IN THE ATTIC (NA PUDE ANEB KDO MÁ DNESKA NAROZENINY?) .World Cinema

Marking his return to animation after 20 long years, director Jiri Barta’s latest wicked brew is a welcome reminder of why stop-motion fans consider him one of the few true masters. Barta’s previous works, including THE PIED PIPER ( 1985), have been notable for their distinctive aesthetics and a knack for exploring deep, daring themes. These qualities energize IN THE ATTIC, a grand, ingenious fairy tale about friendship and standing up to tyranny. When Buttercup, the fairest doll in the land, is kidnapped, it falls to her best friends – Teddy, Sir Handsome and the spastic ball of clay Schubert-to undertake an epic quest to the darkest reaches of the attic to save her. Barta’s inventive and original world of misfit toys is a fully realized fantasy realm that will delight the young and the not-so-young alike.