Directed by Alê Abreu • 2013 • Brazil
Starring Vinicius Garcia, Lu Horta, Marco Aurélio Campos

Brazilian artist Alê Abreu’s vibrant, Academy Award–nominated animated adventure is a riotous explosion of music and color that depicts the wonders and struggles of the modern world as seen through the eyes of a young boy. Cuca’s cozy rural life is shattered when his father leaves for the city, prompting him to embark on a quest to reunite his family. The young boy’s journey unfolds like a tapestry, the animation taking on greater complexity as his small world expands. Industrial landscapes are inhabited by animal-machines, with barrios of decoupage streets and shop windows and flashing neon advertisements that illuminate the night. The story depicts a clash between village and city, the hand-crafted and the mechanized, rich and poor—and throughout the tumult, the heart and soul of the people beats on as a song.