Ballerina sweet but has flaws
Ballerina (G, 89mins) Directed by Eric Summer
Move over, Annie – there’s a plucky new red-haired orphan in town.
Her name is Felicie (voiced by Elle Fanning) and she dreams of becoming a dancer at the Paris Opera. With the help of her bestie, Victor (Dane DeHaan), Felicie runs away from her orphanage in Brittany and the pair heads to Paris to try their luck. Felicie manages to fib her way into auditions by pretending to be the wealthy and rather nasty Camille (Maddie Ziegler, of Dance Moms fame), who has an even nastier mother. But now she needs to learn how to dance–- and fast. Felicie, we’re told, has passion, but ‘‘the lightness of a depressed elephant’’. Fortunately, a kind cleaning woman and former dancer, Odette (Call Me Maybe‘s Carly Rae Jepsen), takes Felicie under her wing and shows her the ropes (cue the montage). But will Felicie be talented enough to land the starring role?
You can probably guess the answer to that. Though pretty and certainly pleasant, this FrenchCanadian animated feature is also predictable.
That likely won’t matter much to all the aspiring ballerinas out there who are sure to fall in love with the bold, big-eyed Felicie. Her bitter rivalry with Camille – which results in a rather dramatic danceoff – keeps things interesting in a Black Swan sort of way, and Victor is clearly there to provide the laughs, though more than few gags fall short of the mark.
Adults will appreciate the animation, which captures the beauty of 19th century Paris.
Like its heroine, Ballerina has its flaws, but it is a sweet film with its heart in the right place. - Christina Kuntz