MOVIE DAYO REVIEW

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

by tanggera

MMFF 2008: Dayo movie review

Disclaimer: I am part of the Dayo movie promotions team but I am posting this review as a blogger and not as a PR person. I will be as honest as possible, I swear. LOL.


I've been expecting much from this movie after being invited to Cutting Edge Productions' animation studio a couple of months ago. I have only been asked to join the online promotion team last month so my interest to watch this animated film is genuine. The first time I have heard that Pinoys dared to make a full-length all-digital animated film, I immediately wanted to tell everyone about it. Luckily, I was able to watch the premiere of 'Dayo sa Mundo ng Elementalia', and I have THINGS to say about it.



Audio. Dayo is the first Filipino-made movie to be formatted in Dolby 7.1. So, it's more than safe to say that my ears were given a very special treat - from the voice recordings to the musical score. Of course, recording it in 7.1 would be for naught if it weren't for the talented voice actors. I gotta hand it to Pocholo Gonzales for playing Toti for both mimicking Mike Enriquez and for giving life to an overly large evil tree. I was expecting Michael V. and Pokwang to make me roll on the floor laughing and they did not disappoint. Director Laurice Guillen also deserves a thumbs up for playing three characters. And, of course, for the voice actor who made me cry twice - Nash Aguas for playing Bubuy. If you plan to watch this movie, please tell me if you cried near the end of the film after Bubuy rescued his grandparents.


Visuals. The first part of the film started with shots at Bubuy's school and the metro - which, I think, was a tad too flat. There were really a lot of kinks to work out especially with the shadows. But, I was really amazed at the landscapes they used at Elementalia; it was like being transported to another world made of magestic trees and mysterious dwellings. Everything was done in two years time, way way faster than it's predecessor, Urduja, which was completed after ten years. If Dayo was given more time and money, I'm sure it would have exceeded Japanese animated films.


Plot. Like Juned said, Dayo has a very simple plot, a basic quest story with a boy needing to retrive items to save his grandparents. I love how the plot isn't very complicated and how it's not pretentious. Lines made for the characters were very natural: whether the scene requires the dialogue to be light, funny, profound or melodramatic, it managed to always hit the right spot - to make you laugh, cry or eggroll. You might find the movie to be very 'bitin' - that's because Dayo's plot was made to fit a trilogy format.


So, if you're going to the Metro Manila Film Festival this 2008, please put 'Dayo sa Mundo ng Elementalia' on the top of your movie list. Dayo is a good start for the Philippine animation scene. I hope after this movie, other animation outfits will start stepping up and raising the bar that the Dayo makers had boldly set. It's something we Filipinos should all be proud of.