Candamo, a small village in the Amazon, is struck by a sneaky illness. Under the turquoise waters, the fish are dying; men, contaminated, weaken. The paradise long maintained and blessed by the people who inhabit it is about to disappear. From the height of her 13 years, the little orphan Ainbo wishes to deliver her people from this curse. Helped by her guiding spirits, Dillo the armadillo and Vaca the tapir, the little girl undertakes an initiatory quest that will allow her to discover the source of evil.
Animated film directed by Richard Claus and José Zelada, Ainbo, Princess of the Amazon highlights the strength and courage of a small community in the face of the white giant destroyer of the forest and its ecosystem. Borrowing the form of a huge snake moving in a cloud of black smoke, the one that the people call the Yakuruna, the evil spirit, is actually the symbol of the threat of the white men on the forest. In a heavenly setting, a living jungle in which the attentive ear detects the song of birds, the running water, the dull sound of the falls or the cry of the little monkeys, nothing seems to be able to disturb this tranquility. Although stereotypical, this easy contrast between the verdant forest and the infernal machines that destroy everything in their path helps to capture the importance of Ainbo’s quest.
A predictable path
An initiatory quest during which she makes several encounters which of course make her stronger, in particular those with Motelomama, an impressive turtle who lives behind a waterfall, Pelejo the sloth (who will offer her a sacred blade essential to the accomplishment of her mission) and , not the least, this tree at the foot of which she takes refuge and which shelters the spirit of her mother.
Not surprisingly, the little girl has the makings of these superhuman heroines moving forward with confidence, is endowed with enviable instincts and, of course, inherited the great beauty of her late mother. Resulting from the love between Lizeni, daughter of the people, and Will, a white man, it will be considered by some as a curse.
Emulator of Pocahontas, Ainbo, Princess of the Amazon highlights female courage, as well as the opposition between the evil white gold digger and these people of the jungle guided by nature, respectful and indebted to the elders. Behind a rather cliché scenario – which is inspired here by Zelada’s mother and the Amazon from which he comes -, caricatural characters (whether it’s this orphan who manages to defeat the terrible enemy, her slightly clumsy but indispensable allies , the villain among the villagers who acts out of jealousy and the larger-than-life enemy) and the values of courage, friendship and mutual aid, Ainbo,amazon princess remains a rhythmic and visually very beautiful film. At the top, the Amazonian decorations, the houses in the trees, the many details, such as a blue dragonfly and other insects that twirl here and there.
The finale, which reveals the identity of Ainbo’s father, is however both predictable and overrated. The parents — symbols of the union between the two cultures — return together to the side of the dead in a tree which shines, of course, with a thousand lights.