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Zarafa

Name: Zarafa
Director: Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie
Released: 2012
Duration: 78 min

Representation Score

3.4/10

Limited

2012

TV-PG

Director

Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie

Runtime

78 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Zarafa succeeds as a visually expansive adventure that offers meaningful gender subversion through its female lead. Jeanne Bari stands out as a character who defies the restrictive social structures of her time. However, the film's placement within a colonial historical context limits its impact. While it includes African characters, the narrative remains centered on a French expedition, maintaining existing power imbalances. Ultimately, the film functions as a classic adventure. It prioritizes epic storytelling over a deep critique of the imperialist or capitalist structures that define its setting.

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Category Breakdown

Does Zarafa have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or explore non-straight relationships. The story centers on the relationship between the boy and the giraffe.

How does Zarafa portray gender?

Good

Jeanne Bari acts as a central explorer, providing a strong subversion of 19th-century gender norms through her active role in scientific inquiry. She challenges the era's traditional gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Zarafa?

Fair

Characters like Maki and Hassan provide essential roles within the desert setting. However, the narrative remains focused on the French expedition's colonial objectives.

How does Zarafa represent religion and culture?

Fair

The adventure follows traditional Western storytelling clichés within a colonial framework. It avoids religious morality but does not actively critique imperialist or capitalist motivations.

Does Zarafa include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities receiving narrative focus. No such representation is present in the story.

Present on Screen

Jeanne Bari exemplifies female leadership in a traditionally male-dominated field.
The inclusion of African characters like Hassan and Maki adds depth to the desert setting.
The hand-drawn animation style enhances the visual richness of the world.

Limited or Absent

The narrative follows traditional Western adventure clichés rather than challenging colonial power structures.
The film lacks representation for LGBTQ+ identities and characters with disabilities.
The focus on the French expedition hinders a more critical look at the era's power imbalances.

Official Synopsis

Inspired by the true story of the first giraffe to visit France, Zarafa is a sumptuously animated and stirring adventure, and a throwback to a bygone era of hand-drawn animation and epic storytelling set among sweeping CinemaScope vistas of parched desert, wind-swept mountains and open skies. Under the cover of darkness a small boy, Maki, loosens the shackles that bind him and escapes into the desert night. Pursued by slavers across the moon-lit savannah, Maki meets Zarafa, a baby giraffe – and an orphan, just like him – as well as the nomad Hassan, Prince of the Desert. Hassan takes them to Alexandria for an audience with the Pasha of Egypt, who orders him to deliver the exotic animal as a gift to King Charles of France.

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