Ki­rik­ou and the witch

The film, based on an African fairy tale, tells the story of a little boy. Kiriku is a tiny savior. Immediately after his birth, which he decides just as much as all his actions, he accepts his task: he must free his small African home village from Karaba, the evil sorceress who steals the village's men and has dried up the important water source. Kiriku gets the water flowing again, and his grandfather, the wise man from the forbidden mountain, helps him solve the mystery of Karaba's evil.
Animated film? That's Disney. Animation comes from the USA. That's what people generally think. And that's how it was for years. Until 'Kiriku' came along. Because: With 'Kiriku', European animation is back. That's called a Renaissance. Rebirth.
When director Michel Ocelot and producer Didier Brunner started working on 'Kiriku', the actual realization of the film was up in the air. It took five years before 'Kiriku' was actually in French cinemas, and the production would have bankrupted Didier Brunner's Parisian company Les Armateurs, 'if Canal Plus hadn't stepped in at the last minute,' says Brunner. The pay-TV broadcaster granted an advance of three million francs, which corresponded to around 14 percent of the total production costs. The 'Kiriku' project became possible. Against all the odds in the animation film business.
On December 9, 1998, little Kiriku was shown on the big screen for the first time. 'We were mainly focusing on the provincial towns,' says Didier Brunner. 'Kiriku's' quality needed to be spread.
The regional press helped, schools recommended the film. And what no industry expert would have bet on, and that's exactly what happened. 'Kiriku' was able to hold its own against the overwhelming competition. Although 'Asterix and Obelix' and 'A Bug's Life' were shown at the same time in France, the number of visitors to 'Kiriku' remained stable at a high level.
Director: Michel Ocelot
Film genre: Animation family film
Admission age / Recommended age:
Country of production: France / Belgium / Luxembourg (1998)
Duration: 70'