Monica's Gang in an Adventure in Time

A group of children are playing in the neighbourhood. One day they find a time machine and press the button. It takes them into the past. They are scattered across four periods: prehistory, ancient Egypt, the middle ages and another time. In each they look for a piece belonging to one of the four elements; unless the pieces are brought together they cannot return. In each period they meet a different problem and try to find each other. Mauricio de Sousa directs. It is a Brazilian production and animated. The characters come from a comic series very well known in Brazil; it has been published since the sixties and read across generations. The drawing is taken straight from the comic and the character design is unchanged. The structure is episodic; each period works as a separate adventure and the connection is weak. Its audience is young children and the narrative is built for that; the humour is simple and the danger light. The historical periods are shown superficially and there is no aim of giving information. It was shown in cinemas in Brazil and is one of several features drawn from the series. Who it is for: anyone curious about children's animation and Brazilian comics. Who it is not for: there is nothing for an adult viewer, the structure is loose, and the animation simple.