‘Birdboy: The Forgotten Children’ Trailer: GKIDS’ Post-Apocalyptic Goya Winner Is a Dark Animated Fairy Tale
It takes less than a minute into the newest trailer for the Goya Award-winning “Birdboy: The Forgotten Children” to set itself far apart from its more kid-leaning brethren. You’ll know the moment when you see it — hint: it involves at least one child being asked if they’re on drugs — and it’s one that sets the tone for a lush, terrifying, and wholly original take on the coming-of-age story so often aimed at the younger set.
Alberto Vázquez’s debut feature, which he co-wrote and directed alongside Pedro Rivera, is billed as “a darkly comic, mind-bending fantasy” that is based on their award-winning short film. It recently picked up the Goya for Best Animated Feature earlier this year (Vázquez, no slouch, also won Best Animated Short Film for his similarly dark “Decorado” at that same ceremony). A deeper and darker exploration of their 2011 short film “Birdboy,” the animated offering unspools a post-apocalyptic world rendered in rich detail.
Per the film’s official synopsis, “Striking graphic imagery brings to life a discordant world populated by adorable (and adorably disturbed) animated critters, searching for hope and love amid the ruin. Stranded on an island in a post-apocalyptic world, teenager Dinky and her friends hatch a dangerous plan to escape in the hope of finding a better life. Meanwhile, her old friend Birdboy has shut himself off from the world, pursued by the police and haunted by demon tormentors. But unbeknownst to anyone, he contains a secret inside him that could change the world forever.”
That secret? It may literally be a demon. Again, not necessarily for the kiddos, but a satisfying and unique new animated offering, nonetheless.
The film will hit limited release in Los Angeles and New York City on Friday, December 15. Check out our exclusive final poster and trailer for “Birdboy: The Forgotten Children” below:
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