Ludovic: The Snow Gift

Oscar-winning filmmaker Co Hoedeman's (The Sand Castle) latest uses stop motion animation to tell the story of a lonely young bear named Ludovic who finds a magical doll lying in the snow in his front yard. When the doll surprisingly comes to life, Ludovic shares his toys, books, and builds a snowman with his new friend, before a disastrous dancing session with Mom's musical (and breakable) bear ballerina causes a rift between the pair (Ludovic takes the blame, but lets the doll--who actually broke the statuette--know he's bitter). All is eventually happily resolved, but I found two details very troubling: 1) just prior to finding the doll, Ludovic sees his new next door neighbor passing his house with a sleigh full of dolls, and 2) Ludovic hides his newfound doll from his parents. If one of the common attributes of a good children's video is that it illustrates basic values (such as fairness, responsibility, and honesty), then Ludovic: The Snow Gift presents a muddled lesson with far more ambiguity than the developing minds of K-2 aged children can (or should) accommodate. A very handsomely produced piece, this is, sadly, not recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)