Les Beaux Jours
Brighter days

Friendship

This theme is a classic in children’s films. In Les Beaux Jours, it is expressed through an unexpected encounter and the opportunity for the main character to help an injured bird. This act becomes the foundation of their relationship, which will later become reciprocal when the bird also has the chance to help its rescuer in return. From that point on, the two characters become inseparable. But when the bird is fully recovered, its wild nature takes over, and it regains its freedom, away from its friend. Friendship also means accepting that the other may leave if it is for their own good… Nevertheless, the memory of this bond remains, and the bird finds a way to return and spend joyful moments with its friend every winter, awaiting the beautiful days of spring.

Nature, animals and the cycle of the seasons

Nature is ever-present in Les Beaux Jours, as the film unfolds over the course of a year, with the sets and colors evolving to reflect the seasons and the lives of animals. While the film begins in the snowy winter, the story truly comes to life with the arrival of spring. At that moment, the main character plants her first seed in the ground to start her vegetable garden, unknowingly also laying the foundations for her future life. The beautiful days of spring become the stage for the growth of the first crops, leading to the summer’s apotheosis and its vegetable harvest. Over time, we see the main character herself develop mentally, following the slow rhythm of nature and the ups and downs of her garden. The arrival of autumn marks the end of the growing season and a time of reflection: a new life, far happier than at the beginning of the film. The film concludes just before the winter pause, thus closing the cycle of the seasons.

In the background, work and resilience

This theme is rarely addressed in films aimed at young children. Yet, it is not uncommon for adults to talk about their work in their presence. For the youngest viewers, the very concept of work remains abstract, and this is perfectly normal. The film does not aim to explain what work is to children, but rather to explore what they might imagine when hearing adults speak about it—whether it is fulfilling or, on the contrary, a source of suffering. Les Beaux Jours draws on children’s imagination to approach this theme with humor, lightness, and optimism. While work may appear at the beginning of the film as a difficulty for the main character, it is another kind of work, one that gradually matures in her mind, leading her to flourish by the end. In this way, the title Les Beaux Jours does not only signify the arrival of spring sunshine, but also the result of an inner journey toward a new and happier life.

A rarely used animation technique

The film uses the technique of flat object animation, or more precisely, object photo animation. The choice of this technique evokes the compositions and collages created in preschool during the very first lessons in visual arts. It also allows the film to remain within a graphic universe familiar to children while moving away from traditional techniques such as hand-drawn animation or computer-generated imagery. Rarely used in animated films, the use of object photo animation surprises the viewer and serves the story’s purpose: to creatively illustrate the child’s imagination, which she is not yet able to express in words.

An editing style with « unusual transitions »

The film does not rely solely on classic “cut” transitions between shots. It also frequently uses a system of frames that appear, disappear, or move within the main frame. Inspired by comic books, this directorial choice is primarily intended to represent how ideas blend in the child’s imagination—like boxes she can open, close, and move at will. Each frame is carefully positioned to subconsciously guide the viewer’s eye to the point where the next scene will come to life.

The soundtrack

Created by Baptiste KLEITZ, the soundtrack is based entirely on hand-recorded sound effects made from objects, echoing the animation technique used in the film. The initial intention was for the sounds to evoke those a child might create while playing with whatever is at hand.

The choice to add the voice of a real little girl reinforces the idea that this entire story comes from her imagination. Even if we eventually forget it, it is she who tells the story, bringing objects on screen to life and playing with the sounds.

The music

The original music, composed by Aurélie Chalut Natal, is built around a recurring theme developed in various variations that give meaning to the images and enhance the emotion throughout the film. For the end credits, this music transforms into a full song in which the little girl and her father share themselves with each other through singing.

Michaël JOURNOLLEAU

Direction, animation and video editing

Independent artist Michaël JOURNOLLEAU studied computer science with a focus on digital imaging and has worked in many areas of animated filmmaking: organizing an international festival, film distribution, running a cinema specialized in animated films… Although he began as a graphic designer, he later took the opportunity to work occasionally on short films as an animator and editor before finally taking the step into directing: Lili Pom, Si j'avais, Lignes de vie, Je suis un loup… At the same time, he resumed and developed animation workshops for young audiences in schools, leisure centers, and libraries. He began directing the film Les Beaux Jours in 2020 and continued it through self-production until 2025, working around the free time available between projects. With a runtime of 35 minutes, this film is the longest and most ambitious he has directed.

Filmography

• Les Beaux Jours (2025)
• Je suis un loup (2021)
• Lignes de vie (2016)
• Martin et la boîte à chagrins (2012)
• Le Pêcheur, les Pirates et la Sorcière (2010)
• Lulu le lutin (2009)

Baptiste KLEITZ

Sound effects and audio mixing

Foley artist, animator and director of claymation short films, 1990-2000

Assistant sound operator on feature films since 1994:

• « Vie privée » by Rebecca Zlotowski
• « La bête » by Bertrand Bonello
• « Anatomie d’une chute » by Justine Triet
• « Irma Vep, la série » by Olivier Assayas
• « Roubaix une lumière » by Arnaud Desplechin
• « Le chant du loup » by Antonin Baudry
• « Fleuve noir » by Erick Zonca
• « Cézanne et moi » by Danielle Thompson
• « Saint Laurent » by Bertrand Bonello
• « Maman » by Alexandra Leclère
• « Coco avant Chanel » by Anne Fontaine
• « OSS 117 Rio ne répond plus » by Michel Hazanavicius
• « Boarding gate » by Olivier Assayas
• « OSS 117 le Caire » by Michel Hazanavicius
• « Anthony Zimmer » by Jérome Salle
• « les sentiments » by Noëmie Lvovsky
• « y aura-t-il de la neige à noël ? » by Sandrine Veysset
• …

Sound recordist and sound editor on a fiction film
« Quand la mer monte » by G. Porte and Yolande Moreau

Cinema speaker
In the form of practical workshops (recomposition of soundtracks from film excerpts) in middle and high schools, but also leisure centers, ESAT or MECS, since 1998.
In the form of a training course for middle school teachers focusing on sound work in film.

Aurélie CHALUT NATAL

Original film music composition

Nicknamed "Lili," Aurélie CHALUT-NATAL has been immersed in music since the age of 8. She learned piano at a music school, then taught herself guitar, and later learned drums, harmonica, and saxophone. She has composed several songs about her personal experiences, kept private, and trained as a music therapist to use music in social work.
Over the past 25 years in the Paris region, she has performed in several music groups, at private parties, in restaurants, and in concert venues. She worked as a vocal coach for musicals at a music school for 10 years and also created and performed a show to promote bone marrow donation, featuring a song composed for the occasion: “Give, without ever expecting anything in return.”.
In Gironde for the past three years, she has been involved in an acoustic duo, a rock band, and the association Air&Co, a vocal group in which she creates vocal arrangements for multiple voices.
In summary: she loves creating music and performing, making vocal arrangements, and taking on musical challenges—the composition of the original music for the film Les Beaux Jours was yet another one!