ABSTRACT

This unique book examines the career of Michel Ocelot, from his earliest works to his latest research and productions, including an interview regarding his latest film Le Pharaon, le Sauvage et la Princesse (2022). The book highlights the director’s role in the panorama of contemporary animated cinema and his relationship with the tradition, both artistic and cinematographic.

The book carefully analyses the ethical and social nature of Ocelot’s work to underscore the duality of the director’s oeuvre, both artistic and social, using an interdisciplinary approach that blends film and aesthetic criticism with gender studies and decolonial thought. Particular attention will be given to the themes of multiculturalism, discrimination, and treatment of women, which are at the centre of many current cultural debates.

The book will be of interest to an audience of experts, animation enthusiasts, and film scholars, as well as to a wider readership interested in learning about the poetics of Kirikou’s father.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

chapter Chapter 1|32 pages

7Ars Animativa

chapter Chapter 2|32 pages

39Silhouette Films

A Magical Night Where Anything Can Happen

chapter Chapter 3|42 pages

71Once Upon a Time, Kirikou

chapter Chapter 4|30 pages

113A Beautiful Stranger

Azur & Asmar

chapter Chapter 5|21 pages

143Dilili à Paris, or Beauty Will Save Us