Watches
February 17, 2022
A classic, somewhat charming puppet animation. The animation quality isn't too great and the story of the Emperor's Nightingale was familiar territory for me, but the puppets are charming, and I do have a soft spot for stop-motion, so I still managed to enjoy it (apart from the live action sequences).
A Chinese emperor is infatuated with a mechanical nightingale hat's given to him. He prefers the fake bird and its song to the real thing, which leads him to neglect his pet bird. Years later the emperor falls ill and finally learns the value of real friendship over that of a mechanical trinket.
The live action sequences are somewhat of an eyesore, luckily, most of the film is done in stop-motion. The animation is really rather basic, but the puppets are cute, and the short runtime make sure the film doesn't outstay its welcome. Not great, but fans of stop-motion cinema should get something out of it.