Click to read the article
Azur and Asmar - The Princes' Quest (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:22
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.2/10
Synopsis: Once upon a time, there were two children who had the same nanny: Azur, blonde and blue-eyed, son of the lord of the castle, and Asmar, dark-skinned and black-eyed, the nurse's child. Brought up... Once upon a time, there were two children who had the same nanny: Azur, blonde and blue-eyed, son of the lord of the castle, and Asmar, dark-skinned and black-eyed, the nurse's child. Brought up like brothers, the children are suddenly torn apart. But Azur, haunted by the legend of the Djinn the nanny used to tell him, intends to find it in lands beyond the seas. When they grow up, the two foster brothers each go separate ways in search of the fairy. Daring rivals, they find magic lands in a medieval Maghreb, full of dangers and enchantments. [More]
Starring: Karim M'Riba
Starring: Karim M'Riba
Director: Michael Ocelot
Director: Michael Ocelot
Screenwriter: Michael Ocelot
Studio: Genius Productions
Reviews for Azur and Asmar - The Princes' Quest
This is a unique effort that art film crowds and families will both be able to appreciate.
The result is not entirely seamless... but the filmmaker still uses plenty of long shots and landscapes that feature his traditional look and feel and movement.
Michel Ocelot's jewel-like fable unfolds in a once-upon-a-time version of medieval North Africa alive with vibrant colors and dazzling patterns.
Azur has the DNA of a captivating bedtime story, not a sugar-high Saturday cartoon.
The tale of two brothers from childhood to manhood, it is rife with timeless storybook themes and offers an inspiring vision of harmony between different cultures, different people.
The film is full of out-there artistic decisions that don't quite pay off, it makes you feel like you're taking medicine without a spoonful of sugar.
It's a simple tale with magical imagery and a worthy message, but it's also alive with offbeat humor and witty observations of childhood behavior and adult suspicion.
Gorgeous and mesmerizing, Azur & Asmar eschews computer-generated imagery to render a flat, storybook-style animation that never stops delighting with its ornamental detail, range of color and exotic story.
Is it too early to announce the most beautiful film of 2009? Two days into the new year, it's hard to imagine a more transporting cinematic experience coming our way than Azur & Asmar, an animated feature from the French writer-director Michel Ocel
a multicultural masterwork that is sure to delight viewers of all ages
Energy-wise, it would barely register a pulse in the world of Disney...but its straightforward storytelling and low-key humor are a relief from the reference-stuffed fever pitch that Hollywood animation delivers.
The first thing that will really capture your attention is its breathtaking animated style but beyond its dazzling appearance, the film also has an engaging story of a classic fairy tale.
Combining cutouts with 3-D digital animation, Ocelot turns every frame of his film into a beautiful, dynamic page out of a picture book.
The backdrops and settings are ornate and stunningly, vividly colored, while the people are depicted with a two-dimensionality like that of a historical tapestry.
Watchable, nicely animated fairytale with a commendable message about racial and religious tolerance but the script is perfunctory at best and the quest itself is disappointing.
It has real charm: an old-fashioned looking movie, but with a heartfelt belief that, pace Kipling, east and west can and should meet.
A visual masterpiece that makes the most of its Islamic art influences.
Despite a stiffness of movement that suggests an upscale take on the cutout animation of “South Park,” the movie has a terrific flair for arabesque patterning, a gemlike luminosity of surface and a handsome, classical cast of mind.
As the film foreshadows how religious fundamentalism crushed both this art and scientific research, Ocelot honors both light and enlightenment.
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 70% 70% | Where the Wild Things Are | 03/12 |
| 83% 83% | Paranormal Activity | 03/12 |
| 89% 89% | Zombieland | 03/12 |
| 76% 76% | The Informant! | 03/12 |
| | The Strength of Water | 03/12 |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Azur and Asmar - The Princes' Quest at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection



Top Critic

