While the market for animation is mostly dominated by American 3D and Japanese anime, once in a while, a film outside the two industries comes up with an entirely new style of its own, with the design inspired by their respective countries. European animation has garnered some interest with Loving Vincent, but Chicken with Linda! takes it further, taking a more vibrant than impressionistic approach to its art. Somewhat like a neon-colored Fauvist Madeline, the film proceeds with a series of hijinks that wouldn’t be out of place in a children’s storybook, but it charmingly captures the mother-daughter relationship healed through the power of homemade food. It’s sweet and chaotic, much like childhood and the art movement that inspired the film, and it’s undeniably human. Chicken with Linda! is an unexpected delight for both kids and adults.
"No disrespect to the similarly Proustian rewards of Ratatouille, but here is a 73-minute movie -- animated by about 10 people -- that manages to deliver twice the flavor with a fraction of the ingredients."
— David Ehrlich
"As a small amusement, “Chicken for Linda!” is an enjoyable enough lark."
— Robert Daniels
Single mother Paulette decides to make up for her mistake by cooking a chicken with peppers for her daughter—only she can't cook and shopkeepers are on strike.
After unjustly punishing her daughter Linda, widowed mother Paulette resolves to make it up to her by cooking chicken with peppers, a dish Linda’s father used to make. However, this innocent request spirals out of control when the neighborhood strike closes the stores all across town.
Have you ever seen a film as colorful as this? I love how each character has their own separate color, sometimes even taking hues outside the foundation shades we’re familiar with. I love how objects in darkness are outlined in color and filled in black. I love how lights in a moving car are depicted through brush strokes and swipes. It just looks so gorgeous.
Let Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach cook!
LAFCA
1 nomination
European Film Awards
1 nomination
César Awards
1 win
