N.U.T.S 1

There’s a certain irony that narrative wise, Red Wampa has made a very upsetting and potentially disturbing film – but with the cutest mammals you’ll ever see in 3dmm. My exaggerations do not refer to the idea that Nuts is necessarily a horrific movie but, much like the animated version of Watership Down, seems like cutesy material designed to cause nightmares. The foundations of these claims are built upon furthermore in the second film with the many demon dog sequences but it’s the fact that the hunters present very real threats in this world. In this world, being lovable and cuddly won’t protect the characters from the danger coming for them as proven by King Gladimire’s downfall and the brutal way squirrel prey are ultimately ripped apart in an abundance of sequences Red Wampa’s conscience was well advised to chronicle off-screen.

Maybe the opening of this review forgets to mention that this is a movie about some wide-eyed, happy little squirrels that, as the titular first act suggests, live off varieties of nuts in a snowy forest paradise. Red Wampa does well to shy away from a potentially mediocre childish concept and instead adapts an elaborate and brilliant twist in the way of the antagonists. Reminiscent of the seventies’ explosion of cartoons designed to give children sleepless nights, this adds to Nuts’ roots as an action packed and character based thriller. To reinforce this further, Red Wampa adds to the interest the audience inherits via the opening by introducing the bigger, highly original picture. That the grey squirrels and the red squirrels are at war with one another while at the same time combating the regular danger of man. It’s this sense of inevitability that blesses Nuts with an intelligent tension and subsequently makes the journey of the lead characters all the more perilous.

The glory of Nuts is most recognised in the fact that animation-wise, it’s a technical heavyweight. But in my mind, this only adds to Red Wampa’s vision of a structured form. Without such a radiant storyline to lead this action, the attraction of Nuts would remain moderate and imbalanced in much the same way the reception of The Knights Of Camelot demonstrated. But on an emotional level these HMC really do add to the story, the red herring of the fact that these squirrels are so adorable brilliantly executed. This is Enforced again through the use of ridiculous and yet somehow believable helium-drenched voice-overs, last appreciated when The chipmunks ruled children’s afternoon TV. Of course it is the opening moment one of their branch-bounding playmates is killed that makes Nuts deep-rooted in anxiety. At the same time (and this is truer of Nuts 2) there is a certain level of Fantasy of which is rarely seen. The hunters representing the silent army, the legendary tale of the fall of the king: this is clearly a story Wampa’s being playing with on paper first, as indeed the credits suggest (adapted from his novel). With that in mind, I look forward to getting the opportunity to read it.

With that in mind I’m more interested in taking note of Red Wampa’s achievements as a writer than necessarily as a director in the first film, as largely the pace and feel is guided by his skills as a writer, and the fact that he directs with the same writing hand is an added bonus. Having been adapted from anyone else’s ideas I do not believe Nuts would be the success that it has been in the past and is today. But Red knows what he’s doing every step of the way, and the craft of the directorial effort is wonderful. Every shot seems as likely as the next, never producing badly placed cuts or moving the camera to an angle so bizarre that it hacks away at the continuity effort. HMC animation is one thing but this level of skill and masterful direction is another. And leaving Nuts as open-ended as possibly means that this is merely one volume of a three part story that’s every bit as epic as the sequel’s opening suggests.

What I failed to mention above all is that Nuts is simply put, damn fine entertainment. You really can sit back and enjoy the finer points (but hardly subtler) of Red’s work. And it’s difficult to see how he could possibly have encouraged empathy with HM squirrels with eyes the size of tennis balls. Either way, he’s made a wonderful film. Pacey, racey and never lazy, Nuts is a quintessential first act.