Ernest & Celestine: Spring Tales at Children’s International Film Fest – review
The Children’s International Film Festival 2025 is currently taking place in Australia. Addy Fong checked out Ernest & Celestine: Spring Tales for us:
A charming child animation about the friendship between a grizzly bear and a mouse, Ernest & Celestine: Spring Tales is a delightful series of five 13 minute easily digestible episodes based on children’s books created by Belgian author and illustrator Gabrielle Vincent. The film’s visual style echoes that of Vincent’s illustrations, her delicate use of watercolours and restrained linework, animated to evoke a heart-warming feeling in viewers young and old. Spring Tales is a collection of stories that present moral lessons that parents can discuss with their children surrounding themes such as family, friendship, misunderstanding, and diversity.
Directed by Aurélie Raphaël, the stories in this series are as follows: Ernest and Celestine enter each other into talent contests without letting the other know; Celestine attempts to recreate scent from Ernest’s childhood; the mystery of who is doing spring-themed drawing all over town; and Ernest’s disappointment of not being invited to a mouse-only flower festival, and mouse Celestine convincing a reluctant Ernest to go to the beach.
Ernest & Celestine: Spring Tales is part of a French television series, well loved by many. The illustrations showcase creator Gabrielle Vincent’s beautiful city of Belgium and France, the town square, the cobbled stone paths and buildings seeped in history that is an inviting and an easy watch for many. There is an ease and familiarity felt whilst watching the episodes, this provides a sense of comfort to audiences. Something perhaps fueled by childhood nostalgia or one’s desire to seek simplicity in the uncertain times.
Empathy through diversity and difference is a key takeaway in this friendship between a bear and mouse, the animation of a bear and mouse conversing, dancing, and playing instruments perhaps creates this anthropomorphic quality viewers not only forgive while watching animation; the suspension of disbelief of talking animals, it also provides an easy way of teaching audiences empathy as the story unfolds. Ernest & Celestine: Spring Tales is a wonderful family friendly resource that can be used to facilitate discussion between children and their parents, teachers, and educators, creating space to encourage lessons on shaping healthy social development in children (and adults).
Many social misunderstandings and conflicts are caused by an inability to listen or understand the other, and Ernest & Celestine: Spring Tales is a film that does this through the beauty of animation.
For tickets to Ernest & Celestine: Spring Tales and for more info about the Children’s International Film Festival, go here.
