Film Development Council of the Philippines CINEMA EVALUATION BOARD Summation of CEB members' comments on "DAYO, SA MUNDO NG ELEMENTALIA"
Grade: A Cutting Edge Productions, Inc.
"DAYO, SA MUNDO NG ELEMENTALIA" (Cutting Edge Productions) got a grade of 'A,' 11-2, after winning a unanimous tax rebate from the Cinema Evaluation Board.
Described as a signal achievement in Philippine animation, the 3-D "DAYO" could very possibly be the best film of this year's festival. Combining technical excellence, expertly voiced characters, inspiring theme song, masterful direction, and a script that makes good use of Filipino underworld lore while espousing environmental and family values, "DAYO" sets a new watermark in Philippine animated film, one that is at par with yet never imitative of its western counterparts.
The only point that seemed to disturb the board was the obvious product placements in some spots of the movie, but even this seemed to come with the territory in order for the filmmakers to avail of a cutting edge technology.
A bit of a shortfall was also seen in the exposition regarding the mixing of the potion, in which case the editing seemed a trifle too crisp.
One member commented that it was a nice touch for the movie to show that not all manananggals are evil. The "tiyanak", "kapre", "tikbalang", equally mythical "alitubi" are given ample time in spotlight, yet never feeling as if thrown in together chopsuey style, so well integrated are they in the story.
And the voices too are marvel, standouts being Michael V. as the "tikbalang" Narsi, Pokwang as the nanny of the girl "manananggal" Anna, Peque Gallaga as the shaman elder in Elementalia, Laurice Guillen as the endearing Cebuano-speaking she-"kapre", Gabe Mercado as a Mike Enriquez sound-alike, Noel Trinidad who was instantly identifiable as Bubuy's grandfather, and Nash Aguas as Bubuy himself.
This may have been animation, but the voices and the 3-D gave the characters more depth and were more fleshed out than in other movies with actual humans.
Lea Salonga's inspirational theme song about flight fits the movie to a T, and even the scoring by her brother Gerard gave proper accent to the right scenes. Suspension of disbelief while entering the world of Elementalia makes the viewer become like a child again, or as if seeing the wonders of moving pictures for the first time.
Overall, "DAYO" is thoroughly entertaining cartoon movie, and the efforts of those behind it should be encouraged and rewarded. Dare we say that it is better than "Urduja," which also got an 'A.'
That an animated film could be a strong contender for film fest best picture is an indication of how far the genre has come.
