This series whisks us off into the world of Rita, a four-year-old girl who’s in a hurry to try out every wish and idea that crosses her mind. As soon as she sees, from her bedroom window, the first snowflakes fall … boom, she’s wants to go on a sled ride! When she thinks of her grandmother’s dog sleeping on the front doorstep, she decides that she too wants a pet, so she heads off to catch a hedgehog in the garden. In all her adventures, whether big or tiny, she is accompanied by Crocodile, her cheerful companion who’s guided by his greed and does not have the gift of speech. We reckon he’s a figment of Rita’s imagination even if he is spotted and recognised by Boris, one of Rita’s pals. That pal is also one of the few people who shares an adventure with Rita and Crocodile, a duo who dovetail in exactly the way you might expect from a relationship between a child and her imaginary friend: they argue, encourage each other and overcome their fears together.
The animated elements are chosen sparingly, in keeping with this tight, child-sized world. This approach respects the fact that Rita and Crocodile first existed in the carefully composed pages of two children's comic books, created by director Siri Melchior (see below for "further information" on the film), and it enables young viewers to identify very easily the issues at play in each story. The black line that highlights the silhouettes contributes to this stylised world, while the colour palette - applied with acrylic, ink and gouache - makes it soft and very attractive. Each story takes place in a different metaphorical playground, because the adventure begins for Rita as soon as she leaves the house. And whether in the familiar garden or the vastness of the starry night, at the zoo or in the snow, only by setting out to discover the world can we learn to grow.
