Little Otik

a Wonderfully Backward Country

a Little Otik

Perhaps my favorite film of this class, this cinematic masterpiece lifts a Czech fairy tale (just as good as the Brother's Grim) to the deliciously backward modern day Eastern Europe. Thematically this film is special, as it blends stop-motion animation to bring Little Otik to life, run of the mill filming of the real world and traditional animation to bridge the fairy tale world and the real world. And as far as the story is concerned, there is no risk that this story is overdone, in fact I don't believe that this story has ever been done. But to be honest, the novelty of this movie is one thing, it's quality is something entirely else. This movie would have been a hit if it was a Hollywood film alas it was done by a Eastern European director from an Eastern European film studio. But that just means that it is the proverbial "diamond in the rough" and all the more enjoyable for yours truly.