Alpha

A monkey is captured and coerced in to taking part in the space program.  Ultimately he will be launched in to space.  Yet, despite all of his conditioning, will the true nature of the chimp out in the end?  You might be able to guess the answer to that but the journey towards the denouement is one of, effectively, enslavement which culminates in emancipation.

The story is simple but effective.  There are some genuine comic moments and also - quite rare in much animation - grown up poignancy which might go over the head of some of the younger members of the audience but is not lost on the adults.


This is a great piece of animation.  With a Wizard of Oz type flourish it begins in black and white and – at a certain point – goes in to glorious technicolour.  There are visual jokes in abundance here and the expressions on the chimp’s face are wonderfully done.  The animation was created by The Animation Workshop, a widely regarded Danish establishment which trains people to work in the international film industry.