Torn between his father’s hopes for his future, and his desire to fulfil his dreams, a young man makes his choice
In a kingdom where bureaucrats rule and knights have been ousted, a sweet, curious young man, Justin (voiced by Freddie Highmore), yearns for adventure and to become a knight like his grandfather.
However, his father, Reginald (Alfred Molina), is a firm believer of the need for law and order, and dismisses Justin’s ambition.
Reginald wants Justin to follow in his footsteps, and to become a lawyer, so the well-meaning lawyer steers his son towards becoming a legal eagle.
The Road Less Travelled
Justin is inspired to follow his heart after visiting his beloved grandma (voiced by Julie Walters). He says goodbye to his love, Lara, and embarks on his journey to become a knight.
Along the way, he meets the quirky wizard Melquiades (David Williams), the beautiful Talia (Saoirse Ronan), and various other interesting characters.
He is mentored by three monks who teach and test him in the ancient ways of the Knight of Valour.
Even though he may not appear suitable for knighthood, he has to do something when a banished former knight, Sir Heraclio, and his army return to threaten to destroy the kingdom.
Prepare for more adventure and chivalry.
Visual Richness
Justin & the Knights of Valour is not just any animation movie. With 40 different settings and more than 100 film characters, there is vast visual richness to the film, and a duality in portraying both the world of heroes and lawyers, as reflected in Justin and Reginald.
Director Manuel Sicilia drew on his favourite films such as Indiana Jones, Superman, Highlander, Crocodile Dundee, and Top Secret. More than 100 characters, 600 props and 2,000 shots have been generated for the film.
Different Worlds
“The world of heroes is more colourful and saturated like the classical Technicolor films, such as Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, or The Three Musketeers. For the second world… we were searching for grey tones, a monotonous feeling and a strong symmetry within the shots,” said Sicilia.
“The heroes’ world is somewhere between the Romanic and Gothic periods. It has a mix of ruins and nature which is typical of Romanticism… The lawyers’ world mainly has a Renaissance touch with some Baroque hints,” added Oscar J Vargas, art director and character designer.
Watch this movie about the universal theme of the adventure of being yourself, and doing what you really dream of.
JUSTIN AND THE KNIGHTS OF VALOUR [PG]
Director: Manuel Sicilia
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Freddie Highmore, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong, Olivia Williams & Julie Walters
Genre: Animation, Adventure
Run Length: 97 min
Release: Nov 14
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