Los Angeles: Go See The Premiere Of Oscar-Nominated Animated Feature, "Ernest & Celestine"

If you, like us, need a break from the Internets this weekend, and happen to be in/or around LA, go bathe your eyeballs somewhere cool and dark and pretty: head to the Landmark theater to catch the premiere of the adorably-animated, Oscar-nominated feature film, Ernest & Celestine.

From the producers of Oscar-winner, The Triplets of Bellvile, the film, based on the internationally-loved children's franchise of the same name, tells the story of the unlikely friendship that forms between a bear named Ernest, and a mouse named Celestine. It was painstakingly animated with hand-painted watercolors, and it features the voice talents of (ahem) Forest Whitaker, Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti, William H. Macy, Megan Mullally, Nick Offernan, and Jeffrey Wright… to name a few.

Character sketches of Celestine (mouse), and Ernest (bear), via the film's amazing Tumblr

The original French version won the nation's highest film honor, the César, and opened to standing ovations at Cannes and Toronto. Will the English-language update be Oscar-worthy? We'll find out on Sunday.

For those of you lucky enough to be in the City of Angels, the 2 PM showing on March 1 will be followed by a meet and greet with director, Benjamin Renner. Following the 4 PM screening, there's a Q+A with the director, and the producer, French animation legend Didier Brunner.

For the rest of us, the film won't open for another few weeks. In the meantime, check out the trailer below, and follow the Ernest & Celestine Tumblr for some behind-the-animation goodness.

Ernest & Celestine opens today at The Landmark, Los Angeles. Click for showtimes, tickets, and more info.