Absolutely Fantastic

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Acceptable cartoon movie with enjoyable original screenplay by Adrià García, Víctor Maldonado , Teresa Vilardell and inspired by Japanese tales and Miyazaki movies . This is an attractive and entertaining adventure in traditional animation , no ordinary computer generator . In the aging orphanage the days pass very uneventfully , but the nights are something quite different ; at least for Tim they are . Tim is a boy who lives at an orphanage and afraid of dark but he will have several adventures . However , when the stars start going out in the sky he finds himself exploring the world of the night along with a new friend . As the light reflected from the stars is the only cure for his fear of the dark . As Tim to be aware that his favorite star has vanished , and unfortunately it's not going to be the last one and he will do what it takes to see it shine in the night sky once again . One night his fear leads him to the rooftop , then , Tim falls off the roof but he is rescued by a weird being . As Tim meets a particular role that goes by the name of the Cat Shepherd (voice by Imanol Arias) ; together with his sympathetic cat Tobermory , that will become Tim's personal guardian , the Shepherd is in charge of cats that watch over children , making kiddies sleep peacefully . As Tim needs his star more than anything in the world , and he will stop at nothing to accomplish it . Tim convinces the Shepherd to take him to see Moka , the guardian of the night , and pleads for him to return the stars to the night sky but Moka pays scarce attention to the boys pleas . Later on , Tim asks the Cat Shepherd to take him to the Lighthouse of the stars , where he thinks he may find the answer to the strange phenomena . Step by step our friends will discover something strange is happening and Tim is unknowingly the one behind it all . Agreeable and charming fairy tale starred by Tim , his fellow the Cat Sheperd , Tim's best friend , and a likable cat , all of them race against the clock through the streets and jumping rooftops pursuing the rare phenomena that have made to disappear the star as well as light and to find out why . The movie is a bizarre animation film in which our little hero , an enthusiast , passionate orphan , takes on ominous threats that are putting in danger the night and the inhabitants of Nocturna as well as encounter the vanished star . The film shows a strange and fantastic world called ¨Nocturna¨ , plenty of Gothic and high buildings and where live hundreds of the most diverse creatures and they work to create the night as we all know it . The film is quite amusing with emphasis on cartoon spectacle and influenced by Ghibli Studios and especially ¨Spirited away¨ by Ayao Miyazaki . Animation production by Jose Pozo is nice , Nicolas Errera's musical score is first-rate and very spectacular . This sensitive soundtrack is splendidly composed and performed . Production by Julio Fernandez , ruling of Filmax Productions and Fantastic Factory is fine . He has become one of the most important producers of the country . Actually, the position of his organization responds fully to the opportunities of the European and international markets in the leisure sector, emphasizing on the fantastic genre, through Fantastic Factory and animation with Filmax Animation , to the global market on home video, television and also theatrically . He has produced successful cartoon films as ¨El Raton Perez I and II¨ or "The Hairy Tooth Fairy", ¨Gisaku¨ , ¨El Cid : the legend¨ also directed by Jose Pozo and ¨Goomer¨, among others . The motion picture was well directed by Adrià García and Víctor Maldonado . The film got a great number of prizes and nominations , such as : Barcelona Film Awards 2007 Won Barcelona Film Award Best Animated Feature Adrià García Víctor Maldonado ; Goya Awards 2008 Won Goya Best Animation Film Adrià García ; and nominated Annecy International Animated Cristal Best Feature Adrià García , Víctor Maldonado .

What happens when you expose hundreds of years of fairy tale storytelling to one hundred years of Socialism and 30 years of Euro Bureaucracy? Nocturna happens, that is. This is definitely no Studio Ghimli story, no Neverending Story, no Strings or no City of Lost Children, even if the authors do try to rip off from these movies massively. But the sum of all these parts is way worse than any of these parts.You may also think the movie rips off from Woody Allen or Kafka, but there is great difference: The authors DO LOVE bureaucracy. The whole Nocturna seems to work as European Union bureaucracy machinery, nothing happens by random chance, there is well respected hierarchy and little interest of solving the issues of "other departments". No one seems to give a damn about the problems that have not been entitled to him by order from higher ranks. In contrast to dystopia movies like Brazil this machinery is displayed as positive. It is even more OK to have bossy boss of this machinery, who actually rules it more like a king than the CEO. We are supposed to be happy to be cared for and nurtured by this institution. Everything is planned, even the individual revolt of Down-syndrome ugly boy is according to the plan. (He is particularly ugly, he has not only huge hole between upper front teeth, but his upper jaw seems to be also broken, because left and right part of it seems to be animated independently. Yuck!) There is no "evil" there, no enemy, only misunderstanding of Down-syndrome boy who created mess basically by not believing in the power of Nocturna bureaucratic machinery. He simply has to comply, he has to find his proper place and all then goes well, the ranks of the bureaucrats may go to sleep, because after busy well managed night there must be good rest for the hordes of bureaucrats. The next night might be horrible without their ever loving care! Or there might be revolt of some Nocturna work union that would lead to the chaos. We would be lost forever without The Socialist - Bureaucratic Management.I do not see why someone can see such story as amusing. I do see it really frightening, it creeps me out. What is even more creepy is the fact that this Kafkaresque machinery is presented to the children as something positive, even if it does nothing to the solution of the problem. We should love The System anyways! The message is horrible and the characters are ugly. What a piece of junk! I'm sorry for the children that will be forced to see this grisliness. I would definitely throw it to the garbage bin and give them almost anything from Studio Ghimli instead. These Japanese movies are not only far superior in animation, but they do have really good and powerful stories. Nocturna has no such qualities at all.

It's always nice to accidentally stumble upon a movie that didn't get the praise and recognition it rightly deserved in the first place. It's even nicer when it's animated.The story starts with Tim, a night-time fearing orphan who takes great refuge with mother nature's night-lights, the stars. After a prank by some of his fellow orphan brothers, he scrambles up onto the roof so the dark doesn't envelope him. And this is when he notices that the stars are beginning to disappear. But luckily for him he then meets the Cat Herder, his new found friend and ally to figuring out the mystery of the missing stars.The story itself isn't strong enough to carry you alone, but thanks to a creative world and unique artistic style that reminded me of a Tim Schafer game in ways, the movie combines all aspects of film-making to create something worth-while and memorable.At the movie's core is Nocturna; the name of the magical land that controls the night and sleep for all the little boys and girls of the world. In this land there's a Cat Herder that is in charge of all the cats that purr you to sleep. There's a trio of hair-dressers that give you 'bed head'. There's even a bothersome little man who with a tiny whisper, will have you wetting your bed. And that's just for starters.With a tried and true, but rather simple story about courage, and not being afraid of the dark at it's center, you're not really blown away by any story arc. The delivery of it's message through imagination is the real saving grace. Because of the art style and professional voice work, the movie will eventually rise above it's unfounded place in that big well of under-appreciated films.

This movie is amazing! Animation is perfect! You cant get enough of high quality traditional animation these days (low quality would be like Marvel animations, nick animation, most Disney sequels). The plot is awesome. And the concept is very original! It kind of has that dark and Gothic Burtonesque feel and style to it. The background art is very awesomely surreal in a non to weird of a way. Crooked alleyways, twisted buildings, curling street poles, and a beautifully colorful moonlit sky. Wish is more well know, perhaps Disney could release it in the states. Gah! For such an amazing movie there isn't really much about it on IMDb no pics or posters or anything. I makes me very sad because its just an amazing movie. T