Le Roi et l'Oiseau

Le Roi et l'Oiseau The first animated feature film in the history of French cinema, Le Roi et l'Oiseau is reborn as a cine-concert under the bows and machines of Chapelier Fou.

Melodic, playful and intensely alive, his musical adaptation revives the astonishing modernity of this timeless masterpiece. Begun in 1942 and completed in 1980, Le Roi et l'Oiseau has marked whole generations. The story?

A tyrannical king hunts down two lovers who have escaped from a painting, while their flight reveals a world crushed by propaganda and poverty. Carried by the Bird and the people, their revolt shakes the regime and opens up the horizon of freedom.

Drawing on themes by Wojciech Kilar and Joseph Kosma, Chapelier Fou composes a new score that speaks to the images in the present tense.

Poetry, revolt and wonder — this immersive form gives fresh edge to Jacques Prévert's text, inspired by Andersen's The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep. On stage, the quartet becomes a sonic laboratory where string instruments, objects, machines and samples meet.

This dialogue between "classical" and electronic music breathes fresh, organic pulse into this timeless classic, a summit of poetry. Running time: 1h20