THE STORY – Wide-eyed Julián is about to spend the summer with a grandmother he barely knows. He is amazed to discover her treasure-trove apartment, his own Caribbean heritage and the lively Brooklyn community he is surrounded by. But most surprising of all, Julián discovers that he is, in fact, a mermaid!
THE CAST – Knyght Darius Jack, Milcania Diaz-Rojas, Lisa-Kaindé Diaz & Naomi Diaz
THE TEAM – Louise Bagnall (Director) & Juliany Taveras (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 85 Minutes
Ever since their first full-length feature, “The Secret of Kells” in 2009, Cartoon Saloon has been on a roll. Their vibrant, brightly colored animated films feel like children’s books come to life, with a simple hand-drawn style and big characters. Their latest, “Julián,” features all those things that we’ve come to associate with the studio, and transplants them to the wilds of Brooklyn, NY, a very different setting from their previous, mostly Ireland-set features. While the film, based on Jessica Love’s children’s book “Julián is a Mermaid”, lacks the grit and sophistication that makes the studio’s previous films so enjoyable for adults, it’s a terrifically transporting time for younger audiences, with a message of inclusion and acceptance that will resonate for audiences of all ages.
Young Julián (Knyght Darius Jack) is both nervous and excited to be spending the summer with his abuela Carmela (Milcania Diaz-Rojas), his first significant amount of time away from home. His father warns Carmela that Julián is different, and the two clash at first, especially when the imaginative, flamboyant, fish-loving boy wants to dress up as a mermaid and participate in the annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island with a trio of local girls he meets. But over time, Julián and Carmela grow to understand each other, learning just how powerful freedom of self-expression can be. Bagnall and screenwriter Juliany Taveras greatly expand the scope of Love’s book to incorporate more of Brooklyn’s Latino culture, as well as some fantasy elements, and trade her expressive but muted watercolor, gouache, and ink art style for a much brighter, bolder look that feels more cartoony but more at home on the big screen.
All of these choices feel designed to make the film appeal more to young children, and opening the film on Julián’s own crayon drawings of ocean life both places the audience in his perspective and offers an instant bolt of recognition; everyone remembers their own childhood drawings. Bagnall taps into universal childhood feelings of wonder at a new place, fear of the unfamiliar, and the joy of unbridled creativity. She also captures the crushing self-hatred of having broken some unspoken societal rule, like how boys can’t be mermaids, with acute accuracy. The storytelling also avoids the hyperactive speed of most children’s entertainment, instead adopting the slower pace of Mr. Rogers-style children’s television. While this pace may try the patience of some adult audience members, those with children will undoubtedly appreciate how the film keeps their little ones engaged without loudly begging for it every few seconds.
There’s something almost serene about the film’s pacing, as if it’s taking just as many cues from Carnela as it does from its title character. The warmth that runs throughout the film brings to mind a big hug from a rarely seen family member, full of joy, love, and just a touch of melancholy. The attention paid to Carmela throughout marks her character arc as just as important as Julián’s, and the moving details that accompany her stories of growing up in and eventually leaving the Dominican Republic exude a generous, deeply felt heart that lets you feel the filmmakers’ personal connection to the material.
That strong connection takes the film a step beyond being a lovely little lark of a children’s film. At its core, “Julián” is a simple, sweet coming-of-age story, but Bagnall and Taveras add so many details to flesh out this little corner of the world that it becomes much more: A celebration of Dominican heritage, a love letter to Brooklyn’s immigrant communities, an ode to freedom of self-expression. While the film’s big, bold, brightly-colored surface is plenty engaging on its own, the story’s surprising depth underneath that gleaming surface elevates this delightful little film to one that will be many children’s favorite, one that adults will be happy to watch together, even if it isn’t quite at their speed.
