79. Xico's Journey (El Camino de Xico); movie review

 

XICO'S JOURNEY (EL CAMINO DE XICO)

Cert U

84 mins

BBFC advice: Contains mild language, threat and violence

A cartoon about fracking? The kids in Mexico must be nurtured to be avid watchers of news bulletins if this is aimed at them.

Xico's Journey gives a simple message - blasting gas out of the earth is bad for the environment.

That happens also to be the stance of the Mexican president in contrast to the energy-hungry Americans on the other side of Donald Trump's wall.

Mexico hasn't yet outlawed fracking but all drilling has been put on hold over the past few years.

Eric Cabello's animation is very much in line with the Government making clear that the good guys are those who protect the environment while the villains are those who carry out fracking.

When the latter turn up in a small town in the shadow of a beloved mountain it is left to a well-meaning grandmother (voiced by Lila Downs) to speak out against them.

But when they recognise she is too frail to save the mountain against the diggers and high explosives, her young grand-daughter (Verónica Alva) and her friend (Luis Angel Jaramillo) pick up the baton.

Along with them trails her dog Xico (Pablo Gama Iturrarán) who they soon discover has magic powers and both changes colour and speaks.

Yep, the whole environmental message becomes lost in a surreal episode inside the mountain where strange cartoon characters either help or hinder our heroes.

Xico's Journey has plenty of colour, is fast-paced, has moments of drama and a clear storyline.

My question is over its target audience. It is a tad too naive to grab older children and its subject matter may go over the heads of younger ones.

But, I guess that parents are teaching during CoVid lockdown, so why shouldn't environmental issues be on the agenda?

Reasons to watch: A sound moral message

Reasons to avoid: Might go over the heads of the little ones

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? Fracturing as a method to stimulate shallow, hard rock oil wells dates back to the 1860s. Dynamite or nitroglycerin detonations were used to increase oil and natural gas production from petroleum bearing formations. 

The final word. Composer,  Juan Pablo Manzanero: "We have been living it in the pandemic, look at how important it is to take care of the planet, to take care of ourselves. Life is more important than money because money goes away, it rots with the world. Life goes on, so I think it's a very nice message." Chicago Tribune

 

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