The storybook-style animation is lovely, and the central dynamic between Ernest and Célestine enchanting. Really adorable and fun.
Ernest & Celestine (Ernest et Célestine)
Critic Rating
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- France,
- Belgium,
- Luxembourg
- 2012
- · 78m
Director
Benjamin Renner
Cast
Anne-Marie Loop,
Lambert Wilson,
Pauline Brunner,
Patrice Melennec,
Brigitte Virtudes,
Léonard Louf
Genre
Animation,
Comedy,
Drama,
Family
Celestine, a little mouse trying to avoid a dental career, and Ernest, a big bear craving an artistic outlet, have grown up seeing the other species as their enemy. After Celestine nearly ends up as Ernest's breakfast, the two form an unlikely friendship and forge a life of crime together.
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100
Village Voice by Chuck Wilson
Ernest & Celestine -- a contender for this year's best animated film Oscar -- is pure delight.
100
Wall Street Journal by Joe Morgenstern
This tale of forbidden friendship between a bear and a mouse is so winning that audiences will cherish it as the classic it's sure to become.
100
Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer
The enchanting French-Belgian animated feature Ernest & Celestine is so liltingly sweet and graceful that, a day or two after I saw it, it seemed almost as if I had dreamed it.
100
Washington Post by Michael O'Sullivan
Its charms, and they are both subtle and many, emanate like perfume.
100
Portland Oregonian by Jamie S. Rich
Ernest & Celestine delivers a sweet message that should prove delightful to young and old alike. Though the premise makes it sound like it could be preachy, this cute children's story is anything but.
90
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
Mostly, Ernest & Celestine is an ode to the happiness that comes from being with those different from us.
90
The Dissolve by Tasha Robinson
Ernest & Celestine isn’t just cute or thrilling, though: It’s openly funny, in a wry, unpredictable way.
88
RogerEbert.com by Glenn Kenny
Ernest and Celestine is the coziest movie you'll likely see all year. Every frame is suffused with a fireplace kind of warmth that, for me at least, cast an immediate spell that didn't let up.
88
USA Today by Claudia Puig
An enthralling tale of friendship that transcends biases, Ernest & Celestine offers a lovely lesson on acceptance and inclusion.
83
The A.V. Club by Mike D'Angelo
Once upon a time, a movie like this would have seemed a minor pleasure, enjoyable, but unremarkable. Today, it looks more like a treasure.
80
NPR
Ernest & Celestine is a tale of found family, sweetly realized and supported by clever writing and talented voice work, but it's the animation that really makes this Academy Award-nominated movie
80
Los Angeles Times by Betsy Sharkey
A magically understated mash-up, Ernest & Celestine has a comforting storybook effect and proves a refreshing departure in an age of high-tech, hyperkinetic animation set to soaring pop ballads, as entertaining as they can be.
80
Variety by Leslie Felperin
A charming animated feature.
75
New York Post by Sara Stewart
A mouse and a bear defy social convention to forge a friendship in this lovely, charming and Oscar-nominated French animated feature (now available dubbed into English with the voices of Forest Whitaker and other notables).
75
Slant Magazine
It's in the way the film refuses to characterize its central friendship solely on the grounds of common isolation that becomes its most endearing quality.
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Jordan Mintzer
A delightfully old-fashioned kid’s flick with a meaningful message.
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