The Happy Cricket and the Giant Bugs (2009) Movie Review, Trailer and Poster

Brazil 2009
Director: Walbercy Ribas & Rafael Ribas
Cast: Vagner Fagundes, Luiz Amorim, Rodrigo Andreatto, Jair Assumpcao, Marcello Braccesi, Carlos Capeletti, Giovanni Delgado, Julia Duarte, Fatima Noya
Rating: -
Language: Portuguese
Release Date: 9 January 2009 (Brazil); June 2011 (Indo)
Running Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

The Movie Review

I realized I haven't added a single entry to animation page in a long time! Now it's a good time I guess especially pertaining the long annual school holidays. However there aren't too many movies for kids in the cinemas, so this is the one that I could pick up yesterday. An animation feature film which coming not from Hollywood, not from Germany or Japan but from Brazil and is presented in its original language, Portuguese.

The story revolves around a group of three bug friends, Bituquinho (Fatima Noya) the genius, Rafael (Rodrigo Andreatto) a sporty and kind grasshopper and Happy Cricket/Grilo Feliz (Vagner Fagundes) the artist and singer. Happy Cricket loves to sing and is currently composing a song for the Summer Festival. These three best friends are searching for a talented sound.


The HAPPY CRICKET and the GIANT BUGS
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

Meanwhile a music group of three rapping frogs, Big T, Sinistro and Caradura (Marcello Braccesi) are desperately looking for a female singer. And Big T wants the singer to be one of the bugs and it's not going to be easy for them because Frogs don't mingle well with Bugs or Crickets. However in the Summer Festival, Happy Cricket and friends find the one they've been looking for, a female cricket named Pétala (Julia Duarte), who sings beautifully at the festival. But suddenly Big T and his gang kidnaps her right before their eyes and successfully leaving Happy Cricket stunned and sad.

Another story pertains the giant bug named Trambika (Jair Assumpcao), a living giant grasshopper --who with her grasshopper gang, Sakana (Carlos Capeletti) and Verdugo (Marcos Tumura)-- enslaves many little bug children in their sweatshop. With lollipops, Trambika lures these cute poor kids coming from a slum nearby. But one of the kids, the number 88 named Sebastian, manages to flee from Trambika to Happy Cricket's house and then asking him to teach him some music.

Happy Cricket and friends are thankful for Bituquinho's skill in mechanic for he is constructing a mechanical snake named Hope which they will use in case Trambika's goons are after the kids again. But could Happy Cricket finds Petala? Will he succeed in his dreams of selling his own CDs?

With this movie it somehow proves that satisfying adults is much easier than making the kids feel amused. This fantasy film, which in its original language titled "O Grilo Feliz e os Insetos Gigantes", was nominated as Best Movie in a famous festival Chicago International Children's Film Festival back 2009 and brought home the honour of winning Academia Br asileira de Cinema's prize as the Best animation feature film for kids! That's really an achievement right? Of course. But I noticed something of dreadful news for any filmmakers, the audience were leaving the studio!

Several kids were there with their parents or grandma or babysitters as well as several adults. I heard laughter for about 3 or 4 times coming from the kids, but most of the time they kept quiet... And then around 45 minutes into the movie, a kid with her parents were leaving (I though they took bathroom break, but they never came back). And then three college students were also leaving the studio around 50 minutes into the movie. Oh my..., and finally when the time hits 65-minute mark, another little girl was leaving with her mom and it seems it's the girl who initiated the leave.

Probably the unfamiliar language became a hurdle to fully enjoy this film --which is actually a sequel to The Happy Cricket (2001)-- even though there are 2 subtitles (Indonesian and English) provided. The characters are actually adorable even though the songs are mixed bag, although some people may argue music is an international language, but some songs just don't carry the emotion. Probably it's the comedy or probably the story or maybe because the characters were not given strong characterization or maybe because we saw the 2D version instead of the 3D. Because actually the message this Brazilian film is trying to convey is a great one pertaining love, forgiveness, determination to success and even altruism. But without excellent packaging, sometimes kids just won't notice.

© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com
posted: Friday, 1 July 2011 07:14 pm