The Stranger

Remember back when computer animation always offended the eye? Azur & Asmar seems to come from a universe where Pixar never existed, and it looks as though it evolved from those hideous, nascent years of early CGI. Turns out, though, it’s an ugly duckling story; the weird, alien angles and textures of this movie are beautiful in a way I’ve never quite seen before on a screen. The story, though, is very familiar: Azur is a fairy tale about two brothers (one black, one white) who quest for a genie. Along the way, they learn about racism, class disparity, and interracial romance. The story is way too slow for young children, and the third act is too slow for everyone; it stops with a thud and just sits there for fifteen minutes before the credits. Still, for bored parents of teenagers, fans of multi-culti foreign films, and patient stoners, Azur is a rare beauty, and well worth the dragging preachiness. By Paul Constant