Way too Late at the Movies: Little Nicholas, Happy as Can Be

I was introducted to Rene Goscinny and J.J. Sempe's "Le Petit Nicolas" stories as I served a mission for the LDS Church in France. These little stories helped me study the language -- I still learn a few things as I read through them even now -- and gave me a glimpse into French society, albeit a society of the 1950s, nothing later.

I knew in the last decade or so a TV series and a live-action movie had come out, but I wasn't aware of this one until I stumbled across it on YouTube today.

This version shares some of the stories fans of Nicolas know well -- but they're interwoven with the tale of Sempe and Goscinny, how they met, how they collaborated. And it's all done in soft watercolor animation that really captures the feel of the stories and the times they're set in.

This is a version of the story for a very specific audience. Don't go in thinking you'll see nothing but Little Nicolas stories; there's a lot more to this than that.

I enjoyed it. They brought in enough new material that the film kept my attention, and also animated some of my favorite stories so I could sit back and laugh at them.

All in all, worth your time.