Flora & Ulysse

Flora & Ulysses is the adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's novel known in France as Flora & Ulysses: The Luminous Adventures. Aimed at a very young audience, this family film is a pleasure to watch, especially thanks to the excellent special effects giving life to a very smart squirrel able to write, fly and also very strong. This Disney+ Original adventure comedy directed by Lena Khan (The Tiger Hunter) based on a script by Brad Copeland (the Arrested Development series) also allows us to find an actress who marked our entire adolescence Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg in Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Brad Copeland's rather ingenious screenplay puts the action at the level of the young flower (10 years old) and passionate about Marvel comics which are her main source of inspiration in everyday life. The beginning of the film pays tribute to several cult comics from the House of Ideas and to all its superheroes that we all love so much. The first meeting between Ulysses and Flora will seal their friendship forever and will be worthy of a great adventure made of challenges, surprises and a strong bond giving this film all its freshness.

The great strength of the book Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures came from the quality of the texts by Kate DiCamillo and the numerous illustrations by K.G. Campbell. This film succeeds in capturing the essence of the book and especially adapting it in a Marvel Comics context while keeping strong ideas that will allow those who have read this book to have a good time with their families and especially to introduce a new generation of young readers to this illustrated novel published in 2013 and which won the Newbery Medal in 2014.

After directing a few short films and a first film The Tiger Hunter (2016), Lena Khan delivers a commissioned film for Disney Studios, but fully fulfills her mission to offer a good family comedy. It benefits from the presence of the young actress Matilda Lawler, perfect in her role of Flora. We had previously discovered her in the series Evil but also in the film The block Island Sound discovered as part of our coverage of the Fantasia festival.

Flora & Ulysses shows once again the plurality of programs offered exclusively on Disney+, which has become an indispensable streaming platform just like Netflix and Prime Vidéo. While most cinemas remain closed in the United States as well as in France, we can only encourage you to discover this film which will also be an introduction to reading Marvel comics for some of us who only grew up discovering these perfectly calibrated blockbusters but not having the strength of certain stories read during our childhood ...

Flora & Ulysses
Directed by Lena Khan
Produced by Gil Netter
Screenplay by Brad Copeland
Based on Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
Starring Matilda Lawler, Alyson Hannigan, Ben Schwartz, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Danny Pudi
Music by Jake Monaco[
Cinematography: Andrew Dunn
Edited by Jamie Gross
Production company : Walt Disney Pictures, Netter Productions
Distributed by Disney+
Release date: February 19, 2021
Running time : 95 minutes

Viewed on February 14, 2021 (Disney + press screener)

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