This knockabout French cartoon for kids is set roughly a million years ago and revolves around a species of proto-homonids – basically our ape ancestors – learning to walk upright, use tools and make fart jokes to survive, but viewers with a strong interest in paleozoology are advised to stay well clear.
Also, be aware that this has nothing to do with the excellent, ultra-violent, but decidedly not child-friendly Australian drama of the same name from 2010, although just imagine the hilarity that will ensue in the user review pages of online retailers when these titles get mixed up by accident.
Anyway, although Edouard, the lead simian here, has been dubbed to sound like a cockney street kid, originally he was voiced by and physically modelled on the film’s writer-director Jamel Debbouze, a massively popular performer in France. Unfortunately, too much has been lost in translation leaving a weird story, some horrifically ungainly character design, and jokes that never land right. At least the pleasant soundtrack includes Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and a few other classic funk tracks.
