Mid-20th-century Paris doesn’t look exactly as you’ve seen it in the imaginative, animated “April and the Extraordinary World.” People travel by bicycle-propelled dirigibles, and the city boasts two Eiffel Towers.
How did this happen? For decades, scientists have been disappearing. The best of the best — Einstein, Pasteur, Edison — have all been abducted, which means that most innovation stalled somewhere around steam engines.
One scientist has managed to evade capture. April (voiced by Marion Cotillard) is a third-generation potionmaker who hasn’t seen her parents since they vanished during a peculiar electrical storm a decade ago. Since then, she’s been hiding out, conducting experiments inside the head of a public statue with her only friend, Darwin the talking cat (Philippe Katerine). He is, at least, an entertaining conversationalist.
The adventure begins when April gets word from a cyborg rat that her parents are still alive. The movie was directed by Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci, who also co-wrote, with Benjamin Legrand, the adaptation of Jacques Tardi’s graphic novel. In truth, the story is practically beside the point with all the spectacular visuals. The steampunk aesthetic might be overdone, but there’s still a lot here worth marveling at.
The animation is hand-drawn, which gives “April and the Extraordinary World” a retro feel after so many computer-generated Pixar creations. But the style fits the subject. Innovation has its place, but imagination is just as important.
