A CG-animated adventure for kids, in which an eleven-year-old descendant of Don Quixote and two friends have to save their home village of La Mancha from an evil businessman.
FAST FACTS:
• High-quality CG animation for kids at an international level
• Munich-based Studio 100 International’s most elaborate production to date
• Flagship project for Studio Isar Animation, founded in 2018
CREDITS:
Country/year: Germany, Argentina 2024; Running time: 87 minutes; Director: Gonzalo Gutiérrez; Screenplay: Gonzalo Gutiérrez, Pablo Ricardo Biondi, Carlos Kotkin; Distributed by: Constantin; Release date: May 1, 2024
REVIEW:
It’s quite impressive what Studio 100 International has built up in only a few years: Just ten years have passed since the Munich-based production and distribution company, the German subsidiary of the Belgian Studio 100 Group, presented its first animated film for theaters with „Die Biena Maja“ and was able to celebrate a worldwide success – two years in a row, the film was the most successful German production abroad. Since then, the company has consistently worked on continuing its activities. Six years after founding its own animation studio, Studio Isar Animation, the company, with titles such as „Wickie und die starken Männer – Das magische Schwert“ and „Mia and Me – Das Geheimnis von Centopia“ to its credit, now presents its most elaborate and lavish production to date.
“Giants of La Mancha“ was made in partnership with the Latin American GF Films (another German co-producer is M.A.R.K. 13 – COM), which gave the go-ahead for the family film: a modern adventure that takes up well-known motifs from Cervantes‘ „Don Quixote“ and transposes them to the present day with a story about three friends who take up the fight against a cunning real estate shark and climate polluter in order to save their small village from ruin. You can tell that the screenplay was written by an experienced hand like Carlos Kotkin, who has Hollywood experience with „Rio 2 – Jungle Fever“, among others – but you can’t tell that director Gonzalo Gutiérrez is making his film debut here: It’s all well-rounded, even if the pace is so fast, the editing sequences so quick and the narrative so expressive and tangible that the movie could still be a challenge for very young kids – for those older than twelve, on the other hand, it might be too uncool, a problem that even the greats of the genre have to contend with.
Yet „Giants of La Mancha“ hits the sweet spot of appealing to and picking up the target group of six to perhaps eleven-year-olds. The three heroes of the story are good characters to identify with, especially the shy Alfonso Quixote, descendant of the legendary Don Quixote, who has an exuberant imagination in common with his ancestor, which allows him to see three imaginary white rabbits – imaginary friends who make you think briefly of „Harvey“, but are better compared to the Minions: funny sidekicks who are up for any prank. But Alfonso’s friends, the smart and tomboyish Viktoria and the neighbor boy Pancho Panza, a descendant of Sancho Panza who loves eating as much as collecting all kinds of stuff, are also instantly likeable. Of course kids in the movie theater are on their side when they set out to discover what might actually be behind a mighty storm that threatens little La Mancha. The roles are clearly assigned. The kids are the heroes, the adults are trying, but comical and perhaps embarrassing, and the shady businessman Carrasco and his henchmen make villains that you immediately want to see fail.
In addition to the fast pace and a certain joy in exaggeration, the high-quality realization of „The Secret of La Mancha“ is immediately noticeable: Studio Isar Animation has done a great job. A wild chase downhill on a bicycle, in which Alfonso races against a detached windmill blade, is not only an amusing reference to old Cervantes, but also a masterful showcase of what the Munich production facility under the direction of producer Thorsten Wegener is capable of. This is followed by many more exciting scenes, but also quiet moments in which the kids can express their inner doubts and find strength in their shared friendship. With Julian Janssen and Marina Blanke, two voice actors from Checker Tobi’s world have been selected for Alfonso and Viktoria, which provides additional credibility – and will certainly be helpful for German distributor Constantin.
Thomas Schultze