Echoing classics such as 'Spirited Away' and 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Sirocco' is a fantastical voyage into a realm that feels like the director's creative whirlwind.

"Love between sisters is a precious thing."

Feel that breeze? The wind ... It's whisking you away on a marvelous voyage beyond our dimension. Welcome to the Kingdom of the Winds, where Sirocco, a solitary sorcerer, frequently unleashes his wrath, releasing mighty storms upon the world. And guess what? You can find this realm by jumping in the final square of a mystical hopscoth grid. Benoît Chieux's soulful solo-feature debut lovingly pays homage to Miyazaki and his Ghibli legacy, while also blazing its own original trail.

Written by veteran screenwriter Alain Gagnol (A Cat in Paris, Phantom Boy), Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds follows Juliette (4) and Carmen (8), two intrepid sisters, who are left at their neighbour Agnès for the day. Agnès is a melancholic writer of a series of fantasy novels about the master of winds and storms: Sirocco. When the sisters are magically transported to his kingdom in the form of cats, they must find a way back to their own world. Luckily, Selma, a gifted and friendly chanteuse, takes the duo under her wings.

Echoing classics such as Spirited Away and Alice in Wonderland, Chieux's creative whirlwind falls back on traditional 2D-animation, favouring clear lines, flat areas of colour, eccentric characters, and epic world-building. The film premiered at Annecy, where it won the Audience Award. And it's clear to see and hear why. This eye-catching, psychedelic, introspective chronicle is a blend of Ghibli-esque universal philosophy, classic storytelling, and powerful music, composed by Pablo Pico, who extends the evocation of wind as the breath of life beyond the visual dimension.

This program screened as part of Kaboom Animation Festival 2024