The animated films coming out of France in recent years have been nothing short of brilliant – The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist, to name but two. And this first trailer for Ernest & Celestine is not only true to form, it plays like a beautiful watercolour painting come to life!

Adapted from the popular children’s book series by Belgian author Gabrielle Vincent, Ernest & Celestine is brought to you by the team behind A Town Called Panic. The film tells the tale of an unlikely friendship between a reclusive bear and a young orphaned mouse. Mice and bears aren’t meant to get along, but this friendship might just change their respective worlds forever.

Ernest & Celestine has been doing the festival rounds (Cannes, Toronto etc) but hasn’t been picked up for general release yet – although it looks too good to pass up. So Kiwi distributors, if you’re reading this, I really hope we get to see this delight on the big screen.

Charming, delightful and heartwarming are overused words when it comes to describing films, but they couldn’t be more appropriate here.

The chemistry between Ernest and Celestine is wonderful and the film oozes personality. The scene when Ernest tries to eat Celestine made me smile from ear to ear. And after a short hunt on the interweb, I was able to find an extended clip of that scene – which is equally as charming as the trailer.

Do you hope this comes to New Zealand cinemas? What’s your favourite French animated film?

Spirited, orphaned young mouse Celestine must reluctantly put aside her budding artistic inclinations to devote herself to her training as a dentist. She longs to experience something besides the humdrum work of denture fittings and teeth cleanings. Meanwhile, far above the subterranean world of the mice is the parallel world of the bears. Ernest, a reclusive and curmudgeonly musician-poet, lives in a secluded woodland cottage, only venturing out when his growling stomach forces him into town to find his next meal. It is well-known that mice and bears are never to mingle, so when the two unexpectedly cross paths and form an unlikely but inseparable friendship, it naturally incites the disapproval of their respective town elders. Will Ernest and Celestine’s unshakable bond be powerful enough to topple the long-standing barriers between their two worlds?

Directed by Stephanie Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner, the film features the voice talent of Anne-Marie Loop, Dominique Maurin and Lambert Wilson.

No New Zealand release date yet – but stay tuned!