Looking for something to keep the kids entertained? Like the sound of a “believe in yourself” moral seasoned liberally with Greek mythology? Mildly disappointed with the recent slew of Pixar releases (it’s okay to admit it)? Then point yourself at the new French CGI family flick Argonuts, which is in cinemas now.
We set our scene in the ancient Greek city of Yolcos, where adventurous young mouse Pattie and her cat BFF Chickos are living a quiet, happy life – although Pattie yearns for adventure just like the heroes of old.
She gets her chance soon enough—not only are talking anthropomorphic animals a thing in this version of the ancient world, so too are the gods. When Poseidon, god of the sea, gets jealous of the magnificent statue the citizens of Yolcos have built to honour Zeus, king of the gods, he gives them an impossible deadline to build one even greater for himself—or else he’ll rain destruction upon the poor polis.
What’s a heroic cat and mouse team to do but team up with the legendary Jason of “and the Argonauts” fame to save the day? The main problem is that the quest for the Golden Fleece was a long time ago, and Jason is now an old man…
We’re so used to our animated family fare drawing on pseudo-medieval fairy tales that it’s genuinely refreshing to see Argonuts mine a different vein in the form of classical mythology. When was the last time? Disney’s Hercules? Of course, the more, uh, salubrious elements are shaved off for the younger set (and rightly so), but it makes a welcome change from princesses and castles. Add in a voice cast that includes Kaycie Chase (Pil’s Adventures) as Pattie and a full complement of gods and monsters to harry our heroes, and you’ve got a recipe for adventure.
