The King and the Mockingbird
A poetic and surreal masterpiece blending dystopian grandeur with fairy tale innocence. In a vertically stratified kingdom, a tyrant king is defied by love and a loquacious bird, culminating in a melancholic, awe-inspiring ode to freedom.
The King and the Mockingbird
The King and the Mockingbird

Le Roi et l'Oiseau

19 March 1980 France 83 min ⭐ 7.8 (403)
Director: Paul Grimault
Cast: Jean Martin, Renaud Marx, Agnès Viala, Pascal Mazzotti, Albert Médina
Animation Family Fantasy
Tyranny vs. Freedom Vertical Social Stratification The Nature of Art and Reality Industrialization and Dehumanization

The King and the Mockingbird - Movie Quotes

Memorable Quotes

Le travail, c'est la liberté.

— The Portrait King

Context:

Spoken by the usurper King when he sends the 'real' King and the heroes to the factory to mass-produce statues.

Meaning:

Literally 'Work is liberty.' This is a chilling reference to the Nazi slogan 'Arbeit macht frei' on the gates of concentration camps, highlighting the totalitarian nature of the King's regime.

Le monde est une merveille. Il y a le jour, il y a la nuit. Le soleil, la lune et les étoiles.

— The Blind Organ Grinder

Context:

Spoken in the dark lower city, inspiring the downtrodden inhabitants who have never seen the sky.

Meaning:

A poetic affirmation of the beauty of the natural world, which exists outside the King's artificial and gloomy kingdom.

Je suis le roi, tout le monde m'aime !

— The King

Context:

The King says this while his subjects are clearly terrified of him.

Meaning:

Demonstrates the King's delusion and the echo chamber of dictatorship where fear is mistaken for love.