ANI-MOVIES, *Leap!

Originally titled Ballerina, Leap! was joint production between Canadian and French animators. This somewhat historically inaccurate children's tale had first a French language release, and then with some of the cast being recase for the American dub with some of the original voice actors.

Set in France during the mid-1880s, Felicie and Victor are orphans who escape their orphanage in the countryside to live in Paris. Felicie is a spunky girl wanting to join the ballet company of the Paris Opera and manages to get a spot after pretending to be the daughter of a snooty debutante. Felicie is taken in by the kindly Oddette, a cleaning woman who was a former ballerina after crippling her leg and teaches her everything she knows in a series of Karate Kid-inspired montages as her student tries to get a part in the upcoming performance of The Nutcracker. There is a some standard cliches like a liar-reveal, a love triangle, a bitter rivalry, but all this gets pulled to the side as Felicie's biggest challenge is escaping the snooty debutante who chases her up the Statue of Liberty still under construction.

Leap! is a fun diversion on a lazy afternoon with your children, although your mileage may vary depending on which dub of it you hear, as there are at least two English dubs circulating on streaming, one of which has different dialogue in various scenes. The modern music used for the 19th Century backdrop also has trouble fitting in despite its classy dance numbers. The animation quality is also in flux between uncanny valley realism and cartoonish mannerisms, even though the backgrounds are stunning.