Little Amélie

Directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, Little Amélie details the low-key escapades of an extremely precocious little girl named Amélie. Filmmakers Vallade and Han, armed with a script written alongside Aude Py and Eddine Noël, deliver an exceedingly erratic animated endeavor that gets off to a less-than-promising start, as the picture kicks off with an underwhelming opening stretch that heavily (and egregiously) emphasizes the central character’s rather grating voice-over narration. It’s clear, then, that Little Amélie improves immeasurably once it progresses into its comparatively stellar midsection, with the decision to stress Amélie’s engaging day-to-day exploits ensuring that the movie is, at the very least, watchable – despite the fact that the protagonist rarely (if ever) comes off as a convincing two-and-a-half year old (ie what child at that age speaks in full, clear sentences?) By the time the relatively heartwarming final stretch rolls around, Little Amélie has confirmed its place as a decent-enough piece of work that is, by and large, subdued almost to a fault.

**1/2 out of ****