At 78, Michel Ocelot is still in good shape. Honored this year in Annecy with a Crystal of Honor for his entire career, the father of Kirikou and Azur and Asmar returns with three animated tales: The Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess, stories that a storyteller tells as and when requested by her audience.
Ancient Egypt, medieval Auvergne and 23rd century Turkey serve as backdrops for magical stories whose aesthetics adapt to the setting. Egyptian fresco, black silhouettes and lush designs come together in a magical triptych. “These are three autonomous and short stories because I did not want to submit to the mandatory 90 minutes, explains Michel Ocelot to 20 minutes. A story doesn’t need to be long to make an impression. »
Innocents who do not let themselves be done
As for Dili to Paris, her 2018 feature film, strong women are at the center of this film featuring generous princes and resolute princesses. “My cinema is a way of slapping the big machos,” laughs the director. His intrepid characters sweep away institutions and traditions to bring a little serenity to cruel worlds. “I am the Good Lord in my films with lots of angels who help me create a universe that is more open than reality”, analyzes Michel Ocelot. His humor like his poetry hit the bull’s eye while his images always amaze. “My characters look like me,” he says. I see it as innocents who do not let themselves be done. A pacifist warrior, the son of a generous lord and a rebellious prince correspond to this definition.
Cinema like chocolate
“If I had to define my style, I would say it’s beauty,” says Michel Ocelot. Whether visual or moral, it is as essential to me as chocolate. “His films are always delicacies that we like to taste and whose box is not about to empty. The filmmaker is already working on new projects. “Although I have received many awards for my career, I will not bow out because I still have things to say,” he exclaims. That The Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess vividly proves.