Storm Crashers

Giants of La Mancha is a visually stunning animated film that whisks you away to a fantastical world inspired by the legend of Don Quixote. This Argentinian masterpiece, known as "Les Explorateurs: L'aventure fantastique" in France, boasts animation on par with the best Hollywood studios, while weaving a heartwarming story about friendship, courage, and facing your fears. A Technological and Artistic Feat: The film utilizes the same rendering engine as Pixar, resulting in breathtaking landscapes, detailed characters brimming with life, and action sequences that will leave you on the edge of your seat. However, Giants of La Mancha goes beyond mere imitation. The art design is a unique blend of traditional animation elements and a modern touch, creating a vibrant and captivating aesthetic. A Heartwarming Adventure: The story follows Alfonso, the great-great-great grandson of Don Quixote, who embarks on a quest with his friends Pancho and Victoria to save their village from a monstrous storm. Filled with humor, adventure, and relatable characters, Giants of La Mancha reminds us of the importance of bravery, friendship, and perseverance.

“Alfonso” is a distant relative of the legendary windmill-tilting “Don Quixote” and is an accident-prone young lad who doesn’t always know how to differentiate between the real and imaginary! One thing they all agree on, though, is that the weather is turning increasingly violent and the storms - coupled with some offers for their property from the local nasty “Carrasco”, are driving people out of their La Mancha village. Luckily, he and his three rabbits make friends with “Pancho” and “Victoria” and quickly they determine to find out just what’s the connection between the property developer and these new sudden downpours. No, there’s not much jeopardy here nor is it all very original, but it’s still quite a good fun adventure film with plenty going on, some gadgets and loads of imagination for those of us who have/had friends that only we are clever enough to see. It probably doesn’t need a cinema viewing, but there were young kids in the cinema when I saw it who laughed out loud and that’s got to be a good thing as it focuses more on the characteristics of loyalty and friendship and less on endless whizzy CGI.