HELP! I AM A FISH

The film is an animation from Denmark, the home of fairy-tail writer Hans C. Andersen.

This film is an adventure movie of three friends, and describes their growing through hardship. Most amazing feature of this film is the beautiful screen work depicting the unique imagination and the underwater background.

When parents are out, three boisterous kids, Ply, Chuck and Stella go to the beach. To avoid the rough waves, they get into a strange cave. In this cave is a lab, where a weird doctor McGrill has invented a medicine changing living creatures into fish.

Stella mistakenly drinks the medicine and turns into a small sea star. Then, he is wiped away in the wave. Ply and Chuck go to the beach with the antidote only to lose it in the heavy rain. And they turn themselves into flying fish and a fat jellyfish. Then they venture into the sea to save Stella.

Please don’t say, “It’s all of exaggeration. Who can make that kind of medicine!” You are in the middle of the animation world full of imagination.

In this motion picture, like other fairy tails, several devices are added to make the story interesting. For example, dying unless taking the antidote within 48 hours. Also there are bullies making the boys’ adventure more exciting. The couple of a shark and Joe, cleaning its teeth. This couple drinks the antidote and can talk and think. Especially, Joe takes more and gets smarter. Due to the medicine, he dominates the underwater creatures.

The struggle and greed caused by the antidote is not different from those in human society. Entertainer Jang Na-ra and her father Joo Ho-sung (a voice-actor) dubbed for Stella and McGrill, respectively. This film received the Best Picture Award in the 2000 Chicago Children’s Film Festival. Opens on 26th. Viewable by all ages.

Gab-Sik Kim gskim@donga.com