Raining Cats and Frogs

A flood covers the whole world. The water rises and a single farmhouse is left. The old man Ferdinand, two children and a group of animals are in it together. Food is limited and some of the animals eat meat. Ferdinand sets a rule: nobody eats anybody. The rule holds with difficulty. Outside there are the frogs; they know the cause of the flood and have plans of their own. The water does not go down and those in the house have to decide. Jacques-Rémy Girerd directs. It is a French production and the animation is hand drawn. The studio behind it is known in France for independent animation and the film took a long time to complete. The manner of the animation is watercolour and pastel; the backgrounds are worked like paintings. The matter it works at is the necessity of living together; the film says this directly to a young audience without simplifying it. The reference to the flood narrative of religion is open and the film treats it with humour. Some sections are darker than expected; hunger and death are shown directly. Michel Piccoli is among the voices. Who it is for: viewers who like hand drawn European animation and family films. Who it is not for: the pace is slow, some sections are heavy for small children, and the narrative is loose.