Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

SincereFinest disgusting, overrated, pointless

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Reno Rangan A year ago I saw and reviewed 'Heidi'. This is just like a boy version of that film. The Alps, goats, grandfather, like that each other can be compared. This one came even before that, but I saw it only now. Whenever I see a film this late, I comfort myself saying 'better late than never'. There's already a sequel was made and I'm sure I'll be watching it very soon. By the way the film was based on half a century old children's novel and directed by who is famous for his dog films and documentaries.This is the tale of a young boy named Sébatien who lives with his grandfather in the French Alps valley. It was during the 40s and the people are devastated by the presence of nazi force. The town has not yet shown any resistance to that. But there was a little compassion for the small Jewish community living among them and they're helping them to get away safely to the other side of the mountain.On the other hand, the boy befriends with a feral dog and names her Belle, who was responsible for the deaths of goats. Their bond becomes stronger and all his effort is to protect Belle from village people. But one day during the Christmas season, the opportunity knocks to prove their worth, particularly Belle's. That's when the narration reaches the highest point with some adventures in the snowy Alps.❝It is nicer than 'dirty beast', huh?❞The first thing about this tale is where it takes place. The locations were the backbone of the storytelling. They used it perfectly, not just as the background, but for the story itself. Then comes the two important characters, Belle and Sébatien. It's like another dog film, but Belle too had parts to show her capable like in the stunt section. Sébatien was a cute little kid and in his first film, he was excellent.Honestly, I expected more from them, together, to develop their connection even further. The disappointments were the edgy (adventure) portions which were not that thrill. Like the filmmakers preferred safe mode than being more realistic. Like they were aiming for G rating, not even for a PG. On that aspect, it looks a lot like a television film. This view is from me as an adult, but the others' might vary.Despite its sets in the time of the WWII, there's no violences in the film. That sub-plot was part of the story to complicate and improvise the film. Apart from that, this is a pure children's and family film. But I expected a little more tight plot and developed characters in the rest of the film, excluding visually impressiveness. This film was too simple, especially if you had seen 'Heidi', 'Brothers of the Wind', 'The Fox & the Child' and a few others. Otherwise, it will one of the best films you are going to see and enjoyable for many other reasons.I can tell, it was incomplete and then I came to know about its follow-up. I don't think that was preplanned, but the idea seems not bad. I hope that film will be even better than this. I can't wait to watch another adventure by Belle and Sébatien. This is a good watch, especially if you are a children's film fan, but it is a must see for the little ones. Films like this will shape up their childhood memories. I have lots of such sweet memories, so just show it to them and watching with them will even better to share the same memories.7/10

Claudio Carvalho In 1943, in the French Alps, the orphan Sébastien (Félix Bossuet) lives in a small village with his grandfather César (Tchéky Karyo), who is a shepherd, and his aunt Angélina (Margaux Châtelier), who is a baker. Sébastien misses his mother and believes she has traveled to America. He expects to get a watch with compass as a gift from her. The local Dr. Guillaume (Dimitri Storoge) is a member of the Frech resistance that helps Jewish refugees to flee to Switzerland and the German Lieutenant Peter (Andreas Pietschmann) and troop are hunting down the resistance. When sheep are found slaughtered, César and the other residents believe that a stray dog that has been abused by his owner is the responsible and hunt it down. Sébastien finds the dog, gives the name of Belle to her and they become friends. But the animal is considered a beast by the inhabitants. Will Sébastien be capable to save Belle?"Belle et Sébastien" is a great family entertainment, with a beautiful story of friendship. The needy Sébastien find his soul mate in a stray female dog and together they become friends during the World War II. The wonderful landscapes in the Alps are highlighted by the cinematography and the camera. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Belle e Sebástian" ("Belle and Sebástian")

gradyharp Nicholas Vanier directed this adaptation of Cécile Aubry's novel (adaptation and screenplay by director Vanier with Juliette Sales and Fabien Suarez) n a film that is in both French and German with English subtitles. The result is a film for the heart – a reminder that during the atrocities of WW II there were moments of meaningful relationships, especially between animals and people (remember 'War Horse'?). The film is set during WWII in the snowy Alps of occupied France, on the border of Switzerland. Six year old Sébastien (Félix Bossuet), raised and adopted by his grandfather, is lonely and dreaming of the day his mother will return from America for him. He befriends an enormous yet gentle sheepdog Belle who quickly becomes his best friend and protector. With Nazis in the village rooting out the resistance fighters helping Jewish refugees cross the border, Belle and Sébastien's loyalty to each other and the village that has embraced them both will be put to the test.The scenery is magnificent and the acting by the young and gifted Félix Bossuet is extraordinary. It is a moment of devotion and love and caring and protection during WW II that creates a strong sense of caring about the true meaning of friendship.

Quebec_Dragon A review of this film by a guy actually named Sébastien because her mother liked the 60's TV series so much, what a concept! So this film is based on a children's novel by Cécile Aubry telling the story of a friendship between a young boy called Sébastien and a big white dog named Belle living in a small French village in the mountains in 1943. Before watching the film, I was only familiar with the anime version of the 80's that I loved, so I cannot evaluate how faithful it is to the original novel. My impression and Wikipedia tell me that a few creative freedoms were taken. So, we hear about a "beast" in the mountains killing sheep. Sébastien lives with his grandfather César and spends most of his time outdoors. It's revealed quite soon that the "beast" in question is actually a big dog that was beaten up by his former master, fled and became wild. Not that wild since Sébastien discovers the dog and quickly befriends her in secret, although the dog is still hunted and in constant danger of being killed by the villagers. Sébastien eventually names her "Belle" because once cleaned up, she's so beautiful. Of course, there's also a play on the Beauty and the Beast theme, la Belle et la Bête, that Sébastien probably never read. Not initially related but eventually becoming important, is that France is occupied by the Germans, and there's a clandestine operation by the French passing Jew refugees over the mountains to reach another country. There are regular visits by the Germans in the nearby village and they want to stop this.So, I found the movie rather peaceful and relaxing with beautiful mountainous landscapes. Contrary to what another review says, there is a story and even a few mysteries such as what happened to Sébastien's mother, who's helping the Jews and the true motivations of a few characters. I loved Belle, she was expressive and she looked like I what I envisioned she should in real life. I didn't like the actor Sébastien so much. Yes, he's cute, but a few times, there was a little something off in the way he played. It didn't seem all natural for lack of better explanation. The relationship between him and Belle was mostly fine, but there was some chemistry missing. I sometimes felt some kind of "disconnect" between him and her. The other adult actors were adequate, except for the doctor that I found bland, and the German lieutenant that I found more interesting than the rest. In fact, I liked how ambiguously he was portrayed.The animal sequences didn't particularly impress me, as it sometimes felt as if they were filmed separately, although they were real animals. Scenes of danger, especially the last one, felt a bit awkwardly filmed. At one point, there was a song sung by Sébastien in the background that I found very corny, but it might be my cynical adult side complaining. The couple of other songs sung by an adult woman fared better, but I would have preferred just poignant music instead. I don't really remember the soundtrack otherwise. I wish I would have been moved emotionally by the film, but I wasn't really, although I found a few sequences charming. So maybe it's nostalgia for the old cartoon talking, but for me, this adaptation, although competent enough, seemed to lack a certain magic. I'd recommend it for big dog lovers. As an aside, my girlfriend, not familiar with the story, liked the film much better than I did.Rating: 6 out of 10 (good)