The King and the Mockingbird
Short description
In the kingdom of Takicardia, a tyrannical ruler amuses himself by shooting at birds from his palace. The one creature bold enough to defy him is a talkative mockingbird who has built its nest on the palace roof. The king is infatuated with a shepherdess whose portrait hangs in his chambers, but she is in love with a chimney sweep painted on a neighbouring canvas. One night the two figures come to life and flee the palace together, and the king sends his forces after them. A living portrait takes the real king's place and orders the fugitives seized, while the mockingbird, the king's sworn enemy, becomes their ally.
Paul Grimault directed this French animated feature, his second film, following The Dog Who Loved Music. He wrote the screenplay with Jacques Prévert. Voices include Jean Martin as the mockingbird, Renaud Marx as the chimney sweep, Agnès Viala as the shepherdess and Pascal Mazzotti as the king, with animation work produced by Antenne 2, Les Films Paul Grimault and Les Films Gibé.
The film holds a rating of 7.7 out of 10 on IMDb from around 6,000 votes and 7.8 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 425 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 8.7 out of 10 from 22 reviews. That critics' figure is noticeably higher than the audience scores, suggesting strong approval from reviewers alongside solid but more moderate viewer response.
What's left behind the scenes
- Production of the animated film began in 1948, and it was originally to be titled "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" (La bergère et le ramoneur). The film could not be completed. In 1967, Paul Grimault bought back the rights to the picture and began searching for funding to finish production and release a feature-length version.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
