KIDS FIRST! Jury Blog

Recently accepted to our film festival, Butterfly Tale is an animated feature film for the whole family set along the diverse, picturesque, and ever-changing backdrop of the great Monarch butterfly migration. A heartwarming tale of a gutsy and loveable yet inept, one-winged butterfly, named Patrick who stows away in a milkweed trailer in order to be part of the journey of a lifetime. With his best friend, a goofy caterpillar named Marty, and Jennifer, a butterfly who is afraid of heights, Patrick will become an unlikely hero. But first he must face his fear, embrace his uniqueness and triumph over adversity while battling changing weather patterns, humans and three evil birds bent on revenge.

It is a tale of adventure, self-realization and heroism told with humor whose message is that our differences are less important than the bonds we share, and it is in adversity that our true character shines through. From Canada. Director Biography – Sophie Roy; Writer: Heidi Foss and Lienne Sawatsky; Producer: Marie-Claude Beauchamp & Emely Christians; Cast: Tatiana Maslany & Mena Massoud

Juror comments: Butterfly Tale is an epic and sweet tale indeed! This animated film about butterfly migration is as uplifting as it is revelatory! Scored with professional music that is a compilation of original songs and chamber music underscore, kids will be tapping their feet and wiping their eyes.

Butterfly Tale is an animated story about three butterflies who, despite special challenges, attempt to fly with their ‘flock’ of butterflies to Mexico for their annual migration. The characters are adorable physically and emotionally! I believe both adults and children will love this beautiful film.

The story line begins with a joyful young butterfly who has a full size wing and a mini-wing. This challenge makes Patrick unable to fly like the other butterflies, and his anger at this, “It’s unfair!” does not change the dangers; he is vulnerable and unsafe. I love the way that his disability is handled by the writer who creates a sympathetic mother and caterpillar friend, Marty contrasted with bratty young butterfly boys who make fun of Patrick.

As the story unfolds, Patrick and Marty sneak their way into the food trailer that is pulled by Jennifer, a butterfly who is afraid of heights. Through thick and thin, these friends help each other and support each other’s fears and feelings of inadequacy. It is this vulnerability and courage that make the story line relatable, emotional and sentimental.

The animation for this film is nuanced and gorgeous. Flying high overhead and in between flowers and desert canyons, the point of view (POV) of Monarch butterflies never looked so amazing. Each wing is intricately designed and fluttering in unison, which is a real treat for viewers! The animated characters have lavender faces which give a nod to diversity not only in form, but in color. The caterpillar, Marty, with his natural costume of many yellow legs and a body that rolls up like a bug is a big part of the comic relief – well done!

The backgrounds for the many scenes in the travelers’ journey range from the colorful waters of the tropics, to the dusty golds and oranges of the desert. The less attractive backgrounds are highways, sprawling subdivisions and parking lots which are fairly depicted, and comparatively nauseating. This is not meant to disparage humans, but perhaps give viewers a moment to consider their development templates in favor of more eco-friendly gardens and wildlife corridors. The Canadian Academy ought to nominate Butterfly Tale music for an award. From start to finish, composer Martin Roy uses multicultural rhythms and melodies to support the emotions in the film. An example from the beginning is snapping fingers and African-sounding strings that merge into violins and bass. The tender songs are performed by Shawn Mendes, Johnny Orlando and Coeur de Pirate who are sure to break the hearts of teen and tween kids with their silky innocence and bold young voices. I mean that in a delicious way. The music is not overplayed – something I do not like. The power of the visuals stands head to toe with this magical score.

The entire film is one visual effect after another. It is a masterpiece. Character development happens mostly to four characters; Patrick (Mena Massoud), his mother (Stephanie Breton), Jennifer (Tatiana Maslany), and Marty (Lucinda Davis). Patrick begins as a rebellious young butterfly who can’t seem to find his place in the butterfly clan because of his inept wing. His relationship with his mother goes from being resentful of her protective nature, disallowing him to come on the migration and insisting he stay home to mind the milkweed, to tables turning when he realizes he may have lost her during a terrible tornado, feeling guilty, but in the end, his mother and Patrick revel in being reunited and his overcoming his flight issue through perseverance and support from his friends. His mother also realizes she could have been more trusting of him and less of a worrier in hindsight. Jennifer, the butterfly who insists on pulling the food trailer with the boys in it who cannot fly, comes to terms with her embarrassment of fearing heights. She takes a leap of faith thanks to her pals who insist she can fly through the canyons although it is her first migration too and she has the nerve to ‘just do it!’

Marty’s transformation happens not only inside himself, wishing he could be a butterfly instead of a caterpillar and through his loyalty to his pals and theirs to him, but also at the end he becomes a beautiful butterfly and he wins the girl that he loves! The producers, director, funders, and animators of this film have created a tender story for children and adults and turned it into a feel-good story with very positive morals – love each other; stick together; make a plan; do your best. A special tip of the hat to the composer and musicians who carry the film to the top of the mountain!The music is what touched my heart most deeply. Many of the songs may become popular and the underscore is elegant and written for the film.

The film’s message is about personal choices and maintaining the confidence to see your dreams through to the end. Believe in yourself and others! It also provides environmental education, artistic excellence and outstanding animation.

I give Butterfly Tale 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. People of all ages will enjoy this film because it is so well designed; the characters are so appealing and the music rocks. Having said that, it is for the tenderhearted and, if one is looking for grit and violent thrills, this may not be your jam. By Nancy K., KIDS FIRST!

A 25-yr-old influencer struggles to cling on to her status but is running out of tricks. Will she have to separate her online persona from her authentic self?

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic SaniyaRain F. comments, “Under The Influencer is one of the most optimistic films I’ve ever seen! You get a taste of what it’s like behind the scenes in a social media influencer’s life, including all the struggles and accomplishments, too.” Avalon N. adds, “Under The Influencer is an amazing tale of social media and self-identity. The topics are very relatable and modern to teens as well as others.” Kyla C. wraps it up with, “Under the Influencer is an uplifting and satisfying film with a very important message. Romance is blended with working and friendship elements, which gives it a little bit of everything. The acting and writing deliver an important message, despite some slower patches in the film.” See their full reviews below.

Under the Influencer
By SaniyaRain F., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 16

Under The Influencer is one of the most optimistic films I’ve ever seen! You get a taste of what it’s like behind the scenes in a social media influencer’s life, including all the struggles and accomplishments, too. Not everything turns out as planned and life gets in the way, which makes for a great film for those on a journey to finding themself.

We follow Tori (Taylor Scorse) as her YouTube account following begins slowly plummeting but that’s all she eats, sleeps, and breathes. During this time she is not only desperately trying to find ways to fix it, but is also trying to heal from a messy Internet break up . Throughout this time Tori  is coming to terms with the fact that her personal life and her social media life might need to cross paths, but she is not comfortable with making that happen. She enjoys learning new things about herself but struggles to grasp the fact that her content is taking over her life, and not in a good way. Tori hits complete rock bottom, and that’s when she starts to make a breakthrough. She lets go of some people and has new experiences with others that affect her for the better. As for locations, from the sunsets to the mansions the settings were great. The acting was pretty spot on as well and some of the characters make their mark when it comes to learning the life lessons. Overall this film is great and watching it unravel will definitely prompt emotions in audiences.

Under The Influencer is relatable and shows realistic challenges for not just influencers but all people, too. When you see what the true meaning behind this film is it really touches the heart. Tori starts to see how social media is crushing the real her behind the mask she puts on. And yet she is not completely alone, as her best friend and employee Sara (Chandler Young) helps her through her journey of showing who she really is. Tori never really stays low when she gets knocked down; she just keeps learning and doing what’s best for her.

The film’s message is to not be afraid to show the world the real you. You never know what is going to happen or change in your life. So learn from the mistakes you make to improve yourself.

I give Under the Influencer 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 13 to 18, plus adults. Under The Influencer is available now on VOD!

Under he Influencer
By Avalon N., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic age 15

Under The Influencer is an amazing tale of social media and self-identity. The topics are very relatable and modern to teens as well as others.

The plot of this film centers around a girl named Tori who has a large following on her YouTube channel. No matter what she does though, the channel gets a large amount of hateful comments on it for no reason. As the film progresses she begins to resent the life she’s built and the tension continues as the plot develops..

One of the most exquisite parts of this film is simply how relatable it is today. The presence of social media and the hate that spirals from it is not uncommon. This sort of tension is what a lot of people face now with the influence of the internet growing as rapidly as it has. It helps the film’s relatability to teens and other influencers.

Another spectacular part of the film that is very interesting to see is the way they portray YouTube channels as a type of business or enterprise. Rather than just one person filming videos in their basement they showed a team of people working to plan everything out perfectly and keep the image of the influencer intact. It’s one of the reasons the fans of the fictional channel in the film thought everything was so fake. It just didn’t seem genuine. Going off of that another really important part of the movie is the way the fans react when the content is fake vs genuine. People like to see the real and unfiltered side of people on YouTube and other social media platforms rather than just the scripted highlights of others’ lives. It makes the whole thing a lot more relatable.

The film’s message is to just be yourself and never change or destroy yourself for others, because that’s never going to get anyone anywhere.

I give Under The Influencer 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. The film is available now on DVD and VOD.

Under the Influencer
By Kyla C, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 14

Under the Influencer is an uplifting and satisfying film with a very important message. Romance is blended with working and friendship elements, which gives it a little bit of everything. The acting and writing deliver an important message, despite some slower patches in the film.

Under the Influencer follows Tori (Taylor Joree Scorse) as she starts off as a very successful influencer. Her views and popularity start to decline significantly, and she can’t figure out why. She realizes that, not only has she lost the approval and support of fans, but she’s also lost herself. She put all of her effort and focus into her social media persona. When she can no longer rely on fame and positivity, she takes off on a journey to determine who she really is when she’s not in front of a camera. She has to figure out what she, not the girl on the camera, enjoys.

The highlight of this film is how the message is incorporated in a way that not only emphasizes it, but also keeps it entertaining and related to the storyline and the protagonist. Taylor Joree Scorse places such a strong emphasis on this message through her acting. She lets her emotions shine through; demonstrating how being lost and not knowing who she is affects her.  She uses her facial expressions and body language to accentuate the theme, plus, her dialogue allows the message to shine through. There are lines and moments when her inner struggle is so clear — she doesn’t know who to be, and the things she says or doesn’t say really show the impact this has on her. The ending wraps up the film so nicely, tying the new romantic element into the message, and leaving viewers with a positive feeling. While this part of the film is very enjoyable, there are definitely some weaker aspects. There are a few stretches that seem unnecessarily long and get a bit boring. There are some very important scenes and moments within these stretches, but there’s a bit too much extraneous stuff that takes away from the stronger, more important parts of the film.

The film’s message is that finding yourself is the most important thing in life. It’s easy to get lost in pretending to be someone else, especially as a social media influencer who’s constantly trying to please other people. This theme makes the film uplifting, encouraging people to find parts of themselves they either didn’t know they had or wanted to hide before.

I give Under the Influencer 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18. You can watch Under the Influencer on VOD now.