Based on the 19th-century comic ballet Coppelia, where a toymaker/inventor tries to infuse life into his full-sized doll, this modern-day version has a plastic surgeon/inventor Dr. Coppelius desiring to bring life to his lovely female robot. In both ballets, the villains use a young man named Franz to obtain the life energy for their inventions and a young woman Swan to rescue Franz.
This Coppelia combines ballet with animation to produce an appealing visual story for young adults and CG (computer graphics) enthusiasts. With orchestral music written by Maurizio Malagnini and performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the ballet movements and facial expressions of the dancers reveal the story in a wonderful way. There is no speaking or singing and it doesn’t’ seem to be needed. Swan has her own musical theme.
The story begins with Swan, a delightful young woman, waking up, greeting her mother, and heading out for a day of work in her little town. She attempts to ride her bicycle, but the chain is broken. As she walks her bike to her juice kiosk in the center of the town plaza, she greets the street sweeper, baker, florist, hairdresser, and ballet teacher—reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. The town background is part real and part animation—making it colorful and unique—with all of the windows, doors, and walls askew. The bicycle shop is directly across the public area from Swan’s café and she spots Franz. It is clear that Swan and Franz are attracted to each other. Young people enter the public space and merrily dance.
All of a sudden, Dr. Coppelius arrives in a dark low-slung car. Dr. C checks out the young people and sharpens his gaze on Franz. With a meter, he checks to see that Franz has a high rating for his heart. Signs appear all over the town advertising Coppelia. Dr. Coppelius, his animated female robots, and his robot lady Coppelia lure some of the older townspeople into a huge domelike structure that Dr. C has quickly constructed. Sitting beneath an overhead contraption, energy pours out, and individuals believe they are given new looks or more appealing body shapes when they look into a mirror. Dr. C appeals to each individual’s vanity.
Coppelia finally lures Franz into the structure and secures him to a chair where a machine will draw love from his heart—via a heart energy transfusion—and give the love to Coppelia. When Swan discovers Franz has been lured into the structure with her beauty, she attempts to apply lipstick, eyelashes, and a pink headband to enhance her image. Shortly, she rejects attempts to change who she is; instead, Swan enlists her friends to rescue Franz. The music in Coppelia is appealing, the dancers from the Dutch National Ballet are first-rate, and the whimsical town is delightful. Recommended. Aud: E, J, H.