Viking Warriors and Excalibur, also known as Little Heroes of the North Sea, is an adventure animation created by a French team, probably for promotion, using English dialogue. It premiered in France at the end of 2019 and has been released in Russia, Australia, Japan and other countries this year.
This is a movie about Viking culture, the Vikings are also called Vikings, and the pirate father Halwal in the film accidentally turned his wife into a golden statue because of a snatched Excalibur. Originally thinking of getting rich, he accidentally took his son on an adventure to save his mother.
As the protagonist, Vic is young and thin, but he is brave and smart. After going through tribulations and trials and finally winning, it is a children's film full of positive energy.
On the basis of respecting the original work, using the humorous and funny narrative rhythm, a small story similar to the cultivation system of "How to Train Your Dragon" is presented.
Domestic audiences should be familiar with the shape of the Viking pirate's bucket hat with horns, and they have heard about their stories, but their love for Viking culture is certainly not as good as that of European and American audiences.
Perhaps a recognition of the culture of the strong, the values behind the Viking story are debatable. But "Viking Warrior and Excalibur" can basically be understood as a film about family relationships and self-worth through a Viking shell.
And in European and American films, it seems that it is rare to embody "filial piety". And this movie can just close the distance between parents and children, edutainment.
Because it is a "small workshop" work, it cannot catch up with a big label like Disney in terms of the coherence of the narrative or the quality of the animation. The quality is not superior, the distribution channels are limited, and the performance in terms of box office and popularity is not satisfactory.
At present, the global box office is about 2 million US dollars, which is not too bad for cartoons. However, IMDB only has 5 points and no reviews, and the ratings on Douban are all 0.
In fact, a movie like "Viking Warrior and Excalibur" that does not step on thunder at all is very rare, and the so-called non-stepping on thunder is suitable for children to watch.
On the one hand, European and American children like Viking stories and characters, on the other hand, although there is a grading system abroad, there are also legendary "childhood shadows" series. "Viking Warrior and Excalibur" has a positive painting style and positive thoughts, and parents don't have to worry at all.
This film, adapted from a 1963 Swedish writer's fairy tale book, has been put on the screen many times before, which shows that the mass base is very good. In the movie "What We Did During the Holidays" starring Pei Chunhua, Grandpa's last wish is a Viking funeral lying on a bamboo raft floating on the sea.
It should have been a type that parents and children liked, but it encountered a cold winter of film and television, and the theater did not perform well. And although it is a helpless move to release in batches, it is not a clever method. In the Internet age, whether it is social media evaluation or scores on rating websites, it could have earned a vote and 0 threshold movies, and the word of mouth that can't be up and down weakens people's desire to watch.
The film as a whole is decent, and the central idea of the great use of small characters is clearly expressed. There are also some small details design, such as Vic's nose touching his nose when he encounters difficulties, which make the characters more memorable. If you want to extend it, there should be a gentleman's love of money and a way to get the connotation in it.