You may wonder why an all-time favourite is only getting 9/10 stars. Well, I'm willing to admit that the first arc, with Azur and Asmar as children, is kind of boring and clunky. It's practically exposition to explain their goals and how they are as adults. That said, once they are adults, the story gets SO much better!
Firstly, before anything else, I love this and other Michel Ocelot stories because the use of colour and style in his films are GORGEOUS! Every scene feels like a piece of art, and that is especially true once you get to the Arabic city. Every time I watch this film my eyes savour all of the sights on display.
The other big point for me is that I LOVE the female character. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Azur and the other guys, too; but the women: Jénane, Princess Chamsous Sabah, and the Djinn Fairy are all fantastic characters in their own way. They are strong, intelligent, caring, funny, honestly they're just plain awesome! They're the main reason I love this story.
I've seen the film in both English and French, so it's hard to say which is best to watch. On one hand, the French version doesn't provide Arabic subtitles on purpose so that you feel the same language barrier as Azur. On the other hand, the English version give you the chance to know what EVERYONE is talking about. In that case, better watch them both: French first, and then English! Either way, it's worth watching this film more than once.
Firstly, before anything else, I love this and other Michel Ocelot stories because the use of colour and style in his films are GORGEOUS! Every scene feels like a piece of art, and that is especially true once you get to the Arabic city. Every time I watch this film my eyes savour all of the sights on display.
The other big point for me is that I LOVE the female character. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Azur and the other guys, too; but the women: Jénane, Princess Chamsous Sabah, and the Djinn Fairy are all fantastic characters in their own way. They are strong, intelligent, caring, funny, honestly they're just plain awesome! They're the main reason I love this story.
I've seen the film in both English and French, so it's hard to say which is best to watch. On one hand, the French version doesn't provide Arabic subtitles on purpose so that you feel the same language barrier as Azur. On the other hand, the English version give you the chance to know what EVERYONE is talking about. In that case, better watch them both: French first, and then English! Either way, it's worth watching this film more than once.