Review: Hola Frida

Official synopsis: Frida Kahlo is a little girl who is different. Sparkling and vibrant, everything interests her. And when life's trials and tribulations come her way, she faces them with her overflowing imagination.

I suppose most people outside of Mexico discover Frida Kahlo as a teenager or young adult. Her vibrant paintings are iconic, and we've seen plenty of film adaptations from her. But the filmmakers behind Hola Frida, and by extension the original mini series - Frida c'est moi this was adapted from want you to learn about her as a child. 

For a children's film, I loved this. The animation style is fun and works well with the fantastical elements of Frida's imagination. The film mostly sticks with Frida as a child and how she overcame polio and the bullying that followed after her right leg never truly heals. It's a good story for kids. It has strong themes of friendship, standing up against bullies while also hearing them and the things they may be going through, and how your imagination is a powerful tool. Only about 10-15 minutes is dedicated to Frida as a young adult.

If you're familiar with Frida's story, you might find yourself wondering throughout how they're going to tackle A, B, and C but I tried to approach this without  the existing knowledge. I think it does a good job of giving you an idea of who Frida will become.

If you couldn't tell by the mini series name, this is a Canadian production and the dialogue is in English, with a few Spanish words thrown in here and there. Because of that, it didn't quite "feel" very Mexican to me, but the target audience of English speaking children probably aren't going to have that critique. The film does do a good job of capturing Mexico artistically with the beautiful colors and scenery they use, but that was something I did have in the back of my mind.

Still, Hola Frida is a delightful and easy look into the world of Frida Kahlo through a child's eyes. It hits theaters on August 1st.

Grade: B