This trailer is certain to pique your curiosity right from the very beginning. And once you press play it’ll only be a moment before you, too, are whisked off into the adventure that is Boy and the World, an original animated feature by Alê Abreu. Recently premiered at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, the film was instantly praised for it’s beautiful, inventive imagery. When you watch this snippet, I think you’ll understand why.

Boy and the World follows a wee lad named Cuca, whose rural life is shattered when his father leaves for the city, prompting him to embark on a quest to reunite his family. Leaving the quiet village—indicated as such with its coloration in basic crayon—Cuca approaches the big city where the bleak industrial landscape contrasts with whirling carnival of brightly animated people, flashing neon advertisements, and exploding fireworks. Naturally, Cuca is consumed with childlike wonder, and so was I. The atmosphere that Abreu creates here is remarkably abstract and surreal—as if the world is Cuca’s circus and he’s just figuring out how to ride the animals and land on his feet after a trick.

From the look of the trailer, fans of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Ponyo) and early Disney films like Aladdin should be first in line.

Boy and the World opens in LA and New York on December 11.

What did you think of the trailer? Are you going to see the film when it comes out? Let us know in the comments below!

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HT: GKIDS Films
IMAGES: YouTube/GKIDS Films