In this animation movie, Lucky Luke helps a number of brave but naive settlers who travel in a caravan. Many perils await these brave souls : crooked business deals, internal strife, thirst, dangerous bridges, Comanche Indians. Lucky Luke's work is not made easier by the presence of all four of the Dalton brothers, who have joined the caravan in order to search for their own loot, hidden in one of the many wagons...
To begin with the good, I thought the movie honoured the tone of the original albums (in this case, mainly an album called "The Caravan"). This means that the movie too is full of loving, playful references to the mythology developed and spread through the great, classic Western movies. This also means that the general atmosphere is friendly, jolly and well-suited to a young audience. There are a number of good jokes and gags and the voice work - at least in the French version I watched - is outstanding.
It goes without saying that at the end, Lucky Luke, noble friend and protector of the innocent, disappears without waiting for further acclaim or reward : this too is part of the Western myth... Gallant, modest and restless, the hero is already looking for new adventures and new people to help.
On the other hand, I think that the movie will work best for viewers already familiar with the source material. It helps if the viewer immediately recognizes characters such as the various Dalton brothers (the short one, Joe, is the wildly irascible brain of the outfit, the tall one, Averell, is as dumb as a sack of beans) or Jolly Jumper, Luke's clever and civilised horse. And of course "Tous à l'Ouest" includes Rantanplan, the immensely loyal, immensely stupid non-wonder dog who was designed as a parody on Rintintin... It's also a pity that the movie takes a long time to get started. The first ten minutes or so drag and it is only when the caravan sets out on its daring voyage that the story really wakes up. Without this disappointing beginning, I might have gone for 7 stars.
To begin with the good, I thought the movie honoured the tone of the original albums (in this case, mainly an album called "The Caravan"). This means that the movie too is full of loving, playful references to the mythology developed and spread through the great, classic Western movies. This also means that the general atmosphere is friendly, jolly and well-suited to a young audience. There are a number of good jokes and gags and the voice work - at least in the French version I watched - is outstanding.
It goes without saying that at the end, Lucky Luke, noble friend and protector of the innocent, disappears without waiting for further acclaim or reward : this too is part of the Western myth... Gallant, modest and restless, the hero is already looking for new adventures and new people to help.
On the other hand, I think that the movie will work best for viewers already familiar with the source material. It helps if the viewer immediately recognizes characters such as the various Dalton brothers (the short one, Joe, is the wildly irascible brain of the outfit, the tall one, Averell, is as dumb as a sack of beans) or Jolly Jumper, Luke's clever and civilised horse. And of course "Tous à l'Ouest" includes Rantanplan, the immensely loyal, immensely stupid non-wonder dog who was designed as a parody on Rintintin... It's also a pity that the movie takes a long time to get started. The first ten minutes or so drag and it is only when the caravan sets out on its daring voyage that the story really wakes up. Without this disappointing beginning, I might have gone for 7 stars.