Mimi and the Mountain Dragon (TV Special 2019)

Mimi and the Mountain Dragon: Directed by Vincent James. With Esther Greaves, Claire Martin, Michael Morpurgo. A shy little girl named Mimi finds a baby dragon and undertakes a perilous journey to return it to its mother.

“Have always loved Michael Morpurgou0026#39;s books/stories, it was the case from an early age when reading it in primary school and it still is now with no change, and u0026#39;Mimi and the Mountain Dragonu0026#39; is among his biggest delights. Beautifully written, rich in emotion and impossible to endear to or be touched by, if anybody has not read it they are seriously missing out and find a copy as soon as they can. Not intending to sound ignorant or anything, itu0026#39;s just my thoughts.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnybody who hasnu0026#39;t read the book but saw this animated adaptation when it aired today may find themselves wanting to do so if they loved this adaptation. Found 2019u0026#39;s u0026#39;Mimi and the Mountain Dragonu0026#39; to be of absolute beauty in every way and it is another one of this yearu0026#39;s festive television periodu0026#39;s best. As an adaptation of such a great story it is as big a delight as one can get and on its own merits there is just so much to love here.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026#39;Mimi and the Mountain Dragonu0026#39; looks gorgeous, like turning the pages of the book and seeing the images come to vivid life. Have not seen such exquisite colours for an animated short film in a long time and the background detail does so well in immersing one into this quite magical setting. The narration is sincerely written and always engaging and the sung words really touch the soul.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story never feels cluttered or over-stretched, effective in its simplicity yet rich in emotion. The charm never stops and even hearing the music is enough to make one feel emotional, the heart of the story is never lost and translates to poignant effect. The two titular characters are ones worth identifying with, never being cloying, and the portrayal of togetherness and fear have surprising depth. It is true in detail and spirit to Morpurgou0026#39;s source material and any additions and such are thoughtfully done and benefit the storytelling here.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat stands out here is Morpurgou0026#39;s narration, so soothing and the equivalent of the calm feeling a child gets when a parent reads a story out loud at bed time. One can feel the emotion in the sung vocals too. Standing out even more is the stunning score by Rachel Portman, so distinctive of her in orchestration and style and worthy of a feature-length film. Not only does it sound stunning, it got me emotionally too and to me music is even more beautiful when it makes me feel something.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSummarising, a sheer delight all round. 10/10”