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Movie Review: “Leap!” Dances Into The Hearts Of Children And Adults

[yasr_overall_rating]
 

An orphan girl dreams of becoming a ballerina and flees her rural Brittany for Paris, where she passes for someone else and accedes to the position of pupil at the Grand Opera house.

A new French-Canadian animated film “Leap!” is dancing into theaters near you. Elle Fanning stars as Felicie the heroine who runs away from an orphanage with her best friend Victor (Nat Wolff). Together the would-be couple trapeze to Paris in hopes of fulfilling their dreams. Felicie to become a famous ballerina and Victor, an inventor. Once in Paris, the two separate to find their future, back in the 1880’s as the Eiffel Tower was only half-built.

Armed with a music box from her mom and a postcard of the dance school in the big city, Felicie searches for the school. As can only happen on screen, Felicie stumbles upon the school mere hours after arriving. She meets and follows Odette (Carly Rae Jepson), the cleaner, to her other place of employment, the home of Camille and Camille’s evil mother. Despite Odette’s protests, she soon becomes a much-needed mother figure for Felicie and her dance trainer. Felicie manages to secure a spot in the school after stealing Camille’s invitation to dance for an audition in the coming production.

Meanwhile, Victor becomes a cleaning boy for a local inventor (the infamous Gustave Eiffel) along with a new friend. Despite the harshness of life in the city, neither Felicie or Victor are willing to slow down or give up on their dreams. Without previous training, beyond dancing on tables at the orphanage, Felicie soon becomes one of the best dancers in her class and comes very close to securing her spot in the featured ballet. Camille finds out that her audition was stolen and sends her hateful mother into fix the situation. With Odette’s housekeeping job on the line, Felicie must best Camille or both Odette and Felicie will be out on the streets. Meanwhile, Felicie contends with two suitors, long-time friend Victor, who is clearly smitten, and a star dancer from the dance school.

Under Oddette’s tutelage, Felicie is a definite threat to Camille’s chance to win the audition. But doubt seeps into Felicie’s head as Camille has had years to train and a chip on her shoulder she is more than willing to share. When her chance on stage arrives, Felicie falters, and Camille wins the spot. Felicie does not give up. With the help of her friends, she proves to the world that being a star dancer comes from the heart.

Spunky characters and lots of laughter add up to a wonderful movie worthy of the big screen. A few problems stop me from giving the film five stars. First, two orphans star in this adorable cartoon but neither manage to find their parents. Repeatedly throughout the film, Felicie has a reoccurring dream about the music box her mother gave her starring her mom. What was the point of the dream if not to signify the coming reunion of long parted mother and daughter? Also, several rude characters managed to see the light and change drastically by the end of the film. I know cartoons do not need to follow the rules of reality but bad guys do not usually turn good.

My favorite character was a slight side character named Nora. She too was auditioning to be in the ballet program. Make sure you pay attention to her because she is one of those rare people who tells it like it is. She sees something and snap, she just says what comes to her head. Victor could have been a bit less cliché, less besotted with a girl who wants to experience the world and not look into the past to her best friend. Felicie deserves to be in the spotlight. Her fiery personality and tenacity, despite all odds, sets a wonderful example for children. Don’t miss Nora though, she is a hoot.

For a movie about a ballerina, I would have loved to see more inspired dancing. Little girls will be less than in awe of the dancing sequences or lack thereof, especially because the French-Canadian version the cartoon is called “Ballerina.” One fantastic jump scene and one crazy dance around a bar are not sufficient. I would love to have seen the dance instructor and Odette form a true bond as well. Beyond these minor inconsistencies, the film will enthrall children. This will be the new movie on repeat at your house once it’s released to DVD. But don’t say goodbye to the Moana songs just yet, the soundtrack in this film does not live up to a Disney soundtrack.

In theaters Friday, August 25th

 

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