Davie & Golimyr

As always in the Bible, when we return to the story of David and Goliath we are struck not just by its power but by its brevity and concision. This is a combination of factors that makes it an ideal teaching tool and well-suited to being a short film for kids. Moreover, Veggie Tales has prepared the way for somewhat cock-eyed religious lessons, Davey and Goliath has us psyched for some stop-action nostalgia, and Wallace & Gromit has demonstrated the potential of Claymation. So I was ready to love this disc. Instead, I only ended up liking it.

If you are going to gussie up the core story you really need to adding value, as Bob and Larry and the gang do. The additions here didn't do much for me. However, there is one thing that's very impressive about the film and easily redeems any shortcomings. The art design is based on the href="http://www.jameschristensen.com/">work of illustrator of James C. Christensen and it's fanciful and beautiful.

Davie and Golimyr is loosely based on the biblical story of David and Goliath. Faith is a major theme for this story/movie. In this case Davie has the faith that he will one day have his picture on the Hall of Faith wall. He also has faith that God will allow for him to conquer the great giant, Golimyr.

The producer of this movie took great creative liberties in so much that those who know the story of David and Goliath may have a hard time following the story and may not appreicate the changes.

I also found the characters to be very distracting. They were must to busy, like the king with his castle on his head and his wife living in the castle. Even Davie had too many ornaments on his person that created for me a distraction, I can only imagine how a 6-8 year old would react.

I also found the movie to be much to violent for it's intended age group.

If I were to recommend it, I would perhaps recommend it to those over age ten.

It took us months to finally sit down and watch "Davie and Golimyr" on DVD. My kids are 9 & 11 and just didn't seem too interested in it based on the cover and description, with all of the Disney and Pixar options out there.

When we finally did watch it, they were interested and watched it all the way through, but were also not interested in seeing it again. While it was cute and different from what they are used to, it just can't hold a candle to the animation and computer effects of today's movies.

The story is a good, wholesome one. I definitely recommend it for families with younger children - a wonderful opportunity for dialogue between parents and kids!

- 1smileycat :-)

DAVIE & GOLIMYR is a re-telling of the story of David and Goliath from the Bible. The story told using stop-motion animation and is set within the fantasy world of James Christensen. The tale begins with a storyteller telling the story to one of his helpers. The island kingdom of the Zites is preparing for an attack by a terrible giant named Golimyr. Golimyr has already destroyed several other kingdoms and King Sullic knows the Golimyr will soon come to Zite. A proclamation is sent throughout the land seeking a champion to fight the giant, but the only person to answer the challenge is the boy pear grower Davie and his sidekick flying sheep, Chops. Davie is sent home several times, but when Golimyr finally arrives, there is no one to meet his challenge. Then Davie appears and on faith answers the call.

The tale of David and Goliath has been retold in countless ways and the filmmakers take certain liberties with the story, e.g. Davie doesn't kill Golimyr at the end. Therefore, those who are stickler's for Biblical-inspired or based stories will be disappointed by certain elements of DAVIE & GOLIMYR.

The animation isn't the quality of a WALLACE AND GROMIT short, but isn't all that bad and is reminiscent of the stuff done for the Rudolph television Christmas specials. I was really impressed with the visual images of the story. The characters, landscapes, and even props are all imaginatively stunning. I was reminded of the worlds in Jim Henson's LABYRINTH and THE DARK CRYSTAL.

The one problem I did have with the story is that everyone speaks in rhyming couplets. The narrator does, his helper does, and the characters in the story do. I love Dr. Suess and I actually enjoy reading poetry, but listening to the characters in the story speak in rhyme for forty-five minutes was quite irritating.

Overall, DAVIE & GOLIMYR may not be great short film, but with it's imaginative characters its not too bad. With all the bright colors and rhymed speech, it's a great DVD for kids six and under.

I certainly can't fault the reach of the makers of Davie and Golimyr. The fun tongue in cheek jokes abound and are good fun for the kids and a quick laugh for the adults. Sneeze powered windmills, pear growing hero, a sheep as a companion, the list goes on.

Overall the animation was good. The plot ok and the production pretty good again. The plot should not come as a surprise as it is based on the Biblical David and Goliath story. The only problem is by adding all the silly name changes and distractions I thought it was less interesting and impactful then just doing an animated light version of the original tale. Again I could be a bit different then most.

Pros:
1. Nice animation.
2. Very light hearted. Nothing to be scared of here.
3. Manages to keep the Biblical lesson in the story.
4. Good production values.
5. Calling a sheep "Chops" is really funny.

Cons:
1. Humor sometimes overpowers the story.
2. Changes to the original story and twists make the tale a bit confusing and distracting.
3. 45 minutes seems a bit short for a full DVD.

Overall not a bad little video. I would give it three stars except my 3 children (ages 2, 5 and 6) seem to like it better then that. So take my opinion with a grain of salt as my kids are closer to the target audience. 4 stars.