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Mavka. The Forest Song (2023)
Falls Short In Too Many Areas
I can't look past how much the animation and art style detract from everything else. The color saturation and exposure are dialed up to acid trip levels, every scene is eye-wateringly bright, garish and shiny, while the 3D animation itself looks a little unfinished. While some of the mythological creatures have interesting designs, all the female characters including the dryads, nyads, etc, were apparently modeled based on Bratz dolls.
The story itself is a nice enough retelling of the poetic play, and is a very kid-friendly adaptation, and the music is enjoyable, especially the Ukrainian folk ensemble. I watched it with my 4 y/o daughter who was able to follow along and particularly enjoyed the 2D animated segments that reveal the history of the forest. These segments are gorgeous and are where the film really shines. Her interest lagged during any scene with the villain, and I would attest that they are quite boring and don't do much to advance the plot.
Overall, younger girls would be entertained by this film for an afternoon and the music is great, but I can't see many people having a repeat viewing.