Our take
Contrary to other sci-fi films, this oddball animated feature reimagines a different history. Rather than envisioning where tech can take us, it imagines a world still held back by the limits of steam. That’s because scientists like Tesla, Edison, and Einstein are forced underground. Because of it, April and the Extraordinary World feels quite unique. It doesn’t slap on the aesthetic of steampunk for the heck of it, it just naturally allows steampunk to inform the story, adopting a makeshift, rebellious attitude that embodies the best of science. Like its title character, April bucks against expectations to create something distinctly original.
Streaming arrival
The story
It's 1941, but France is trapped in the 19th Century, governed by steam and Napoleon V. Avril, a teenage girl, goes in search of her missing scientist parents.
Elsewhere
"A joyful, accomplished movie that echoes "The City of Lost Children," "The Adventures of Tintin," "Metropolis," "Howl's Moving Castle" and something unique into a, well, delightful piece of work."
— Brian Tallerico
"Within a thrilling tale that respects the intelligence of its audience, attentive parents will find the antidote to their fear that watching cartoons might rot your brain."
— Peter Debruge
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
