Age Range: 5

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Puffin Rock & the New Friends

This new story from our friends at Cartoon Saloon (the Oscar® nominated geniuses behind The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea) is perfect for our youngest audiences. Puffin Rock, a charming gem off of the coast of Ireland, is a warm community and beautiful habitat for all creatures big and small. It makes for an especially calm respite in the storm of migration, and it’s where we find puffin Oona, who looks after her baby brother, Baba, shielding him from any possible dangers the gorgeous flora or fauna may pose. When Puffin Isabelle and her step-brother Phoenix arrive on the Rock, Oona knows all the things to do and games to play to help fend off their homesickness. But there are still serious matters at hand, like protecting a puffin egg that brings the promise of a new generation. Their pals Flynn the Fox, May the Rabbit, and Mossy the hard-working Shrew are on the job, even when Isabelle makes a misstep and has a hard time coming clean.

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Migration

The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids—teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen—the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to embark on a family trip, via New York City, to tropical Jamaica.  As the Mallards make their way South for the winter, their well-laid plans quickly go awry. The experience will inspire them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends and accomplish more than they ever thought possible, while teaching them more about each other—and themselves—than they ever imagined. 
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Kid Flicks One

Let your imagination take the wheel with Kid Flicks One. Whether dreaming up the fantastical, like a spider’s goal to capture the moon, or the practical, like a young animator’s future stardom, these shorts are sure to enchant and delight all audiences (but especially our youngest!)
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Kirikou and the Sorceress

The first feature from Azur & Asmar creator Michel Ocelot is one of the most stunningly beautiful, poetic, and entertaining films ever created for children and ushered in a modern renaissance in French feature animation. The film is an exquisitely ani­mated African tale of a small boy, Kirikou, with extraordinary abilities. When he discovers that his village is cursed by Karaba, a terrifying sorceress, Kirikou sets off on an adventure to rid the village of Karaba’s curse by understanding what has made her so angry. With an original soundtrack by Youssou N’Oour, Kirikou and the Sorceress is the winner of dozens of ani­mation awards, including the Grand Prix at Annecy, and has become an absolute classic of animated cinema. NYICFF first premiered Kirikou at the 2000 Festival, and Michel Ocelot is currently a member of the NYICFF jury.
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Eleanor’s Secret

In this colorfully animated film perfect for our youngest audiences, characters from classic fairy tales and children’s books come alive to help a young boy learn to read. Nat has fond memories of his eccentric Aunt Eleanor reading to him from her enormous collection of storybooks, but is frustrated and embarrassed by his inability to read the books himself. So he is less than thrilled when his aunt leaves him the keys to her attic library—and he rejects the gift. But just as Nat’s parents arc selling the collection to a shady antiques dealer, Nat discovers that the library is magical—the books housed in the attic are all original first editions of history’s most popular fairy tales, and the characters come to life! Now with the help of Alice in Wonderland, the Ogre, Peter Pan and others, he must get back the books and learn to read an ancient spell to keep the characters alive for future generations of children. Eleanor’s Secret is a beautifully designed, rollicking adventure in which a boy’s ability to read not only sets his imagination free, but saves the day!
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Turtle: The Incredible Journey

This awe-inspiring nature film follows the personal story of a single loggerhead turtle, one of hundreds of adorable, vulnerable babies born in the sands of the Florida coast, as she grows into a strong-willed adult braving the six-thousand mile journey that has been the species’ perilous ritual for millions of years. Critically acclaimed for “visually resplendent” nature footage on par with Planet Earth or March of the Penguins, Turtle features sweeping aerial shots and vast, majestic underwater seascapes that underscore the epic scope of the journey with a survival adventure as tense as any Hollywood thriller.
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A Whisper in the Island of the Heart

Love communicates across the Tibetan mountains, against a warm coat of fur, and through sound waves and vibrations, proving silence can speak volumes.
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To Be Sisters

Two sisters circle each other’s orbits, laughing, shouting, playing, and spinning each in their own unique way.
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Luce and the Rock

When a giant boulder lands in the middle of Luce’s small geometric village, it’s up to him to find a solution, even though he’s scared of the dark.
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Swing to the Moon

Deep in the forest, wide-eyed spider Temi dreams of catching the Moon. For that, she will do anything.
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Sleepy

Snoring, silly, and hilarious things can happen when sleep catches up with you.
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Paolo’s Happiness

Paolo is an unassuming man who loves to cry—good for him! One day, his tears make him a local celebrity.
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Rachel

Animator Rachel Reid exudes joy as she talks about being an animator, encouraging others to follow in her footsteps.
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Konigiri-Kun: Parasol

Konigiri-Kun, the energetic rice ball, is back for his fourth film at the Festival. This time, he must save the day after Mini Tomato’s birthday party goes airy, er, awry.
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The Goose

It’s a football tale as old as time: boy vs. goose…?
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Papirola

As he prepares for a life-changing voyage, Nico can’t help but pack up everything he loves in his house.
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Don’t Blow it Up

Two little girls get into a petty quarrel while playing. As their anger balloons, so do they—literally. How will they save their kitten after he gets stuck in a tree?
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Canary

1922. Young Sonny works in a coal mine, dreaming of the warmth of the sunlight above the surface. When a clever prank goes awry, he’ll learn the hard way not to be the boy who cries canary.
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The Smeds and the Smoos

Smeds vs Smoos, Reds vs Blues: the age old story of competing tribes and star-crossed matches gets a hilarious and charming new spin in this latest interplanetary delight by Magic Light Pictures.
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Short Films One

Level up! Shorts in this program are for Tots graduates—and everyone else.
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Shorts for Tots

Created for our youngest and first-ever moviegoers, but beloved by grown-ups, Shorts for Tots is sure to delight all audiences.
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NYICFF in Your Neighborhood

Get your Festival on, right in your community! Join our partners on February 24-26, 2023 to check out a NYICFF short film program and all of the great cultural activities your neighborhood has to offer. Admission is free and open to all.
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Special Preview Screening: My Father’s Dragon

From five-time Academy Award®-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers) and Academy Award®-nominated director (and NYICFF Juror!) Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), comes an exquisite film inspired by the Newbery-honored children’s book from author Ruth Stiles Gannett. Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island, and the friendship of a lifetime.
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My Father’s Dragon

From five-time Academy Award®-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers) and Academy Award®-nominated director (and NYICFF Juror!) Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), comes an exquisite film inspired by the Newbery-honored children’s book from author Ruth Stiles Gannett. Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island, and the friendship of a lifetime.
programs

Kid Flicks One

Let your imagination take the wheel with Kid Flicks One. Whether dreaming up the fantastical, like a cat the size of a house, or the practical, like finding a beloved teacher a summer romance, these shorts are sure to surprise and delight.
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Wolf and Cub

A father and son cross a world of imagination in order to return their mother’s forgotten lunch.
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The Big Top

The circus is back in town, and Pongolee ‘Pong’ the Pangolin and her assistant Shelley the Snail are here to present their newest trick that will blow you away!
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Red Junior and the Wolf

In a fairytale world, Red Riding Hood’s granddaughter is best friends with Wolfie, a young wolf. Can Granny Red put aside her past experience and come to know Wolfie on his own merit?
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The Cat in the Art Park

Even small cats are known for causing chaos, so imagine the hijinks that ensue when this art- park-dwelling cat suddenly grows to the size of a house.
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