La Princesa Alegría (The Princess Happiness, in English) is about a girl telling the story of Princesa Alegria/Princess Happiness, a princess so happy that whoever she talks to becomes filled with complete joy. She tells the story with drawings and paintings, and a boy, a king, and a woman soon become involved in the tale. The story is told in a mix of animation and reality, and what exactly is real may not be as important as what someone, in their deepest of hearts, believes is true.
This is a bittersweet tale. It involves daydreams, childhood friends, and ugly realities. It gives a nice heart-warming feeling, but plays also with darkness and sadness. At the end of it all though, I had to cry over this one. However, do remember: not all tears are sad. What a beautiful film.
(This one’s available on YouTube, Vimeo, Metacafe, and Dailymotion, all with English subtitles. This other short film also has beautiful art and a curious story. Here’s another film about another girl’s growing up story.)
La Princesa Alegría, on DailyMotion
La Princesa Alegría is also available on YouTube and on Metacafe.
Directed by Daniel Utrilla Cerezo & Rubén Coca
Cerezo’s website | Coca’s website
