Reviews

Based on the Chilean series of the same name, "31 minutos, la pelicula" is not just a longer version of a regular episode of the show. You can tell by the beginning that this is serious business: quality image, amazing music, plot development, new characters and a story treatment that has nothing to envy from pros. Everything starts when Juanin Juan Harry(the producer of the news show), the last one of his kind, is taken away by the nasty Cachirula, who collects strange animals from all over the world. Thinking his friends and colleagues don't like him anymore, Juanin stays with the evil woman, setting on a series of events that will take everybody to their greatest adventure yet. Although is "performed" by a bunch of puppets, this movie isn't just for children. 31 minutos' following is, not surprisingly, part of a generation, those who grew up watching the Muppet Show, El Chavo del Ocho, and Japanese cartoons on television. Adults will laugh even more, because the jokes and references to movies and old shows are amazing. There is Star Wars, Lost, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, and much more in it. A fun ride for everybody, that you simply cannot miss. Really, if you can catch this at the movies, watch it. It's not as Chilean oriented as other movies made in that country, and good jokes are good jokes everywhere.

I ran into this short film last night on TV, and I found myself glued to the screen. The music is amazing, and it has a wonderful effect for such a short story. The drawings and animation are strange but simple, similar to a world created by Tim Burton but with its own elements, that make this film a real delight.

The story goes like this: the scarecrow is lonely, and he wonders why nobody wants to be his friend. He asks the birds that fly above him, crows, but he's not happy with the answer.

There's a bit of myth, another dash of recreating a well-known story and, most of all, a teaching at the end.

I loved this film, I really did. It's very well done, very well constructed and the narration is impeccable. It's a bit sad, true, but definitely worth watching.