★★☆☆☆
Louise Bagnall, Guillaume Lorin and Mark Mullery come together to co-direct Julián, a hand-drawn animated film that sets out to tell a heartwarming story of self-expression, family and the power of imagination.
While the film’s hand-drawn animation offers a unique visual style that has become something of a rarity in modern animation, the story itself falls short, becoming both problematic and surprisingly two-dimensional.
The film opens with Julián’s father dropping him off to stay with his grandmother while he leaves on a work trip, immediately telling her—despite the fact that she has apparently never met him—that he is different.
From the very beginning, the audience is told that Julián isn’t like everyone else, rather than being allowed to discover that through his actions and personality.
“By choosing to tell rather than show, the film undermines both its script and its protagonist, establishing Julián’s identity through exposition instead of allowing its central character to develop naturally.”
By choosing to tell rather than show, the film undermines both its script and its protagonist. Instead of allowing Julián to develop naturally into his own person, the screenplay establishes his identity through exposition, doubling down on the lack of meaningful character development. This ultimately becomes the film’s central flaw.
Juliany Tavares’s script remains consistently flat throughout, occasionally attempting moments that are meant to feel warm, bubbly and accepting. Instead of feeling earned, however, those moments come across as forced.
Several key scenes highlight this problem, particularly after Julián’s haircut and during his desire to create his own mermaid outfit. Rather than allowing meaningful conversations to unfold between Julián and his grandmother, the film relies on emotional outbursts and tantrums that feel manufactured rather than authentic.
Even—and especially—in a children’s film, character development and interpersonal relationships are essential. Actions should have consequences, emotional growth should feel earned, and the audience should be allowed to watch characters evolve.
Films like Howl’s Moving Castle, Toy Story and Shrek demonstrate how children’s films can balance imagination with genuinely well-rounded characters and meaningful development.
At its core, Julián attempts to explore the familiar theme of generational differences, examining how grandparents who believe they know best often struggle to adapt to changing social norms and new forms of self-expression.
While there are brief moments where this conflict feels believable, the majority of the film lacks conviction. The direction often feels misguided, resulting in a story that never fully establishes a clear creative vision.
“The music itself is beautifully composed, but its precision ultimately exposes the film’s uneven pacing and inconsistent direction rather than masking it.”
Ironically, La-Nai Gabriel’s score becomes one of the clearest examples of this inconsistency. The music itself is beautifully composed, with excellent tonal awareness and emotional precision.
Ordinarily, that would be one of the film’s greatest strengths. Here, however, the score unintentionally exposes the uneven pacing and inconsistent direction. Because the music so faithfully mirrors each emotional shift, the film’s abrupt tonal changes become even more noticeable rather than blending naturally into the background.
Emilie Bach’s art direction is among the film’s strongest qualities, with the hand-drawn animation serving as its visual centerpiece. However, the color saturation during several sequences feels inconsistent and never quite achieves the impact it appears to be aiming for.
Much of the palette remains muted, while isolated bursts of vibrant color initially suggest symbolic importance. Yet those visual choices are never meaningfully explored, making them feel less intentional and more like missed opportunities.
“Ultimately, Julián mistakes good intentions for strong storytelling.”
Ultimately, Julián mistakes good intentions for strong storytelling. While its hand-drawn animation and score provide moments of genuine beauty, they are unable to overcome a weak script, underdeveloped characters and direction that never fully commits to the emotional weight of its own story.
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