1870. When he tries to use a scientist to create a race of supersoldiers to conquer Prussia, Napoleon III dies, leaving behind an heir who signs a peace treaty. 1941. For 70 years, scholars have been disappearing under mysterious circumstances, stranding mankind in an era of steam engines. April’s parents are among the missing, so she soon finds herself on an adventure involving a revolutionary formula actively sought by some very odd characters…

Picture gallery

The Eiffel tower has flown off twice this year: first in the big budget Tomorrowland with George Clooney, and now in the French animated film April and the Extraordinary World. Co-directed by Franck Ekinci and Christian Desmares (director of animation for Persépolis), this crazy trip to the edge of the imaginary, which takes place in an alternate history, is exceptionally rich: a ship runs along a cable in the air, a house has paws, a rat is dressed like a secret agent and there are robot reptiles. These images enhance this crazy adventure, which is both sensitive and funny. Conceived as an homage to Jacques Tardi, the legendary cartoonist of “Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec”, April and the Extraordinary World is a marvel of animation and imagination, yet another reminder that the Pixar monopoly is a sweet illusion.