Mia et le Migou 2008

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Trying to parse meaning in "Mia" is secondary to its main point, which is its look, created with 500,000 hand-drawn frames. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: The toke-tastic visuals are an endless delight, especially the Migoo themselves, who look like the offspring of McDonald's Grimace and Calvin and Hobbes' killer monster snow goons. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: The story's serviceable, if unexciting, with themes of child-parent love and the importance of peaceful interactions. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: So heavy-handed that only the youngest audiences won't feel talked down to. Instead, they're likely to be freaked out. Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: This generally involving film is gorgeous to watch thanks to its 500,000 hand-painted frames of vibrantly colored, enormously artistic animation. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Shares a spiritual link to the Japanese works of Hayao Miyazaki but lacks his films' narrative drive and magical overlay. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Far too childish to intrigue adults yet too slow and dull for kids. Read more

Nell Minow, Chicago Sun-Times: Distracting flashes of crude humor dissipate any connection to the characters and odd encounters derail the momentum. And the climax muddles the film's eco message. Read more

Ronnie Scheib, Variety: Mia and the Migoo boasts a handsome, folkloric look that is often undermined by a ham-handed script. Read more

Nick Schager, Village Voice: Regrettably, both the condemnation of capitalist avarice and violence and the sanctification of nature and youthful innocence are dramatized only in simplistic black-and-white terms. Read more

Rachel Saslow, Washington Post: What kind of kid will be able to appreciate this serious plot, which involves investors pulling out of a land-development deal and a scary, knife-wielding witch? Read more