Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (Ernest et Célestine: Le voyage en Charabie) (2022)
Thu, Aug 20, 2026./noise/movies | LinkInevitable after accidentally watching Ernest and Celestine (2012) at the Music Box Theatre back in 2014. I hadn't realised (but am not surprised to find) that it's based on a book series, like Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017). It was a lot more fun than Toy Story 5 (2026). I saw the version with French voices.
Being French the movie goes its own way: it did not pretend to grapple with present day tech, instead going all-in on the eternal French concerns of comradery, liberty, architecture, mechanism, music and absurdism. And, of course, the law being a necessary/necessarily an ass that can be reformed. I'm not going to claim it all hang together flawlessly but there are many fun images beautifully rendered. Somewhat amazingly Celestine's unyielding positivity doesn't grate, perhaps because she's selfless and takes immense pleasure in Ernest's music.
Three stars from Shiela O'Malley at Roger Ebert's venue. A Critic's Pick by Natalia Winkelman at the New York Times.
