blaming the other child and adopting him on the spot with no words just stirs emotions. Such a good yet terrible moment. This film is just so good ughhhh
Can't wait for the Unicorn Wars review
God, I adore this artstyle so, so, much.
I love that Steve Reviews new schtick is to review deceivingly cute media that is quite dark under the cute facade.
I just like how he reviews a lot of stuff I've never even heard of before. Saw this review was uploaded and watched the movie before coming back for the review. Steve has yet to fail me when it comes to good recommendations!
@Jacob J4746 eh, you get used to them after a while
@@clydewill2340 Madoka Magica
@@crackerjack0349 lol, already experienced that nightmare. As well as a few others like deadman wonderland, blood - c, and others
Please review "We met one stormy night" an anime about a wolf and a goat. It's so good and underrated! I also recommend "Zorbo and the lucky seagull" is also super underrated but highly recommended as well thanks! :)
i ask the same thing
@@morgancooper4673 Me too!
YES PLEASE
I was just about to comment about "one stormy night", this is such a sweet movie.
Also I find it kinda odd how this was turned into a series and in the series they turned the goat into a female goat
I can appreciate this form of symbolic storytelling, as it's one of the advantages when using an animated format. But I can understand why some viewers would just be confused.
You really underestimate how dumb humans are on average. You have to remember only a few discovered all of the things that most of us use.
Shows like Arcane have done so great at
@@vegsmashed lmao ok
Bird boy makes me think of Oyasumi Punpun at least regarding the imagery used for his scenes.
I was waiting so long for a bigger youtuber like you steve to finally give this movie some spotlight
You've now become one of those people that I'll drop everything for when you upload.
Me too, me too! lol
Same. Because I know Steve will give us something new and interesting - even though it most likely too dark for my innocent heart😂 but honestly I like his opinions too
Nunca pense que harias una reseña sobre una pelicula en español, he estado viendo tus videos desde el 2018 y tengo que decir tu forma de segmentar las peliculas es muy buena.
I'll keep watching your content because i find the way you interpretate every movie very interesting and deep.
Greetings from Chile.
Creo que Voy a ver esta película.
Alv un tocayo
It's always a good day when Steve uploads
Indeed it is
I suppose so
Facts.
You betcha
I'm actually making a novel about humanoid animals and this is giving me inspiration.
Edit: It's not going to happen, the project is completely cancelled, however I do plan on making other stories in the future, mostly depressing, melancholic drama stories involving things like war and purgatory. There will no longer be any humanoid animals.
Nice :D!
@@dey4104 Thank you 😊
It's one of those things that starts of innocent, but leaves you with a little shiver down you're spine.
Edit: I'm absolutely embarrassed by this, I deleted everything in this reply so you don't have to read it.
@@eddhead101 It seems like it will be something I would enjoy reading. Do you plan to publish the novel somewhere? :)
@@dey4104 No
I still have to finish three other chapters to finish the first book.
Someday though 😌
@@eddhead101 I understand ^-^ I wish you the best of luck with that 😄
(This comment was written when the video was at 7:13, and may later become inaccurate) I think the bunnies on her shoulder may be representative of intrusive thoughts, like, you could be driving down the road and all of a sudden you hear a thought come along that says "you should hit that tree" or you're chopping veggies and all of a sudden you think "what would happen if I chopped my finger off" etc, etc. Those definitely aren't healthy thoughts, but plenty of people get thoughts like that sometimes
Good news the director of Birdboy is making another film called Unicorn Wars which should be out by next year. It also has a short that inspired the full film called Unicorn Blood
Truly one of the greatest depressing animated films ever made. Right up there with When the wind blows, and The Plague Dogs (my favorite).
I think *The Plague Dogs* is a _lot_ more depressing. *Birdboy* at least has some hope with Dinky finding the Miyazaki tree.
Has anyone recommend this Brazilian animated film called “Tito and the Birds” yet? It’s a highly underrated film that I stumbled on accidentally 2 years ago and I honestly enjoyed it. I would love to see someone review it eventually
Doesn’t look like the kind of movie for me but I appreciate the metaphors and glad you’re helping bring attention to a movie that put a lot of effort into its production
I really like the look of the stepdad character for it's weirdness, but I think it doesn't work in the context of everything else. I totally get the fact that he looks like a human in a strange furry costume because he's a "stranger" trying to replace dead dad. But him being the only one to look like this just makes it very strange to me. And I stand by my initial statement feeling the film needed some more of that weirdness in other character designs because apart from a few like Birdboy the character designs often felt very milquetoast and amateurish leaving only the inner demons and their animations interesting. This could very well be one of the films failing attributes in finding an audience, it's pretty hard to market something that might have great content but could very easily be mistaken for a bland and quick cash grab, and there are plenty of those really crappy animated films with zero effort. And this isn't that, don't get me wrong, but it sure looks the part
Some recommendations is the anime film called Wolf Children. A beautiful story on the struggles and joys of motherhood. And I know you usually do movies but a series to check out is the anime series called The Ancient Magus Bride. A visual beautiful story with a lot of dark moments. A young woman Chise suffering from depression was considering killing herself till a strange shady guy convinces her to sell herself in this secret auction. Which she is purchased by a strange man named Elias Ainsworth who is one of the last of the mages. He buys her so she can become his apprentice but also hopes to make her his bride. It is so full of Celtic lore as well as taking place in the English countryside. The visuals and music are fantastic. The story is amazing. And the growth of Chise and Elias relationship feels very organic. It’s very complex from being either a father/daughter, mother/son, and lovers judging what the situation calls for. Hope this peaks anyone’s interest
I'm a huge fan of this series (and made in abyss mentioned earlier) so I second this! Also, as a Brit myself, seeing my country portrayed a by another culture was really interesting
Oh gosh Wolf Children is such a beautiful film; made me cry so much the first time I saw it. The dynamic between the mother and her children, and the slow role reversal between the siblings, were SO well done.
I haven't heard of The Ancient Magus Bride! I'll check it out! 😍
@@rhiannonr it is show to worth checking out.
True I liked it way more than Harry Potter series. Harry Potter films are good to watch just for Snape and brilliant music that accompanies scenes. It is sad that a book series written by a woman doesn't have much beauty in (Fantastic Beasts brilliant on the contrary). I feel that if instead Harry Potter (who carelessly was experimenting with spells on random folks in school) we got a girl or a character that resembled Newt Skamander more we would get much more complex worldbuilding.
Ooh this one looks like a fun filled PTSD trip
Your profile pic is the true Australian flag 👍👍👍
Gosh, I love this film. I found it scary and beautiful, and I couldn't stop watching. It left me with a sense of tender sadness. It speaks a language I can understand well.
I'm so happy you found it and decided to review it (I really like your opinions about it), hope it will reach many more people :)
3:44 I can't ignore the fact that the step dad said "se acabó" that means "enough" but the subtitles says "evil" for no good reason.
I'd never heard of this movie before seeing this video, though after it I decided to give the movie a watch (following the short) and I genuinely am so happy I did. Seriously, it HURTS that it doesn't have more recognition. I really hope the people that worked on it know how beautiful what they made is, because it definitely didn't show in their profits. I really hope the movie gets the notice it deserves one way or another
As far as future reviews, the only "darker" animated series (it's not a movie) that I haven't seen you review yet is the Japanese anime Wolf's Rain. IDK if it's a little too removed from your usual reviews Steve, but just a thought.
I havent watched that show in probably 16 years. I need to rewatch it again.
Man, that was one of my first animes! Probably why I like wolves so much too..
Yes please! I love that anime
I remember finding a trailer of this by accident, and not knowing how to actually watch the film. I always loved the way the animation looked, as well as the art style! Glad to hear that it's actually pretty good, might go and watch it myself at some point! Thanks for the review!
Birdboy is fantastic and criminally underrated. Some of my favourite running themes are the sentient inanimate objects (the trash is said to be alive and multiply), the fantasy of escaping vs. the harsh reality that most people don't have the means to leave the island (shown through white mouse's brother), the "inheriting" of roles (the young cop and the police chief, Birdboy and Birdman and later Dinky and Birdboy) and the bittersweet conclusion that even if we're condemened to live in a shitty world, we can find meaning in trying to make it better.
Is White Mouse's Brother the older brother of the White Mouse Dad in the beginning?
@@TheRealNormanBates I don't know. I don't think we're ever told who "white mouse" is during the movie, they're only mentioned. Their brother is the mouse with the missing hand.
god i need to watch this film! just watching this video i was in love with the few clips of the animation we got to see, i cant even begin to imagine how much i would love the full thing.
not to mention the style was adorable and so dark at the same time, this really looks like a gem of a film.
8:12 I kinda thought it meant how her addiction goes stronger each time she's given drugs
This was the first movie that convinced me to buy the UA-cam rental. It was an experience that's for
For sure*
If its spanish.. it's probably good.
Same here.
Steve would you ever consider reviewing a story or a book? Really, there's a series I've been reading for a few months and from what I've seen, only around a few thousand people have ever seen it or heard of it before
The comic's name is Denma, and it's a complicated masterpiece of pure intolerance to to the notion of unrealistic. It gets pretty convoluted, but the storytelling is great, it's comical, it's full of action, but the reason I reccomend this is because there's a story about a man named Jiro in it and his fight against addiction and it would amazing if you could review his story, even if it's not the full story of Denma which is over 1000 chapters
I love all the birdboy stuff, both his demons and just his normal style is really great.
His a burd and a boi
9:20
One thing I’ve been thinking about this is the "competition" of attention and love for Little Fox, hence why they have that staredown to each other.
Idk I was only thinking about that, maybe it is or not, but it’s just a theory.
A FILM THEORY
8:36 This scene about the defenseless bird being a sniper really cracked me up, to quote south park "It's coming right for us!"
Always happy to see new uploads! I'm so grateful you watch these so I don't have to!
Please don't forget to possibly review Unico (in the Island of Magic) in the future! SUCH bizarre and traumatizing shit. For real. (Remember that clip I sent you on Twitter?)
Keep up the great work, Steve!!!
This has to be one of my favorite animated movies. Watching it over many, many times gave me different perspectives of the movie.
Eventually, you should review the 1998 Czechoslovakia film called "Alice".
Even better, it was actually made for kids. You'll get a kick outta it!
Oooo I’m interested to hear more about this one :o
@@blaquemarou let's just say it's a stop motion/live action "kid's movie" that's a different take on the classic tale of Alice in wonderland, and it's right up Steve's alley.
@@riakun a different, darker version of Alice and The Wonderland...... SIGN ME UP
Even more amazingly, said Alice film was made a year before Mr Havel became the president who returned democracy back into a then united Czechoslovakia!
9:15 I think pig is her life and duck is what she wants it to be and they fight.
I meant the little fox
About duck and that little pig.
It’s jealousy and fear, of being replaced and stopped being cared for.
Aww, poor things!
I think the rubber duck and the pig’s stare-off is a representation of them vying for the attention of Littlefox.
I really recommend reviewing Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart, honestly such an amazing film.
Remember: If the source of your problems isn't _strictly_ a chemical imbalance, drugs will not fix it. And if your problem _is_ a chemical imbalance, only the correct dose of the correct drug will help you and other drugs will make it worse.
This is a way too overly-simplified explanation.
@@izer0z When the source of your problem isn't chemical, chemicals won't fix it. It's pretty simple, drugs might numb you to emotional pain brought on by real life tragedy or something, but the underlying issue is still waiting for you as soon as the high wears off. Your body then gets resistant to the drug and you need a stronger dose in the future.
The only reason drug use is complicated is because for a lot of problems, there _is_ a correct chemical and dosage of it that can help. Recreational use of someone else's prescription is never a good thing.
From what I've found from living with people on antidepressants, it's not as simple as finding "the right drug" as each different type has its upsides and downsides. It's more of a process of trial and error as the effect each kind has on each patient can be radically different. You can tell them that they shouldn't be doing it the "wrong way" but there's rarely even a "right way" to begin with.
@@RoninCatholic I don't think that's a very good way to look at it. The human brain is *extremely* complicated, and nothing has a single cause. Your description is also more accurate for recreational, dopamine inducing drugs. (Most) Antidepressants don't work like that. While there are some antidepressants that can be addictive and/or give you a 'high', they're not very popular among therapists these days.
For example, a common class of antidepressants are called "SSRI"s, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter released in the brain by neurons communicating with other neurons. It is (generally) associated with more positive and stable emotions, and SSRIs essentially reinforce serotonin communication. They aren't addictive, don't give you any kind of 'high', and they are very difficult to overdose on. They also don't build up resistance. In fact, it's kind of the opposite. Some studies have shown that taking them can have long lasting or even permanent effects to help your mood overall, even once you stop taking the SSRIs because they help to reinforce those existing serotonin pathways. I've been taking SSRIs for years now, and I certainly don't feel addicted to them or anything, and I feel happier and less anxious than before (but of course, correlation is not causation).
And finally, I want to say that you don't need one magic solution to mental health. Media often portrays mental health as being specifically caused by one thing and it's the goal of the character to defeat that one thing. But really, you can try as many or as few strategies as you want. Exercise, routines, social integration, therapy, anti-depressants, sleep habit, lifestyle changes, diet... all of these can help, and if they do, that's great. Don't feel like your path to happiness is somehow 'invalid' or 'fake' because it involves anti-depressants or therapy or something else. Ultimately, all thoughts are 'chemical imbalances' anyway.
If you'd like sources for any of this, let me know and I can look some up, but it's pretty late where I am right now.
@@RoninCatholic no, that's not how it works. Painkillers don't solve a chemical imbalance. They block pain. Anti anxiety meds don't treat an imbalance either. We don't measure chemical imbalances before prescribing drugs like antidepressants because there isn't a baseline level of antidepressants and chemicals that must be followed.
Don't make such statements when you aren't educated or trained for it.
thank you for reviewing this movie, its one of my favorites of all time. i really hope it gets the love and attention its been sorely missing for years because of this review
I was introduced to the comic book by my spanish teacher as she had us read and analyze it for one of our units last year so coming back to your channel (i've been a subscriber for some time!) and seeing that you had made a video on the film is really cool !!
There is this film called "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
", and it'd be interesting to see you review it. Its about a horse and set in the wild west, and very well animated.
Spirit has one of the most gorgeous styles of animation I have ever seen.
@@hiroasuakika7144
Ikr
Spirit was one of my favorites when I was a kid
Oh man I loved that movie! Would definitely like to see it reviewed
May I recommend 'The King Of Pigs'?. It's a korean animation movie about two childhood friends who meet one night to revisit the school they went to as kids where they faced severe bullying and experienced a traumatic event that still haunts them in their adulthood.
Fair Warning: Bullying, Abuse, Depression, Violence, Death and animal violence
Everyone and everything: **intact and happy**
Nuclear explosion: *im about to ruin there whole career.*
This director recently came out with a new movie called unicorn wars and I would urge you to watch it as it tackles fascism, religion and war
I randomly bought this around 5 years ago on blue ray and ended up liking it quite a bit. Still have it in my collection.
As a child, I constantly came across an advertisement for a full-length cartoon called "Tristan & Isolde". I have no idea what it is, but I would like to see a review from you on this cartoon.
You should review Netflix's other two Transformers: War For Cybertron chapters since it's been recently (and seemingly) concluded! And also because you reviewed the first chapter and liked it. I'm very interested in what you think of the other two chapters.
So many Easter Eggs
Fun fact: the comic that bird boy was based on was called (im not making this up when I say this) Pyschonauts, in the original Spanish dub.
I'm surprised they didn't go after Schaffer then XD Interesting, I wonder if it means something different in Spanish?
Yeah, and they literally changed it so it wouldn’t get confused with the game.
@@MisterJohnDoe still, I’m curious is to what Pyschonauts means in Spanish
Birdboy's demon hallucinations give me Pink Floyd's: The Wall vibes, specifically Goodbye Blue Sky's animation.
I happened to stumble upon it right when it came out (I tent to look through animation news groups regularly) and hearing it flopped financially is very sad, these are the kind of indie projects I really miss and wish were more of
Indeed, the creators of the movie deserved better. I'm only 13 though, and I don't want to traumatize myself, so I'll pass for now.
So happy that you covered this film! I’m also surprised at how it didn’t do too well at the box office as well. But like you said, it’s pretty dark and doesn’t tell the story in a conventional way.
Love your videos, Steve. They are so relaxing to watch when I’m having dinner or breakfast. Always excited to see when you’ve uploaded. Keep it up! Greetings from Texas, USA.
is always welcoming to watch other films out of the typical holywood mainstream ones, it gives you a different perspective about takes and ideas from other sources. One more for my personal compendium thanks to Steve.
Because hollywood rejects good movies and they don't want people to focus WW3
I’ve been waiting so long to see you review this, such a good video
I would say the piggy bank and the duck were jealous of each other trying to take advantage of little fox. With neither one of them wanting to share their easy ticket to get what they want. They both wanted the same thing too. Not wanting to be left alone.
When Steve uploads I'm happy
7:23 why do I relate to Little foxes way of thinking there. Like for some reason that hit home really badly😂🥲
When I saw the dogs killing the birds because they're full of disease, I couldn't help but be reminded of what the soldiers did with all the animals left behind in the land surrounding Chernobyl - they also rounded them up, killed them all, and I believe burned the bodies because they were worried about the animals spreading radiation and disease, like rabies.
You gotta review Unicorn Wars now if you aren’t already planning to.
Ngl thats probably one of the best monster roar ive ever heard 6:22
I watched this movie a while back. Personally I think this is one of the more bleak slice-of-life animated movies I've seen as all the characters here, esp the younger animals, are trying to get by...
Mouse w/ her parents, rabbit w/ her developing psychosis, fox being untrusted by others [Zootopia parallel?], pig dealing w/ parental abuse, mouse learning to scrap like his father, and dog being trained to be as discriminating as his father as well.
But Birdboy's struggles I suppose link all of these characters' struggles together in symbiotic fashion as he's was burdened to look out for the island [lighthouse reference] as his own father did.
Hey Steve, I think you should watch An American Tale, it’s an animated story about mice and cats by Don Bluth and it was a movie from my childhood and I remember being terrified by some scenes, there are three movies but the first one in particular scared the shit out of me, it’s kinda dark, so I hope that could convince you
I’ve been thinking about American Tale a lot lately. That mechanical mouse was terrifying. All Dogs Go to Heaven hell scene, too!
I love the An American Tale movies, but I can definitely understand being spooked by certain scenes.
Yes the mechanical mouse gave me so many nightmares!!!
I agree he does need to look into that one. Watched it as a little kid in theaters.
Wasnt American tale a alluding too something
Man, just imagine Happy Tree Friends being a down to earth melodrama…
They'd die only 5 minutes in.
@@nathancaldwell5443 Not always. Some of them die even before.
@@baryardeni9731 happy tree friends makes me gag
@@nathancaldwell5443 happy tree friends makes me vomit
@@estelaangeles2346 Yeah, but it wasn’t my point. The is a show of cute friendly animals going through horrific deaths. Just imagine it with an actual tragedy atmosphere like in this movie…
I want to thank you. I bought and watched this with a good friend last December and we both loved it. There were a lot of things he related to and corroborated on regarding the theme of drug abuse given he used to be a user himself. I really dig the subtle use of lighting to denote whether the visuals seen are real or just the perception of the character. Although that being said there were some moments that made us both simply ask "but why, though?"
I would describe the scenes, but you probably can guess which two they are.
If you liked birdboy you’re gonna love unicorn wars!! I think its from the same creators
It is