I named Ernest & Celestine as the Best Animated Film of 2013 in my 2013 RopeofSilicon Awards and yet it hasn’t even hit theaters here in the States yet outside of an Oscar-qualifying run late last year.
Directed by A Town Called Panic helmers Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar along with Benjamin Renner, the film has been granted an English dubbing for its US release as it will open in Los Angeles on February 28 and New York on March 14 followed by national expansion to all major US markets over the subsequent weekends.
The story follows the two title characters, a mouse named Celestine and a bear named Ernest. In this story, based on the book by Gabrielle Vincent, the bears live above ground while the mice live below. Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer – and when she nearly ends up as breakfast for ursine troubadour Ernest, the two form an unlikely bond. But it isn’t long before their friendship is put on trial by their respective bear-fearing and mice-eating communities
For the English language version Celestine will be voiced by Mackenzie Foy (Renesmee from the Twilight movies) while Ernest will be voiced by Forest Whitaker (no introduction necessary). Fellow English-language voice cast members include Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti, William H. Macy, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman and Jeffrey Wright.
Check out the trailer below.
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