"The Lion and the Mouse" (1976) - a mini-review

 

GENERAL INFO

year - 1976

country - Canada

directed by - Evelyn Lambart

written by - Aesop (original tale)

runtime - 4 minutes

company - National Film Board of Canada

language(s) - English & French (credits only)

suitable for all ages 

REVIEWER'S NOTE 

animation - 9/10

story - 7/10

characters - 7/10

sound design - 9/10

OVERALL - 8/10

Before we start...

Hello everyone!

Hello kids!

Not really much to say here, the long promised review of a NFBC short I chose. This time, it's The Lion and the Mouse by Evelyn Lambart. Enjoy!

Final thoughts 

The Lion and the Mouse is an adaptation of a classic fairy tale by Aesop. The short lasts about 4 minutes and is entirely dialogue-free. The little mouse meets a huge, scary lion who, upon catching her*, decides to spare her life. The rodent, however, doesn't have to wait long for an an opportunity to return the favour, as the king of beast is soon trapped by hunters and needs saving.

The short is beautifully animated, with vibrant, artistic stop-motion design done by the director herself, Evelyn Lambart. It may take a while for some to get used to certain stylistic choices the creator made, as it was the case with me, but once the viewer gets accustomed to them, it's absolutely worth it. 

The story itself is rather simple, yet entertaining, using the four-minute runtime highly effectively. The moral itself is also simple but powerful - even the small, seemingly weak can be of great service to the strong. This is evident in the stark contrast between our titular characters: the tiny, fragile mouse and the large, mighty lion. The characters are, of course, also simple in their construction but still likable. 

The music is arguably one of the stronger aspects of this short, effectively replacing dialogue between characters and conveying the mood of the scene as well as the personalities of our "actors". 

To sum it up, The Lion and the Mouse is a delightful, uplifting short for kids and adults to watch together. But, of course, I encourge you to form your own opinion and see it for yourself.

Before we say 'goodbye'...

That's all I have for now. See you all in December. 

Love,

your Diva 💚

* the mouse's gender is not specified in the short itself. For simplicity, I used the word her to refer to the character