I was blown away by this film, as it managed to tell the story of Jesus' birth without being too sentimental or preachy. Yet, it also did this without words and using a style of animation that appeared quite simple. The end product is simply amazing.
The film itself is mostly sepia-toned and whatever colors (other than browns) that are used still have this hue about them. As for the art style, it looks almost like folk art, but it also is quite complex because there is a strong 3-D look to the characters--they seem to pop out of the picture.
As for the story, it generally follows the story from the book of Luke in the Bible but has a few odd but cute changes. For example, in addition to the three wise men (actually astrologers) and shepherds, fishermen are also alerted to Jesus' birth. I also thought it was funny that as the angel appeared to the shepherds, they were in the middle of a fist fight. Some symbolism was added as well--in particular the animals. You see the lion refusing to eat the cute bunnies and a flock of birds serenading the family.
It's all very quaint but also very lovely from start to finish. I've never seen another film quite like it (even Aldashin's other animations) and its gentle quaint style is quite captivating.
