ABSTRACT
Boy and the World (2013), which won the Best Film Award at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, was directed in Brazil by Alê Abreu and nominated for a Best Animated Film Academy Award in 2016. This film, which was distributed by GKids in Brooklyn, New York, is traditionally animated and is delightful to see. The basic storyline follows a boy named Cuca who goes searching for his father after he leaves their rural home to find employment. Cuca’s journey takes him out of the country and into overcrowded cities that contain rough factories, a situation rather reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times but told from a child’s perspective. Along the way, Cuca passes through rain forests that are being destroyed by big machines and industrial encroachment. Boy and the World is an examination of class struggles, workers against the ruling class, greed and violence.
