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DALIA & THE RED BOOK

Dalia & The Red Book is fascinating! The storyline is innovative and the animation is unique. I like Dalia's character arc throughout the film; it is inspirational and refreshing. I also like the connection between the book world and the real world characters.

The story follows Dalia, a 12-year-old girl who stumbles upon her deceased father's unfinished novel. With the help of a well-balanced goat character she made with her father, Dalia makes it her mission to finish her father's book before time runs out. This film acts as a reminder of the importance of the written word and how much it still matters.

This film is inspirational. Dalia is a quiet girl who doubts her abilities, and her journey will challenge those very doubts. I also like the animation and how it is a more modern version of classic stop-motion animation. I like that the movie makes a connection between the real world and the book world with characters like the librarian (Andres Burecoics), and how the film makes a connection between his character in both worlds. (Agustina Cirulnik) plays Dalia well and with a good amount of childish enthusiasm in her voice. My favorite part is when Dalia finds her goat stuffy, which inspires the goat character in the book. He is an integral and skilled character as Dalia progresses through the story.

The film's message is that believing in yourself will take you far. It is an uplifting reminder that confidence is key.

I give Dalia & The Red Book 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12, plus adults. It is available on VOD and streaming beginning May 6, 2025.

By Josephine K, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12

The film Dalia & The Red Book intrigued me. Being captured into a book and saving it is one thing but being captured into your dad's book by the bad guys, and now finishing it is a whole other story.

Dalia (Agustina Cirulnik), the daughter of the famous writer Adolfo (Gustavo Barrientos), who recently passed away, finds his last book and opens it. Some villains decide to come out of the book to finish it their way. Dalia becomes part of the story, meeting her character goat (Gustavo Barrientos) and confronting characters like Lady Fox (Mariana Correa) and Buho (Andrés Burecovics). They meet the most powerful villains and have an epic showdown.

This movie was fun to watch because there are lots of action scenes, and the suspense kept me asking myself what will happen next. My favorite character is Goat because of how serious he looks, plus his glasses make him look so cool. I credit director David Bisbano for making a captivating film that I wanted to keep watching - it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. The animation by Luis Butrón and David Vinagre is amazing. I especially love all the unique character expressions. The musical score by Matias Caldarella is so suitable; it really helps shape the emotional impact, especially in the action scenes.

The film's message is that something is impossible until someone proves otherwise. Be aware that there is some mild profanity.

I give Dalia & The Red Book 4.5 out of 5 and recommend it for ages 8 to 12, plus adults. It releases on VOD and streaming May 6, 2025.

By Ryan M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 10

Dalia & the Red Book is an amazing movie with terrific stop-motion animation and an interesting storyline. The movie made me feel like I had been transported inside of a book, and was a part of the film with the characters.

Dalia (Agustina Cirulnik) is a 12-year-old girl who loves writing but feels she isn't as good as her dad Adolfo (Gustavo Barrientos), a famous writer who passed away recently. After a dramatic scene of book characters in the real world, Dalia finds herself sucked into her dad's novel. During her escape from the book she is assisted by the Goat (Gustavo Barrientos) who she created as a character when she was a little girl.

I really like the stop-motion animation - it's very unique and makes the story feel very real. The ending is very well done and emotional, giving feelings of happiness and sadness at the same time. I enjoyed the protagonist of the story, Dalia, and her journey as she becomes sucked into the pages of her dad's unfinished novel. I love how the animation makes the world inside the book very unique and exciting with fantasy creatures like Wolf (Mariana Correa) who is trying to catch Dalia for the mysterious Creator. The music and sound effects fit perfectly with the scenes, further drawing me into the story. My favorite part is watching Dalia grow from a girl with little self-confidence to a successful and confident character in her dad's novel and her own life. I will note that the dubbing in English makes the scenes with written words seem a little strange with the voice-overs but doesn't take away from the story itself.

The film's message is to believe in yourself and that you can do anything if you try and have faith in yourself. Remember that, even if you mess up at first, you can succeed by learning from your mistakes.

I give Dalia & the Red Book a solid 4.5 stars out of 5 and recommend it for ages 8 to 12, plus adults. It is available on VOD and streaming on May 6, 2025.

By Mark S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 9

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When the daughter of a famous author finds her late father's unfinished novel, she is drawn into its magical world by some of the characters who wish to complete the story on their own. Taken to their fictional world, she teams up with a heroic goat, the character she created, to ensure the story is finished as her father intended, and before she is stuck in their world forever.