The story follows a clever princess who sets out to capture the magical Golden Fox in order to save her kingdom from eternal sadness. On her journey, she conquers obstacles and learns a lot about herself along the way.
The opening of the film almost lost me, because it's done with still images, panned and scanned, accompanied by a narration, which has some audio issues. However, once we get into the main part of the film, everything changes and it truly captured me in every way. I love that the challenger is female, but it's more than just female empowerment. It's really about self-discovery. The Director / Animator, Keika Lee, is extremely talented, not just as animator, but a storyteller. She has created good characters and uses lots of close ups to show their facial expressions, hands, and other minute details. Long shots show backgrounds ranging from inside and outside the castle, to the woods and magical portals out of the woods. The Golden Fox is evasive - appearing and disappearing. Then, the girl discovers the Owl and plays with the Owl, chasing it around the tree and through the forest. It leads her to a magical world and draws her into it. The Owl serves as her guide and takes her to another portal where she discovers a magnificent waterfall, with the fox on the other side. Or is it? She experiences visions of her mother, herself, her castle falling.... She fights and embraces herself, spots the Owl again and knows the Owl is more than she thought it was. With renewed knowledge, she returns to the castle and something magical happens. All this is told through visual images without dialogue and it is quite magical. This definitely belongs in a children's film festival and I highly recommend it.
The film's message is about believing in yourself and having the courage to move past obstacles.< p>I give Oren's Way 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12, plus adults. By Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
The story follows a clever princess who sets out to capture the magical Golden Fox in order to save her kingdom from eternal sadness. On her journey, she conquers obstacles and learns a lot about herself along the way.
The opening of the film almost lost me, because it's done with still images, panned and scanned, accompanied by a narration, which has some audio issues. However, once we get into the main part of the film, everything changes and it truly captured me in every way. I love that the challenger is female, but it's more than just female empowerment. It's really about self-discovery. The Director / Animator, Keika Lee, is extremely talented, not just as animator, but a storyteller. She has created good characters and uses lots of close ups to show their facial expressions, hands, and other minute details. Long shots show backgrounds ranging from inside and outside the castle, to the woods and magical portals out of the woods. The Golden Fox is evasive - appearing and disappearing. Then, the girl discovers the Owl and plays with the Owl, chasing it around the tree and through the forest. It leads her to a magical world and draws her into it. The Owl serves as her guide and takes her to another portal where she discovers a magnificent waterfall, with the fox on the other side. Or is it? She experiences visions of her mother, herself, her castle falling.... She fights and embraces herself, spots the Owl again and knows the Owl is more than she thought it was. With renewed knowledge, she returns to the castle and something magical happens. All this is told through visual images without dialogue and it is quite magical. This definitely belongs in a children's film festival and I highly recommend it.
The film's message is about believing in yourself and having the courage to move past obstacles.< p>I give Oren's Way 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 12, plus adults. By Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
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