Aya of Yop City Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Aya of Yop City Blu-ray Movie Review

A fantastic animated gem which is well worth discovery

An ambitious and creative animated showcase, Aya of Yop City is both an enormously entertaining ode to dreamers and a nostalgic trip back to the 1970's. The film was produced by the comic book creators Clément Oubrerie with Antoine Delesvaux and Joann Sfar (both of whom served as producers on the critically acclaimed animated film entitled The Rabbi's Cat). With enormous pathos and spirited humor, the film blends remarkable animation with intelligent storytelling at each turn of the page as the French graphic-novel is adapted for the screen.

The story takes place within the bustling neighborhood of Yopougon (or “Yop” for short) and is set against the backdrop of energetic parties blasting non-stop music while dreamers bask in the glow of the serene moonlight. Aya (Aïssa Maïga) wishes nothing more than to be able to become a world-class doctor in medicine (and she studies hard at school in order to earn a degree). She parties it up with her best friends Bintou (Tella Kpomahou) and Adjoua (Tatiana Rojo) each night (even though they don't share similar ambitions and only want excitement, glamour, and men).

The story twists and turns in unexpected directions as Aya becomes pregnant by accident. Torn between the idea of having an abortion or giving birth to her child, Aya ultimately decides to save her struggling family from a life of poverty by pretending that she was impregnated by the son of a wealthy business owner. Moussa (Jacky Ido) is that carefree lovebird whom Aya tells is the father of her child and the storyline delves into absurdity and chaos as Moussa's father Bonaventure Sissoko (Pascal N'Zonzi) welcomes everyone from Aya's family with open arms - including Aya's mother, Fanta (Marguerite Abouet).

"When did the party start? Have I missed anything?"

One of the things that was most beautiful about Aya of Yop City is how the film explores the lives and dreams of its characters in a realistic way. As an example, the young man entwined in the chaos with Aya is perceived as nothing more than a lazy, spoiled man-child being pampered by his wealthy dad when in reality he is someone who enjoys doing car repairs as a hobby and he soon takes it upon himself to make it his actual job. Aya is also on a fantastic journey full of surprises. As her character careens through a world that is constantly evolving around her, Aya dreams of her future success while trying to not disappoint her family's wishes (which was for her to start a family of her own).

Aya of Yop City is a beautifully animated production which has remarkable artistry in every crevice of the production. The background art is enormously detailed and showcases the landscapes of the city with such precision that many single frames of the film feel like singular works of art. With the fine artistry of the animation directed by David Garcia (Amok), Aya of Yop City proves itself to be one of the most unique animated efforts to arrive from France.

The film even creatively blends together its unique animated world with some rather interesting live-action excerpts from newsreel footage and clips. These scenes are vibrant and unique and help this production stand out from the crowd. The spirit of the film is consistently impressive and with the artistry on display at every angle of the film's spectrum, the end result is something that is a joy to experience as it unfolds.

Featuring a top-notch screenplay by the writer-director team of Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie (who also directed the film as their debut in the director's chair), Aya of Yop City certainly understands what is needed to successfully adapt their graphic novel. The film has a remarkable blend of comedy and drama that is unmistakably unique. With an independent spirit, the filmmaking goes in bold directions rarely encountered in animation. The filmmaking has a unique energy that shouldn't go overlooked. Brimming with originality and artistic-merit, Aya of Yop City is a must-see animated gem that has somehow gone overlooked. Don't miss it.

Aya of Yop City Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber and animation-house GKids, Aya of Yop City features a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The animation is stunning and the presentation does a superb job of showcasing the colorful designs and layouts. The encode quality looks terrific for all of the animated sequences.

The film features a creative blend of animation and live-action during a few scenes. The admittedly brief live-action footage highlighted during the film is not archival quality and appears to have been sourced from some old newsreel footage. These scenes do not have the same standard of quality as the rest of the presentation. Overall, Aya of Yop City looks excellent and fans will be enormously pleased with the picture-quality on the release.

Aya of Yop City Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes an immersive lossless French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound presentation. The audio is much more engaging than one would expect to find with an independent animated production. The soundstage uses some interesting sound effects on occasion and the music is enormously engaging through the surround channels. The level of refinery on display with this presentation is far greater than one ordinarily finds on an independent production. Dialogue reproduction is crisp throughout. Optional English subtitles are provided. The subtitles are exceptional and are free from any glaring spelling or grammatical errors.

Aya of Yop City Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, the release is altogether short on extras and only includes the theatrical trailer (HD, 1:35). It's a shame as I wouldn't expect a special edition of Aya of Yop City to arrive down the road.

Aya of Yop City Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of the most beautiful animated films released by distributor Gkids (who have released the Studio Ghibli catalog stateside in addition to other independent and foreign-language gems), Aya of Yop City deserves to be discovered. A beautiful film which is a must-see for animation enthusiasts. The high quality presentation makes this an impressive Blu-ray release which is well worth owning. Don't overlook it.