Nocturna

A lot of kids movies suffer from "American child" syndrome. That is, people are so hesitant about scaring kids that everything gets reduced to the safest, blandest, most cliched form. And of course that's boring, because you can only watch the movie about the "scary"-looking-but-actually-soft-and-cuddly-monster-with-a-heart-of-gold so many times before you want to go punch Mr. Snuffleupagus in the face. And I maintain that kids can take a lot more than you think, and probably end up as more interesting adults for it.

That's why I like things like Miyazake's Spirited Away, or The Rats of NIHM. They don't pull their punches. Scary things really look scary, and people (or rats, or whatever) can actually die. They have dramatic camera work, and new and interesting ideas that actually stick with you instead of blending into the standard "cute and furry" section of the cultural subconscious.

Enough rambling -- Nocturna is definitely one of those rare kids movies that comes up with something really special. Our hero is an awkward looking kid in an orphanage, who's terrified of the dark, and sneaks his bed over to the window every night to sleep in the light of his own star, Adhara. When a series of accidents leaves him unable to open the window one night, he makes his way up to the roof, and stumbles upon the Cat Shepherd, a huge, ungainly creature whose job it is to herd cats and get them to put children to sleep each night. And then the stars begin to disappear.

I don't know how to describe much more without giving away the plot, but I hope the character of the Shepherd is enough to pique your interest. I can't think of anything quite so creative, even in wildly creative works like Spirited Away. The animation is very good, combining exaggerated children with creatures that have no identifiable origin in any cultural tradition. No walking stuffed animals here, nor Japanese folk legends come to life, but interesting and approachable in their own twisted way.

The plot may be a bit simplistic for some, as this movie seems to be intended for quite young children. There's the requisite, "we're a team now," speech from the Cat Shepherd, and the ending is no surprise (not that it needs to be in a children's story). But if you can overlook a few minutes of stock emotion, the concept and visuals make this well worth seeing.