The story of Anne Frank and her famous diary receives a new and full-fledged adaptation in "Where's Anne Frank" - the ambitious, impressive and special animated film by screenwriter Ari Ari Folman ("Waltz with Bashir"), which finally hits theaters after many postponements (and has already been Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and to open the Jerusalem Film Festival).
Together with the artistic designer Lena Goberman and the animation director of the film Yoni Goodman, Pullman presents here a rich, exciting and imaginative international work, which seeks to communicate with a young audience and tries to put the historical horrors within a contemporary and relevant context.
This very demanding project was created by Pullman at the invitation of the Anne Frank Foundation, and for the purpose of working on it it took almost a decade of work.
In addition to his close partners, Goberman and Goodman, hundreds of other animators have worked on the film all over the world, and even if not all of the scripted choices made here are equally successful, the result is complex, beautiful, invested, extraordinary and definitely worth watching.
In contrast to previous and more direct adaptations of Anne Frank's diary (made in film, television and theater), Pullman's film takes place in the not-too-distant future (a year from now) and focuses on Kitty, the imaginary company to which Anna answered the diary passages.
The film opens at the height of a lightning storm raging in Amsterdam.
Kitty comes to life from the pages of the diary (displayed in the popular museum that runs in the Anne Frank House) and begins to look for her friend.
As she learned about her iconic status Anna and her diary won, trying to figure out what was left of her legacy.
She soon encounters a handsome pickpocket, who becomes her private tour guide, and is chased around Amsterdam by a police officer dubbed by Pullman.
In parallel with Kitty's adventures today, the film spends considerable time in the past, effectively dramatizing various excerpts from the diary, and in my opinion these are the best (and most beautiful) moments in the film.
It's fascinating to see how "Where's Anne Frank" blends in naturally with Pullman's previous films, such as "Waltz with Bashir" and the animated "Futurists' Conference," for example, or "St. Clara" and "Immediately There Is No Israel," both of which deal with dark fantasies.
In this respect, the new film is undoubtedly a great artistic victory, presenting Pullman and his partners as serious creators who persevere in their path and who are at the height of their power.
Meanwhile, Pullman's attempt to link the horrors of World War II to the refugee crisis in Europe and the world (while refining the humanistic message that emerges from Anna's diary) is commendable, but the execution lacks naivety and righteousness and feels a bit forced.
Despite this, "Where's Anne Frank" is a highly recommended film, especially for young viewers.
It is replete with beauty, creativity and hard-to-digest information, which seeks to encourage further inquiry (rather than deter).
He manages to breathe new and unexpected life into one of the most famous historical documents from the Holocaust, and his friendly, colorful and dynamic style ensures that the target audience will be swept into his uncomplicated story without any effort.
In the end, this is what matters.
Score: 8
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