The power of story. This story will stick with you. An animated film about a child living in very real, very challenging times and circumstances. One of the 90th Oscar nominees for Best Animated Film, it is an adaption of book written by a Canadian author, of over 20 works, telling the story of children in their lives all around the world. Great story. Great story within a story. Great voice performances. I give this film an (you guessed it) 8 (great) out of 10. This will be a story that will generate conversations across age divides. [Animated True to Life Drama].

I had assigned this book to my middle school students many years ago and now I watched the movie with my 9 and 11 year old kids. All of us were engrossed in the story and my children asked so many questions which is always good. I really liked it. It was touching and heart-wrenching at the same time.

Another super flick from Cartoon Saloon!

After watching and enjoying the Irish Folklore Trilogy from the studio, I simply had to check out their one other film to date: 'The Breadwinner'. I actually think that's kind of a boring title to be honest, but thankfully the film is anything but.

It follows the lines that you'd, or at least I'd, expect given the subject matter, but it still adds extra weight to the story alongside plenty of heart. Saara Chaudry leads the voice cast excellently, with those behind the young Canadian putting in solid performances too. The animation, as usual for this Irish animation company, is exquisite.

I'm eager to check out Cartoon Saloon's next film, with 'My Father's Dragon' due out at some point this year. Four films in, they haven't put a foot wrong with their releases yet. This 2017 production is very good - 8/10 from me, but it's a borderline 9/10 tbh.

Another Cartoon Saloon effort that really impressed me with fantastic animation and sound design. This is a departure from _Song of the Sea_ and _The Secret of Kells_ in the sense that it's dealing with realistic, heavy subject matter instead of just folklore. It's like a combination of _Mulan_ and _Pan's Labyrinth_ set in contemporary Afghanistan. The problem for me is that the dreamy fairytale sequences as well as storytelling approach (I'm assuming they're aiming this at 12-15 year olds) sometimes take the edge off the material. It's emotional, but given the subject we're dealing with here, it should probably be way more depressing. Moreover, I feel like the fantasy sequences break up the natural flow of the story, though I completely understand why they're in there and shouldn't be removed. Still, I thought this was overall educational and well written with some excellent voice acting. As mentioned before, the production is really impressive. The unique atmosphere that's created by the visuals and score alone make this so much better than most animated films, and it deserves a lot more attention because of that.

7.5/10

Wasn't exactly a big fan of this film though it was well made. It does nail the mood of helplessness

A touching adventure of a young girl in Afghanistan during a difficult period for the country.

Recommended for young audiences as well as adults.

A touching and depressing animation piece about the fate of women in a taliban-governed Kabul, as well as the power of stories as a beacon of light when living through dire circumstances. That said though, the film’s impact is somewhat weakened by its indecision concerning its target audience, seeming specifically unsure if it’s meant to be aimed at (older) children or at adults. Also, i’m not that fond of the widespread practice of having characters in foreign countries dubbed in english with foreign accents. C’mon, either dub ‘em in their supposed native language and use subtitles, or dub ‘em in plain english. Everything else seems just artificial to me. Well, at least in this case these seem to be real, rather than fake accents. Animation-wise, this is looks kinda bleak and unimpressive (intentionally, i guess) in its portrayal of the real-world storyline while giving way to much more imaginative visuals in the fantasy, story-telling sequences.

A worthy animated feature; younger kids won't be held by it, but those older than 10 may be entranced and educated by the experience.

A beautiful story of bravery, courage, and familial love. The animation is captivating (unsurprisingly -- I was originally interested in seeing this because it was done by the same animators who did The Secret of Kells) -- definitely worth watching!

If Mickey Mouse worked for CNN...

This is a well intentioned cartoon with heart, but that heart could use a pacemaker as some scenes drag a little.

This story of a young girl's struggles to feed her family after her crippled father is thrown in prison for no reason might be a touch too traumatic for the wee ones. That said, _The Breadwinner_ is the perfect opportunity to explain sharia law as regards the mistreatment of women in Afghanistan to your toddlers.