We always talk about escaping into books, but is it a really good idea? Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds is an animated film about two sisters that get lost in the pages. Agnes has just completed the latest chapter in her successful Sirocco fantasy novel series. She’s exhausted and ready for a long nap. But she can’t get to bed since her friend has dropped by. Agnes has completely forgotten that she promised to watch her daughters Juliette (Élia St-Pierre) and Carmen (Tallula Dinsmoore). The two girls seem old enough that Agnes has them hang out in her living room while she tries to capture a few winks. Then they’ll have fun. The girls quickly get bored. One pulls out a Sirocco. The wind captures the pages and has them flip furiously so that a character begins to become animated and pops out of the book. He’s quite disoriented and eager to head home. He chalks up a hopscotch form on the floor and begins to hop only to disappear at the top. The girls follow him and reappear in a strange town. Making things weird is the two girls have been transformed into cats. While this seems like fun, they kind of want to be girls once more and go home.
In their quest to return, Juliette and Carmen encounter a giant gathering in the town square. Turns out the singing star Selma who looks like a bird will be visiting shortly. They’ve created a marvelous gift for her as part of the performance. However the two girls screw things up. The mayor comes up with horrible punishment for the duo. One is to marry his son. The other will be given to Selma as a makeup gift. The one with Selma learns more about Agnes and why she created this fantasy world.
There’s a lot of action and motion in the windy story. The characters are rather run as they attempt to get back to their world. Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds works as a fantastical story with the strange world created by Benoît Chieux. Your kids will learn not to flip the pages too fast in their favorite novels.
The movie is currently available for purchase and rental on all major digital platforms today.
Shout! Studios presents Sirocco and The Kingdom of Winds. Directed by Benoît Chieux. Screenplay by Benoît Chieux & Alain Gagnol. Starring Loïse Charpentier, Maryne Bertieaux, Aurélie Konaté, Pierre Lognay, Laurent Morteau, Eric De Staercke, David Dos Santos, Géraldine Asselin, Tallula Dinsmoore, Célia Kameni & Élia St-Pierre. Running Time: 81 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: September 17, 2024.
