Big Block Sing-Song: Hair
From the people who brought us John the Leprechaun, a Kraftwerk-style electronic pop tune about the stuff that grows out of your head (and sometimes other places).
Age Range: 5
Red Sand
A little boy picks up a shell on an empty, secluded beach. Putting it to his ear, he becomes lost in the sounds of the sea.
Apache
Neon paper cutouts create a continuously spiraling stage for an Apache guitarist and his Yeti band mate, as they perform a twangy throwback to 60’s surf-rock and spaghetti western soundtracks.
Little Hero
Six-year-old Avery explains her unique relationship with her twin brother Xander, who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Bunny New Girl
On her first day at a new school, a self-conscious young girl learns that friendship can transcend difference.
Memories of the Sea
Fidel is six years old and has a lot of opinions, but doesn’t quite understand the changes happening within his family.
Me and My Moulton
A 7-year-old girl, whose parents are unconventional modernists, want her family to be like other Norwegian families in the 1960s. This causes problems the summer she asks her parents for a bike.
Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas and Others
On the heels of his first feature (and Festival 2015 Opening Night premiere), comes Shaun the Sheep’s latest special! At the Country Fair, Shaun steals away with the Farmer and his canine companion, Bitzer. When he spies three crafty Llams making trouble at an auction, he knows his next great prank will be convincing the Farmer to buy them. But when the new Llama roommates get a bit too comfortable in their new home, things spiral out of control and Shaun is forced to oust the intruders and save the farm.
Molly Monster
Molly Monster is the beloved daughter of Popo and Etna Monster, best friend to windup toy Edison, and is about to add “Big Sister” to the list. But in all the excitement of a monster-on-the-way, her parents forgot to bring the hat she knit for the baby to Egg Island, where all the new monsters are born. With Edison by her side, Molly travels through a technicolor dreamland with an endless assortment of Seussical, friendly monsters, unexpected challenges, and even some very whimsical singing. Capturing the inventive, colorful world of Ted Sieger’s popular German TV series, Molly Monster is one big adventure that’s perfect for the littlest Festival-goers.
Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins
Perfect for our youngest audiences, Academy Award winning director Torill Kove’s first feature film is a refreshingly warm and intimate tale based on beloved children’s book character Alfie Atkins. Seven-year-old Alfie dreams of owning a dog, but his father insists that he is too small for such a big responsibility. Undaunted, Alfie finds an unlikely ally in George, a kindly magician who performs tricks for the neighborhood kids and has just adopted a puppy of his own. If magic can make things appear and disappear, maybe it can help to make his dream come true! But it turns out, magic is not as easy as Alfie thinks, and when his dream finally does come true, it is in a most unexpected manner. Lovingly animated with thoughtful, honest character interactions, Hocus Pocus offers an emotionally and visually rich cinema experience for young moviegoers and their parents.
Moomins on the Riviera
Sixty years ago, when Finnish author and illustrator Tove Jansson launched the Moomin comic strip, little did she know it would reach 20 million daily readers in more than 40 countries. In celebration of her 100th birthday, French director Xavier Picard brings Jansson’s carefree and adventurous Moomin family to life, with delicately animated characters set within beautifully designed and colored backgrounds, and the comic’s traipsing storylines translated to the screen with just the right amount of absurdity and humor. As the story opens, disruptions in the tranquil world of Moominvalley prompt the Moomins to take a trip to the French Riviera for some much needed rest. Upon their arrival, they are introduced as “De Moomin” and taken to the fanciest hotel in town, where they are treated like royalty. Exposed to the luxurious life for the first time, Moomintroll’s beloved Snork Maiden becomes seduced by the lure of fashion and celebrity, while Moominpappa begins to hobnob with high-society art collectors. But the rest of the family seems less impressed by this superficial world and longs to return home.
Wolfy, the Incredible Secret
Though they’re from opposite ends of the food chain, Wolfy and Tom (a wolf and rabbit, respectively) are best friends. Wolfy has always believed he was an orphan, until one day a gypsy tells him that his mother is still alive and a person of importance in the distant dynasty of Wolfenberg, Land of the Wolves. Despite his fear of “the fanged ones,” Tom agrees to accompany his friend as they venture far from their peaceful countryside home. They arrive in the midst of Carne Festival — a grand meeting of the world’s most renowned carnivores — and Wolfy’s quest for self-discovery quickly turns into Tom’s quest for survival. This beautifully animated film is based on the wildly popular French children’s book series LouLou from writer and director Gregoire Solotareff, who also brought us our 2007 opening night film U.
Mune
Plunge into a world of wonder, magic and mythology in this sumptuously animated CGI adventure about a land divided between the realms of day and night. As legend has it, the first Guardian of the Sun threw a harpoon into the cosmos and roped the sun to bring light and warmth to all of humanity. Then the Guardian of the Moon lured the moon to the Land of Darkness to provide a balance to the sun and supply the world with dreams. At a momentous ceremony to appoint the two new guardians, an accident seems to occur; the heir apparent is passed over, and the title Guardian of the Moon is bestowed on the waif-like Mune, a small and frightened forest faun who seems wholly unprepared to take on such a weighty responsibility. This news excites Necross, the nefarious ruler of the Underworld, a corrupted ex-guardian who decides to take advantage of Mune’s weakness and steal back the sun for himself. Now it is up to unlikely hero Mune and his friend Glim — a headstrong young girl with wax for skin — to save the sun and restore order to the world.
Shaun the Sheep the Movie
Shaun the Sheep, the woolly stop-motion star whose vocal range is limited to bleats and baas, first appeared in Nick Park’s 1999 Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit adventure A Close Shave and went on to become the UK’s most beloved cartoon character. In his first feature film, Shaun tires of the everyday routine on Mossy Bottom Farm and concocts a plan to lead his flock in rebellion. But be careful what you wish for. Events rapidly escalate out of control and Shaun’s mischief inadvertently leads to the hapless Farmer getting taken away to the Big City, where a bop on the head renders him an amnesiac. Fortunately, muscle memory has kept the Farmer’s shearing skills intact, so he is able to find a new life has a celebrity hair stylist. But Shaun is intent on bringing him back to the farm where he belongs — if only he can escape the clutches of the fearsome animal catcher!
The King and the Mockingbird
A pompous, cross-eyed king is in love with a painting of a shepherdess. But she has eyes for the dashing young chimney sweep in the next painting over — and so the two decide to elope, stepping out of their frames and into Grimault’s endlessly inventive and bizarre castle town, where elevators are beetles attached to telescoping antennas, buildings hang like barnacles from gargantuan Roman pillars, and the King gives chase in a throne-turned bumper car. This French animated gem originally began production in the late 1940s, but wasn’t completed until 1980.
That is Not a Good Idea
A devious spin on a classic tale of a hungry fox and plump goose. Complete with a chorus of concerned little chicks!
The Story of Percival Pilts
After his first walk on stilts, Percival Pilts declared not just that he’ll never again let his feet touch the ground, but that he’ll go as high as he can. True to his word, his ascent reaches uncharted territory.
The Little Cousteau
A boy escapes his snow-covered city through dreams of deep-sea adventures like his hero, the legendary Jacques Cousteau.
Elephant and the Bicycle
An elephant lives in a town among people and works as a street cleaner. One day, he sees a billboard advertising a bicycle. It seems the perfect size for him!
Me…Jane
Jane Goodall is renowned for her work with apes in the jungle, but as Patrick McDonnell’s heartwarming tale shows, her curiosity, spirit, and sense of adventure started long ago with a toy chimpanzee called Jubilee.
The Trumpeter
Despite obstacles, a trumpet player finds his inner voice. In doing so, he creates a wild, colorful freedom for his fellow musicians.
My Grandfather Is a Cherry Tree
A young boy realizes that his beloved cherry tree has provided his family with more than just fruit.
An Object at Rest
A stone will encounter lots of obstacles over the course of a millennium, but is there any greater disruption than that of human civilization?
The Girl Who Spoke Cat
A curious girl wants to add some color into her predictable, organized world where there’s a proper way of walking, looking — even eating soup!
Hidden Talent
It will take a lot more than a lack of talent to stop an ambitious kitten’s dream of joining in the songs of Feline City.
Anatole’s Little Saucepan
Anatole is still lagging behind his small saucepan. It fell on him one day without a clear reason. Since then, it stuck around and prevents him from moving. One day, Anatole has had enough.
Law of the Jungle
An adventurous little monkey uses his quick wits to fool two big gorillas who are all after the same thing: a prized banana.
Air-Mail
A young woman lives alone with her cunning cat, secretly in love with the boxer next door. thanks to her cat’s adventures, she gets closer to her crush.
Some Thing
Is it really that bad to have something strange inside of you?
Larisa Can Fly
A poetic tale of two girls and their larger-than-life Granny, who turn every day into imaginative adventures in this beautiful, painterly animation.