Daisy, a Hen Into the Wild (2011) User Reviews (13)

Daring and weary

[Anonymous-733 · 8/10 · 16 August 2014]

Leafie looks nothing like any American animated film. It carries out its story in a way unlike American animation as well. American animated movies are almost always kids' movies, and there's an implication that the story and characters should be similarly childish.

Leafie, hailing from South Korea and based on a South Korean novel called "The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly", doesn't seem interested in stooping to the six-year-old demographic. There's a lot in the movie for kids to love, but it's also a bit scary, and the story isn't as neat and orderly as one expects from a kids' movie. Leafie is bittersweet, like real life, which makes it both interesting and hard to watch. Tears were in my eyes at one point, although I never started sobbing.

Leafie the hen was born on a farm but wants to escape. Over time she has a child of her own who has different abilities than her. It's frustrating for mother and son that they are different enough for the other animals to make fun of them. Parenthood and belonging are major themes; "Leafie" is a blend of Animal Farm, Finding Nemo, and a little bit of The Lion King.

It's all a bit predictable. Some parts throw you for a loop but it's usually not that hard to guess correctly about what's going to happen next.

There are some brief jokes involving toilet humor, which weren't done in a clever enough way to make me appreciate them. They're more explicit than the toned-down toilet jokes you find in Finding Nemo or The Lion King, which is probably why I found them so distasteful.

I appreciate seeing an animated movie that doesn't look like the homogenized "Pixar / Dreamworks / Disney / Sony" style. Vibrant colors abound, and it seems like the movie was animated mostly using two- dimensional techniques. It never made me as happy as "Ernest & Celestine" did, and I liked the way that movie looked even more than this one, but "Ernest" was never as sad as "Leafie" either.

Although the movie always looks *different*, it doesn't always make the best use of its style. Very few scenes blew me away with their visual style: Frozen, The Lion King, Ernest & Celestine, and Wall-E have "Leafie" beat when it comes to beautiful artwork.

I'm glad I watched this; there are too many sequels and too little heart in American animated movies. Characters don't have the nuance they do in Finding Nemo, and there's not enough humor to hold together the passable, but touching plot.

I suggest watching it in HD - it was released on Blu-Ray in South Korea (Region A) and Germany (B). But once you're done, look up the original ending. It's a mandatory part of the experience, and it's a shame that they cut it from the film. You'll understand why it was cut once you watch it, but it contains major spoilers, so wait until you watch the movie first.

Cute...

[RosanaBotafogo · 8/10 · 17 January 2021]

Beautiful South Korean animation, talks about maternal love, the most beautiful and captivating thing, a little bit boring at first, then poetic and exciting, simple and efficient...

Truly moving

[mikki-y · 9/10 · 9 September 2012]

I watched this wonderful Korean animation with my mum and by the end we were both uncontrollably crying.

A short little plot of the movie: A hen escapes the barn and somehow becomes the 'mother' to a duckling, they bond beautifully but later their differences create tension and conflict.

This movie has a nice soundtrack and the vibrant colours and settings of nature are really appropriate for a kids movie but this is so much more!

The pictures sort of have an anime feel in the action scenes and is usually accompanied by music for highly emotional scenes. It's hard not to feel your heart sink at these moments. If you want your kids to watch it with you then be warned: there will be tears so be careful not to take the little little ones so that they aren't wailing about how sad and yet beautiful the ending is.

The post-movie feelings are hard to describe because you can't help feel that it should've ended better in terms of the story line but I think that's what the real preciousness of the movie is, it really captures the rareness of ultimate love and sacrifice that you really have to appreciate what happens.

A definite must-watch and I assure you watching it as a family is incredible.

The most touching animated movie I have ever seen

[totsnotfake · 10/10 · 21 January 2012]

Anyone who ever had, or ever was a loving mother owes it to him or herself to watch this masterpiece of Korean animation.

This is definitely one of the most touching, poignant movie I've ever had the pleasure to see. It will hit straight into your heart and awoken feelings you forgot you could experience.

Everything from the vibrant art style, flawless animation, well structured narrative, good balance of humor and drama and brilliantly orchestrated score brings this movie to a state of perfection few other animated features have achieved before.

Little warning to parents: Leafie deals with some pretty heavy stuff. I mean, you should definitely go watch it with your older kids, but the younger ones should probably sit this one out. It was, after all, based on a book for preteens and contains scenes of violence (don't worry, nothing too graphic, and this is definitely NOT one of those hyper-violent mindless summer blockbuster) and some heavy emotional investment that might not be suitable to younger audiences.

In brief: I recommend Leafie heartily to everyone, it's a definitive must-watch, but be ready to cry a river.

Kind of Brutal

[gordsellar · 1/10 · 23 September 2018]

I put this on for my not-quite-3-year-old son.

Within the first five minutes, it features:

• The horrors of industrial chicken farming, including filth, depressed chickens, and mass death of chickens.
• A wheelbarrow of corpses (of chickens), with the protagonist tossed on top.
• A mass grave (of chickens).
• A homcidal animal attack (which, okay, animal stories always have these).
• A physically and verbally abusive patriarchal male figure (a rooster) attacking the protagonist... and then, when she stands up to him, he beats her down again and her resistance effectively achieves nothing but more abuse.

I am not a believer that kids' entertainment needs to sanitize out all the ugliness in the world, but... neither does it need to be this nasty. But that's the first five minutes. It's less brutal later on, mostly, and there are nice moments. Unfortunately, that's not the end of the cartoon's problems.

The other big problem is the plot arc: it's arguably sexist to have a protagonist whose primary character development is, "She becomes heroic by learning to make the sacrifices involved in being a good mother." When you're aware of the social setting in which this film was made-where lots and lots of women are similarly consigned to defining themselves primarily as mothers, to the point where they're even called "_______'s mom" instead of their own names, there's something a little off-putting about it.

Not that there's anything wrong with parenthood being valorized: it is a heroic act in many ways, at least when done right. But when's the last time you saw cartoon about a male animal being heroic by making the private, quiet sacrifices of being a good dad? Not even in this film do we see male characters making comparable sacrificing in the name of fatherhood, which... well, it's kind of hard not to notice. (It's also hard not to notice the duckling she adopts is a male character: heaven forbid a female character sacrifice and struggle to parent a *female* child.)

In sum, the cartoon struck me as heavy-handed, tin-eared, and sexist.

One of the best cartoon movies EVER!!

[tokki-27035 · 10/10 · 21 September 2019]

This movie is very didactic, but it is not for toddlers. They show you that you can love someone even though you are very different. It shows you that bad things do happen in life, not like Hollywood movies where everything is "pink". The music is excellent too!. Excellent movie!!!!! I love Leafie, and of course, Greenie. And his dad! And the funny sea otter, and the frogs, and the bat.... all the characters were great.

Heavy handed, bland, and basic, not for children above 7.

[The_Real_Celsus · 1/10 · 8 April 2015]

People seem to think this is original, but it is much like Doggie Poo and the English dubbing is painful at best. I really wanted the hen to get killed off pretty early on. She is pretty much a very dim stalker. I watched it and just thought of movies like Single White Female. As far as being more real, not at all, you want a hardcore animation, Watershed Down, Plague Dogs, When the Wind Blows, or any number or movies. This one was very basic and half though out. I had chickens far braver than this one and far smarter. This movie just bugged me on so many levels. It was like "are you my mom" but if the mom had no clue if she was, or like the ugly duckling if the duckling's mother was a psycho chicken. Young kids may like it, but nothing was good in this film other than some animation. There is far better Korean animation out there. Also I just watched Song of the Sea and I was a bit sad during parts of it, but this movie had me looking at the clock and never once felling any emotion (and as I said I had both chickens and ducks as a kid and think there were fun to have around).

A heart touching movie

[rahulsubsc · 9/10 · 18 August 2012]

A simple heart moving story.

I was initially hesitant to see a South Korean movie with English subtitles. But I am glad I did. It is a story which will make you feel emotions that you forgot as one of the reviewers said. The story starts with a poultry hen, Leafie, wanting to be free. Leafie starves herself, so that she faints and is thrown out considered to be dead. She is then attacked by a weasel just to be saved by a duck. She is infatuated only to find him already in a relationship. It is a bumpy ride from there.

She happens to mother a duck and takes care of him. When the duckling grows older he rejects her for being different and calls her an abomination. The duckling gets captured by the farmer. Leafie rescues him with her friends. The duckling then starts understanding her love.

Don't forget to watch the ending and have a lot of tissues handy :)

Oh. My. God.

[hannahdja · 10/10 · 11 November 2014]

This movie is absolutely beautiful. Taking it as it is, it's visually appealing, has it's quirky and cute moments, and just overall touches your heart. It's everything you'd expect from an animated movie.

That being said, it does take on some more adult themes, however I feel like it would appeal to people of all ages, 3 year old's and 40 year old's alike.

This movie beautifully touches on the troubles of a female who becomes a mother in lieu of the unfortunate circumstance that is nature and all its dangers. Her love for the child and wish to raise a child of her own puts her on the path to raising a baby who's nothing like her. The movie proceeds to touch on how hard and how rewarding parenthood can be, the good, the bad, and the ugly, especially when your children grow old enough to fly the coop and you're left to remember all the beautiful times they gave you.

This movie also displays the selflessness of the female, as well as her determination to protect a child that's nothing like her and not even hers, while in turn aiding someone else in need of protecting their children. This message is beautiful for kids, as well as it is for teens or adults.

TL;DR: I HIGHLY suggest you watch this, whether in the original Korean version with English subs, or the English dubbed version. It's a rewarding experience that has highs, lows and enjoyable moments. This movie is just one of those warm, memorable movies. I guarantee you'll remember it years from now even after only watching it once.

Good until otter. Don't watch dubbed

[vosnescis · 1/10 · 20 December 2020]

The first 10 minutes dubbed was ridiculous compared to the first 10 minutes of subbed. I recommend watching the original Korean language with subtitles.

The movie was serious and good up until the strange otter character decided to show up. Things just get stupid after that.

One of the best animated movies I have seen!

[patitas-37430 · 10/10 · 10 January 2018]

This adorable but very singular Leafie broke my heart many times, and I absolutely adored Greenie. All the characters are so well presented, I watched this movie in the original language, of course, and also in Spanish and in english. Korean was my favorite. I loved this movie!

A Cinematic Masterpiece, both heart wrenching and heart warming at the same time.

[jamesa807 · 9/10 · 11 August 2017]

(Note: I watched the English dub first, so I will refer to the characters by their English names)

Daisy, A Hen Into The Wild, is by far one of the best animated movies I've ever seen. It is both heart wrenching and heart warming all at the same time.

The story follows Daisy, a battery cage hen who longs to be free. By playing dead, the farmer throws her out to freedom. A weasel named One-Eye almost eats Daisy, but she is saved by a wild duck named Wilson. Daisy moves to where Wilson lives, where One-Eye kills Wilson's wife, leaving Daisy to sit on the egg of Wilson's son. However, Wilson is killed by One-Eye on the night his son hatches, so it's up to Daisy to raise the duckling, who she names Willie. By the instructions of Wilson, Daisy moves to the everglades with Willie, where they meet an Otter who is the "mayor" of the area. He is also a Realtor, so he gives them a nice spot in the bushes, safe from One-Eye. As Willie grows, he realizes that Daisy, being a chicken, can't teach him how to fly, a skill he yearns to have. As a teenager, he runs away to be with his own kind, and ends up at the farm with some Beavis-and-Butthead-look- alike white ducks. The farmer apparently loves wild duck, so he ties Willie down to clip his wings. Daisy, who knows how much Willie longs to fly, rushes to his rescue with the Mayor by releasing the other caged hens. After that, Willie gets into a fight with One-Eye and falls off a cliff, but luckily learns how to fly to save himself. As an adult, he meets up with his original flock, and he has to participate in some kind of Duck Olympics in order to become the "Guard Duck" like his father. Willie wins the position, and says one last goodbye to the Mayor and Daisy, promising her he will come back. As Daisy watches her son's flock fly away, she sacrifices herself to the weasel so she could feed her children, knowing that she didn't fatten up and would probably starve to death anyway.

Now for the main characters.

Daisy: Daisy is a free-spirited hen who longs to have children. It is in her best interest to be the best parent she could for Willie. She talks loudly, a trait that Willie inherits. If you are a mother, I can almost guarantee that you will relate to her, because she goes through every struggle that a typical mother goes through.

Willie: Willie is my favorite character in this film, because he is the most relatable to me. Being that my dad is always on business trips and my younger sister is always at her friend's house, it is often just me and my mom at home, and we go through the same struggles that Daisy and Willie go through. Willie is just as free-spirited as his mother, and longs to fly. He gets angry and sad from time to time like we all do, but is mostly a kindhearted, strong, and free-spirited mallard duck.

The Mayor: The Mayor is an otter and Realtor of the everglades area. He is gruff and short-tempered, but kindhearted and compassionate nonetheless.

One-Eye: The evil weasel who strikes fear into all of the residents of the everglades area. She feels no empathy for those she kills, but Daisy finds her soft spot near the end when One-Eye has Willie pinned down. Daisy threatens to crush one of One-Eye's babies in her talons if One-Eye kills Willie. (Daisy would never actually do it of course)

The reason I give in a 9 and not a 10 is because of the ending. Like I said, Daisy sacrifices herself to the Weasel so her children could eat, but come on. Daisy went through a lot in this movie and she deserved better than to be eaten. The worst part is when Willie says he'll be sure to come back, but imagine when he actually does, he'll be heartbroken! Daisy is the only character, unless you count the Mayor, who truly loved poor Willie. This movie is a beautiful masterpiece and it deserves a happy ending, not a depressing one that will leave you reaching for your cup of bleach. (sorry, I had to).

Overall, it's an amazing movie. Whether intentional or not, it's beauty, originality, and sincerity reminded me of the tales of Hans Christian Anderson, most notably "The Story Of A Mother" and "The Ugly Duckling", with maybe a little bit of "The Little Match Girl" at the end. It's a much better alternative to that minion crap, and it definitely deserves more recognition here in the US. It's a shame that instead of being shown in theaters where it belongs, it was just tossed onto Netflix and K-mart DVD shelves along with crappy Direct-To-DVD kids cartoons. Anyway, I almost guarantee that it will make you appreciate your mother more. Even if you aren't into anime (like me), this is definitely more than worth a watch. I saw both the English dub and the original Korean version. Which version do I recommend? I say take your pick, you can't go wrong. Overall, 9/10, go see it.

I cried. So hard.

[drawingkid-10685 · 10/10 · 20 April 2023]

I just stumbled apon this movie tonight wanting something to watch. I didnt expect to ball my eyes out at the end.

First things first is the art and music. It is one of the best art styles ive seen in a while, and when the scenes show up the music matches perfectly to that scene. I loved all of it, how all the animals were drawn and the background. MAW 👄👌. I LOVED it!

Next, that ending. Omg it was so unbelievably sad and moving. I felt so sad for the son duck who said goodbye not knowing he would never see his mom again. It made me so sad when ahe closed her eyes and it switched scenes. I had to look up if she really died to the weasel and when i saw she did i burst into tears.

But overall 10/10 would watch many times over again. To who evers reading this. Watch it. PLEASE.