How would the world look if the Industrial
Revolution never happened and petroleum energy was never developed? Far, far
more environmentally ravaged than it is today. In this steampunky alternate universe,
that steam power comes from trees and there are not a lot of them left. How did
things get so bad? A mysterious agency has been abducting scientists, halting
progress in its tracks. April and her family are some of the few researchers
who have not disappeared or been pressed into the service of the House of Bonaparte
emperor, but not for long. April will have to go underground to carry on the
family research in Christian Desmares & Franck Ekinci’s April and the Extraordinary World (trailer here), which screens during the 2016 New York International Children’s Film Festival.
It all started with April (or Avril)’s great grandfather,
Gustave Franklin, but he will not last past the big bang at the beginning of
the picture. Her grandfather Prosper (a.k.a. Pops) and parents will continue
his research into an ultimate cure-all life-extension serum, but they must do
so off the steam-powered grid. Unfortunately, Inspector Pizoni’s raid goes bad,
leaving April a presumed orphan with only the family’s talking cat Darwin for
company. He was an early test subject, but instead of immortality, he developed
the power of speech, because that is how chemistry works.
Busted down in rank, Pizoni swears vengeance
against the Franklin family, but he is probably the least of their worries
given the wider mysteries in play. However, he manages to recruit a likable
parolee to worm his way into Franklin’s confidence. Of course, the smooth
talking Julius is in for considerably more than he bargained for, but the issue
of trust will loom large if these kids are ever going to develop a serious
relationship.
Even in today’s world of banal CGI wonders, it
would be a tall order the render the scope and detail of the Franklins’ ominous
steampunk world in a live-action tent-pole. Based on Jacques Tardi’s graphic
novel, Ekinci and co-adaptor Benjamin Legrand fully establish the complexities
of the alternate history. With the [un]timely death of Napoleon III, the
disastrous Franco-Prussian War is averted and the not so enlightened Bonapartes
remain on the Imperial throne. (On the plus side, the Paris Commune never happens
either, sparing the French its lingering ideological toxicity.)
It is pretty cool to see a film suitable for
family viewing reference the Franco-Prussian War and provide cameos for scores
of scientists, including Einstein and Fermi. Francophiles will also be
impressed by the big name French voice cast, including Marion Cotillard as Ap[v]ril,
Jean Rochefort as “Pops” Prosper (he’s terrific), Bouli Lanners as Pizoni, and
Oliver Gourmet as her father, Paul.
