BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Plockton Turn Point Looking through the reviews I am wondering if I am the only one so far to have seen the original 1965 series. This film is not a remake of that series, there are quite a few changes to the plot and characters. César, Sébastien and the dog Belle remain at the core of both stories however. The series was set in an Alpine village near the French/Italian border where criminals attempt to use Belle to carry secret documents over a mountain pass to Italy. The film in contrast is set in 1943. The French Resistance is involved in guiding Jews to safety into Switzerland.I was uncertain about the war time setting. I would have preferred not to have had Nazis in the film at all. The villain in the 1965 scenario was a crook named Norbert. The film still remains safe family viewing however as the occupying troops are only as menacing as they need to be in order to drive the plot forward. Young viewers understand just enough to know that these are the 'bad men'.The earlier version of César was a strong principled character who supported Sébastien's belief in Belle right from the start. In the film he is a more complex and flawed person with a weakness for alcohol. Likewise, the updated Sébastien seems more mature than the earlier one. This is better as he can react to events without continually repeating the phrase "but I love Belle" all the time. The earlier Angelina was feisty but not as feisty as Margaux Chatelier who follows the modern trend for strong female role models by mucking in with the dangerous work when necessary. It is good to see Mehdi in a minor role as André. Mehdi played the original Sébastien and is the son of Cécile Aubry who wrote and created the TV series.A couple of reviewers have commented on the 'corny' music played during the film. This is in fact the theme tune to the original series and adds a deliberate sentimental link to the earlier show for those that remember it. Non French viewers need to realise that the French have a nostalgic fondness for Cécile Aubry and the children's literature and television series she was associated with in the 1960s and early 70s. Americans go all daft for Lassie, in France it's Poly, Belle Et Sébastien and Le Jeune Fabre.Take the kids to see this at the cinema if you think they are able to cope with subtitles. The mountain scenery is majestic. Don't make the same mistake as my mother and grandmother though. As a child they dragged me off to the flicks to see The Sound Of Music and then Fiddler On The Bloomin Roof. Luckily I recovered.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Belle et Sébastien" takes place during World War 2 in France and aside from all the war references we see how a little boy forms an unlikely bond with a feral dog. And this dog is easily the highlight of the movie. Quite a beautiful creature and it was great to watch it from start to finish. The film starts in a heartbreaking manner already with a small animal that lost its parents and gets you right in the mood for everything that is about to come. For me, the whole film was about the animals, especially the dog. The subplots with the doctor, the young woman, the grandfather etc. did not really touch me on an emotional level, just like the whole story about getting to the USA.The part with the wild wolves was nicely done too. It was sort of expected that they are the ones responsible for the killing and honestly I wonder a bit why they use the "bête" as the scapegoat if they know there's wild wolves around. Anyway, another highlight for em was the first meeting between the boy and the dog, where the dog still gives off an air of danger and yet you could already feel their connection. The most intense scene is possibly where the dog is injured and needs the injection to survive. Edge-of-seat stuff.This is obviously a movie mostly aimed at younger audiences, so including all the World War background and Nazi references is a daring challenge, but the makers did a fine job as parents should not be worried to watch this movie with their children. I believe most of the younger audiences will not even remotely understand the historic aspect of chasing and deporting Jews and just enjoy watching Belle. And it is not just the dog: There is also ibexes, wolves, goats, eagles and many other wild animals from that mountainous area. I would say this film makes a truly great watch and is almost a must-see for dog owners. The scenery is absolutely stunning and I liked the film's message against hunting. Apart from this moral, the film also depicts the danger of rumors, especially if those who are the victims cannot defend themselves for whatever reason, no matter if human or animal. This way a complete legend was started about an actually peaceful dog (that only attacks when being attacked) being a savage monster.The one thing I did not like that much was how the boy was left alone with the dog in the end, not because the dog could pose any kind of danger, but because it was still a little boy somewhere in the mountains. Felt a bit odd to me. However, as I really enjoyed this movie, I want to end it on a positive note: The music, as in most French films these days, was very good once again. I definitely recommend seeing this one.

MartinHafer Belle and Sebastian was originally a novel by the French actress and writer, Cécile Aubry. The story was very popular and was made into a French live-action series in 1965. Oddly, it later was a Japanese anime in the 1980s and now is a French film. Although the story is quite popular in France, I'd never heard of it and I cannot compare this film in any way to the other projects. The anime, series or book could be a lot better or worse…I just don't know.This film is set during WWII in the French Alps. Sebastian is a 6 year- old boy who lives with his adopted grandfather and his niece. The boy is amazingly independent and resourceful—and as the film progresses you marvel at the kid's courage and tenacity. Initially you see it when the men of the village go off in search of an animal that is killing sheep. They assume it's a dog that has gone feral and they are determined to kill it. One day, Sebastian is walking in the hills and encounters the dog—and this Great Pyrenees doesn't seem particularly aggressive and the boy stands there and calmly talks to it. When the boy sees the dog again later, he even gets the dog to allow him to pet him and soon the pair are friends. But, the men have vowed to kill this animal and when Grandpa sees the animal, Sebastian goes so far as to stand in front of the dog to shield it from the gun. This is a good thing because later, it turns out that it's NOT this dog that is harming the sheep. Additionally, towards the end of the film, the dog turns out to be a serious blessing. But, what that is and how he helps saves some lives is something best seen by you.Although this film has some Nazis in it, the film is appropriate for all ages. The violence is not too extreme and the film is similar in style to the old movie "Lassie Come Home"—charming and family-oriented entertainment. The star of Belle and Sebastian clearly is the location and the cinematography. It's rare to ever see a film so beautiful and the film truly is breathtaking. Additionally, you really have to admire the cast and crew for working some pretty extreme conditions to bring us the movie. Well worth seeing—particularly if you are looking for something you won't be ashamed to show your kids or mother!

wiksonelectronics Watch it yesterday on theater Very beautiful pictures no story .the director had all ingredient he need just to concentrate on acting .story telling shame he didn't succeed . i imagine if Steven Spielberg did the movie will be great .pictures wise you will see beautiful landscapes montages so beautiful i can say rare pictures , also there is some big mistakes on montage with all technologies now which is shame to makei still prefer the cartoon as original story thanks enjoy