Directed by Jean-Francois Laguionie (France, 2011, 80 min.). French with English subtitles.

In this wryly inventive parable, a kingdom within a painting is divided into three social classes: the impeccably colored Alldunns; the incomplete Halfies; and the barely outlined Sketchies, who are treated as outcasts. Chastised for her forbidden love of the dashing Alldunn Ramo, Halfie Claire runs away into the cursed forest. Ramo and his friends journey after her, crossing the forest until they arrive at the edge of the painting, where they tumble through the canvas and into the Painter’s studio. The abandoned workspace is strewn with paintings, each containing its own vividly animated world and characters. In a feast for both the eyes and the imagination, The Painting follows Ramo, Lola, Quill, and Magenta as they explore picture after picture in a quest to discover what the Painter has in mind for his creations.

Watch the trailer.