Flanders no Inu (Dog of Flanders) is based on the book by Marie Louise de la Ramée, it has been widely read and also adapted into several films and anime (MAL actually lists two series). This film is pretty much a compacted version of said series.
STORY
I found the story very... honest. It addresses poverty issues that occurred back in those days and it really doesn't beat about the bush.
~~~SPOILERS~~~
The film was quite a downer, to be honest. His best friend's father keeps stopping his daughter from seeing him, Patrasche's old abusive owner tries to reclaim him, forcing Jehan to pay him off with their rent money. Jehan dies, Nello is accused of starting a fire, he loses an art competition for money that will save his life, no one wants his milk delivery business anymore, he gets kicked out of his home, he walks around in the snow with no shoes on and in the end he freezes to death in front of paintings that he has forever longed to see in a church with Patrasche.
~~~END SPOILERS~~~
ART
The art was very good, although it did get a bit sloppy in some areas, as is wont with many anime films and series.
SOUND
I found the sound very moving, it certainly made the ending scenes more hard-hitting.
CHARACTER
I feel that there could have been more character development with Aloise and her father, especially as to why he dislikes Nello so much. I think it would've been nice to see more of Nello's two other friends as well. But considering this had the time limit of a film, I'm sure there simply wasn't enough time. I haven't seen the series, so I'm also sure that there's more character development in there.
ENJOYMENT
It was a good film, yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes and no. I enjoyed it for its honesty. But overall... no. I'm not saying that I wanted a happy ending... but it could've been less... pathetic, to be honest. Not pathetic as in crap, but pathetic as in... let this poor kid go with some dignity, eh?!
Overall, it's definitely one to watch if you can stomach VERY unhappy endings. But it's also nice to watch for those playful and fun scenes when things are still going right for our Nello. :]
