Weekly DVD Pick - Paprika
I can pretty much sum up Paprika with one word. Wow. I totally fell in love with movie during the credits. Before I get into the actual plot of the movie I just wanted to mention how wonderful the music and the animation fits together. I can’t think of any movie that had me this emotionally attached to it by the end of the credits. The combination of the visuals and the music just draws you complete in.
Since most of the movie is driven by the visuals we should cover that next. Just like the music they are stunning. I’ve seen my fair share of both North American and Asian animation and I believe this is the most beautiful animated movie ever. I was in complete awe when the marching band first appears. There is just so much going on with the band yet each character could stand out by itself as a work of art. The same applies to the way the scenery often mutates and bends throughout the movie. At times it appears that the world could simply melt away.
The story of Paprika also truly ascends past most animation and also a great deal of live cinema. This is a challenging story on several levels. The combination of the subconscious dream world with the real world allows Kon to tell a complex story that covers more than a few themes. Each of the character’s wants and experiences are different in the dream world. Throughout the movie you can see them grow and develop as people.
I fell in love with Paprika and I don’t think I can recommend it highly enough. If you get a chance please catch it in theatre. This is the type of movie that truly deserves to be seen on the big screen.
