Snowtime! is a colourful and allegorical film where peace is both tough and tedious, and war is an easy solution.
War is manufactured fun but sombre for a moment in this lively, animated remake of La guerre des tuques (The Dog Who Stopped the War), a beloved French-Canadian film from 1984.
When a snow-fluffed village crawls with kids looking for something to occupy a winter break, a plan is hatched for an epic snowball fight.
On one side is a flatulent dog and a team of attackers, who face an undermanned force that enjoys a superior position in an elaborate castle-like fort, complete with excellent contraptions that are the stuff of dreams for 11-year-old boys. And it is mostly boys involved, including Luke, a mellow, rosy-cheeked chap who harbours a crush on a new girl in town (the precocious Sophie) and who treasures a bugle that belonged to his father, a victim of an unnamed war.
Other characters are clearly defined, and the film's exuberant contemporary score includes Celine Dion.
The colourful film of course is allegorical: Peace is tough and tedious; war is an easy solution.
And while the kids' enthusiasm for battle wanes, pint-sized audiences will likely remain engaged.
Brad Wheeler