Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest

This computer-animated fable revolves around two medieval men who are raised like brothers, endure a separation, and learn to live in harmony again. North African nanny Jénane (Hiam Abbass in the French version; Suzanna Nour in the English dub here) raises her brown-eyed son, Asmar, and his blue-eyed friend, Azur, together—although the latter hails from a line of noblemen. Jénane teaches the toddlers a favorite song about a prince who rescues the Djinn Fairy from captivity. By the time they reach boyhood, Azur lives in the castle, but he continues to play with Asmar, until his father sends him away to study and dismisses Jénane. As adults, Azur and Asmar's fortunes are reversed: Azur experiences prejudice when he ends up in a North Africa village where the inhabitants view blue eyes as bad luck, while Asmar becomes wealthy. Eventually, the two cross paths again to compete in the titular quest to rescue a beautiful fairy princess. French animator Michel Ocelot's follow-up to the hand-drawn Kirikou and the Wild Beasts moves rather slow by American standards, but the vibrant animation and welcome absence of pop-culture wisecracks offer ample compensation. Boasting an enchanting score by Gabriel Yared, Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest is recommended. (K. Fennessy)