Ernest & Celestine 2 has a strong message for book-banning politicians

“A bear and a mouse busk for their supper” reads like a classic bar joke setup, tuned to suit children’s sense of humor and guileless outlook. “A bear and a mouse confront a musically anhedonic kritocracy” is more of a mouthful, and much less kid-friendly. This is why the lesson about rigid government forms nestled into Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, Julien Chheng and Jean-Christophe Roger’s sequel to the 2012 animated feature Ernest & CelestineFeels a little out of character.

But the first film focused on prejudice and ethnocentrism, concepts that seem equally advanced given the film’s intended accessibility for younger viewers. If you’ve ever wondered whether cartoon mice and bears can be friends, Ernest & CelestineThe answer is yes. The film’s timeless themes of inclusion and acceptance answer bigger questions. Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, on the other hand, is timely, and in spite of appearances, it’s one of 2023’s best political movies, centered on two unlikely messengers for commentary about bureaucratic overreach.

Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to GibberitiaErnest (Lambert Wilson) awakens from his three-month-long hibernation, just as in the first movie, with the same grumpy humour. He’s hungry, but the cupboards are bare and his wallet is empty. Celestine (Pauline Brunner) fetches his violin, a rare and precious “Stradibearius,” thinking an impromptu concert might draw a crowd and earn them some coin. But she accidentally breaks the violin, to Ernest’s woe. Only one person can fix it: Octavius, a luthier who lives in Ernest’s homeland, Gibberitia. (The actual French name is “Charabia,” which a PR rep for the film translated as “gibberish,” explaining that the name “Gibberitia” was an attempt to localize the word for an English-speaking audience.)

For reasons Ernest won’t vocalize, he’d rather starve than go home. But Celestine’s guilt over the violin compels her to make the trip herself. Ernest, ever dutiful to his friend, catches up with her, and soon, they’re riding a gondola to his native country.

Gibberitia is in a bad state. Ernest, a talented and enthusiastic performer, touts the city as a music haven. The city is silent apart from bears. He and Celestine quickly find that tunes have been outlawed in Gibberitia, under what’s later revealed as “Ernestov’s Law.” Even songbirds trilling on tree branches are deemed to be violating this dictate; whenever birds start singing, the constabulary bears enforce the law against them. Before long, Ernest and Celestine are entangled in Gibberitia’s cultural turmoil, resisting the musical ban alongside the mysterious sax-swinging vigilante known as EFG.

Gibberitia’s legislators are clever, as authoritarians tend to be for the sake of covering their butts. The Music of the World isn’t outlawed. NotesAs Ernest and Celestine note, all notes are banned, with the exception of C. This was demonstrated by a public one-note performance Ernest gave on a keyboard that had only a single key. The majority of Gibberitians now view music as a blasphemy against propriety. Ernest is obstinate as a ursine, and naturally resists.

Ernest’s back-and-forth with local enforcers captures the way of authoritarian say-so, which is dishearteningly familiar for a contemporary audience. Gibberitia allows you to play music as long as it is the one-note prescribed piece. You can read The following are some of the most effective ways to improve your own language skills.Books, but Not The following are some examples of the use of books, if you live in Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Utah, or Missouri, among other states that have recently banned books ranging from Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer to Mike Curato’s Flamer to Toni Morrison’s Bluest Eye.

Reading isn’t illegal, according to the legislatures and local officials that keep trying to limit reading. It’s just illegal to read (or assign in classrooms, or buy for libraries) any books a few individuals deem indecent or obscene. And cutting off the public (and young people in particular) from easy, free access to books effectively keeps them out of people’s hands, which is the point of the 1,477 bans recorded since the 2022-2023 school year began.

Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to GibberitiaThe practice of banning artwork is not only absurd, but also futile. In one sense, the film is a mockery of authoritarian suppression techniques. However, on another hand it’s optimistic. While Chheng and Roger’s script, written by Guillaume Mautalent and Sébastien Oursel (and based on the beloved picture books by Belgian author and illustrator Gabrielle Vincent), simplifies the details of authoritarianism by cutesifying the violence associated with its doctrines, they keep the most important pieces in place. Even Gibberitia’s visitors are subject to the anti-music ordinance. There’s no warning or leniency in the law, just immediate punishment without legal recourse.

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In a wise move, the filmmakers kept the film’s focus on humour and satire while also making the point against authoritarianism and the idea that personal taste should be allowed to determine public policy. It is a single, angry bear that has too much authority and enacts the anti-music laws. They wisely don’t unpack the possibility that Gibberitia is similarly strict and arbitrary about other things as well, because the crackdown on music best embodies the cruel absurdity of authoritarian governance.

The following are some of the ways to get in touch with us Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, the best response to that governance is spirited contempt and brazen opposition, captured by Chheng and Roger’s animation department through soft visual tones and a watercolor style. The settings and characters seem like they’ve been gently poured onto the frame, where they ripple into shape. Even the architecture has a degree of vibrancy. The film’s vibrance goes hand in hand with pro-music protests that are one part cheeky and two parts resolute. When Ernest provokes Gibberitia’s law enforcement, EFG intervenes, stopping the doofus brigade dead in their tracks by turning her saxophone bell on them like a shotgun. They cower when Ernest starts swinging his bandoneon like nunchaku, prompting one to cry, “Look out! He’s about to solo!”

Comedy is a welcome release for the genuine harms couched in Gibberitia’s philistine precepts. The authoritarians have no sense of humor and are self-important. We must make fun of and mock them. Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia encourages viewers to join in the mockery, but not at the expense of its central motif, because ripping on autocrats alone isn’t enough. A healthy dose of rebellion is necessary, too, whether they’re banning books or silencing music.

Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to GibberitiaOpens in limited release at the cinema on 1 September, and expands over the coming weeks. Check out the list. participating theaters and dates on the movie’s website.