Adapted from a traditional tale, this simple story with no spoken words pits a small monkey against two bigger and much stronger ones. Since might seldom equates to right, the conflict is only solved thanks to the ingenuity of the little monkey. The message, told in a straightforward and amusing way, is that it is possible to create a world in which big and small creatures – strong and less strong – can live together and help each other.
The 2D colour animation portrays a patch of the natural world where the laws of the jungle are upended in favour of the fairytale’s moral of solidarity. This is a nice way for preschool children to face the notion of difficult relationships between young people and older ones, both among siblings and in the playground. It will help soothe any worries by encouraging them to accept and embrace differences. The smallest creatures often have more to offer than more grown-up ones, contrary to what the bigger ones might believe.
