Taxandria (1994)

Director:

Raoul Servais

Writers:

Frank Daniel (writer)
Alain Robbe-Grillet (writer)

Release Date:

21 February 1996 (France)

Genre:

Adventure | Animation | Fantasy

Plot:

A young prince is taken for tuition at a seaside hotel but there quickly bores and wanders off to visit a nearby lighthouse...

Plot Keywords:

Part Animated | Part Computer Animation | Independent Film

Awards:

4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Karel / Virgilus
Richard Kattan	...	Jan
Elliott Spiers	...	Aimé Perel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cris Campion	...	Klooster
Ferenc Dávid Kiss	...	Taxandrian
Daniel Emilfork	...	First Minister
Zsuzsa Holl	...	Leading Lady
Robert Lemaire	...	Lamp
Andrew Sachs	...	André / Police Chief
Julien Schoenaerts	...	Mr. Bonze
Katja Studt	...	Princess Ailée
Joris Van Ransbeeck	...	Versalus

Runtime:

Belgium:82 min | Singapore:90 min

Country:

Belgium | Germany | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium

Company:

Bibo TV

Raoul Servais' best known, but worst project

Raoul Servais, the infamous Belgian animator has proved in many cases he's a master in his job. Nevertheless i must say, Taxandria, one of the bigger Belgian projects from that time does not have the "magic" that's so frequently talked (or whispered) about in the story itself. As an experiment it would've been a great try, since this movie consists of admittedly good technical efforts by trying to melt real cinéma with the drawn and painted world of Raoul Servais. Yet, the film is too long to enjoy and the whole cannot be seen as an experiment. it was too expensive in the first place to be "just an experiment". I don't understand they directed themselves to a younger public, so you get the feeling the story suffers from space to breath. The story is about a young rich boy who's at sea with his private teacher when he discovers the world of Taxandria where it is forbidden to make drawings and images. the journey of the boy to make wrong things back right is meant to be a "magic" voyage into the world of Taxandria with its strange personalities. Like i said, the magic is never there. The story is a good attempt to pull the attention of the younger kids to get involved with art and animation since there are many hints to famous (Belgian) artists such as the wonderful Delvaux. Unfortunately this failed and above all the movie feels already dated. If you want to feel magic and see weird personalities in a world where kids rule the set, go watch "LA CITE DES ENFANTS PERDUS".