A great story for children, though predictable.

The story based on Oui'da's novel is compelling because of the bond it creates between viewer and characters.

What is with those characters? Such a clear distinction between good and evil is never exciting.

The animation is spectacular, especially the landscape shots - picturesque enough to inspire a Flanders vacation.

Nearly all the lines come off corny. It makes little sense that children speak with an adult vocabulary, probably a result of a poor translation. And a single pronunciation of "Patrash" would be nice. Is it "Patrash" that rhymes with "mosh" or the "Patrash" that sounds like those people who live in trailers all their lives.

The best performance comes from Robert Loggia as Grandpa, the only performance that doesn't require get past to enjoy the film.

Ain't that special.

Seems like nature conspired to make sure that the boy Nello wouldn't reach breeding age. True, Nello wanted to earn his living fairly, but would it have really hurt his sensibilities to scarf down a few bits of food before running off into the snow?

Why the heck didn't Patrash cry on the deceased Nello and bring him back to life? Selfish mutt!

Yes, Alois grows up to be a nun, probably because her father is so greedy and short-sighted that she has to make up for his shortcomings. And once she is in the habit, it would be nice if she could be as dynamic as another famous encloistered individual - Warrior-Nun Areala!