When the centuries-old ghost of larcenous New Orleans pirate Captain LeRouge (Barnie Duncan) gets wind of a sneaky plan to steal his hidden treasure — a plot concocted by a trio of pesky school children, no less! — he pulls out all the supernatural stops until they are hopelessly lost in the alligator-infested swamps. Seems like it's mission accomplished, but even LeRouge can't count on the father-and-son oil tycoons who threaten to destroy the land where not only his booty lies, but where the magical creatures known as the "labou" furtively live and thrive.
The movie starts off introducing us to the wonders of the French Quarter and the Louisiana bayous through its jazz roots and antiquarian architecture, as we meet shy Gavin (Darnell Hamilton), smart Emily (Marissa Cuevas), and selfish Toddster (Bryan James Kitto). The kids are all fascinated by the legend of LeRouge and the roguish deeds of his misspent life, which led to his death via shipwreck courtesy of a freak hurricane. Fortunately, he was able to hide his fortune before that happened. Unfortunately, it's not a very well-kept secret.
Written and directed by Greg Aronowitz, Labou has a peg-leg up because although this is his directorial debut, Aronowitz has an extensive background in special effects, puppeteering, props, fabrication, makeup, and even robot design on several big-budget sci-fi, fantasy and horror movies. While Labou is not a horror movie, it is a great introduction to the genre for the little ones — or, just the kid in all of us. It's reminiscent of Goonies, Gremlins, E.T., The Lady in White, Explorers, Scooby Doo, and The Haunted Mansion. Captain LeRouge is a classic see-through ghost, and little Labou is an adorable, bright green critter that's monstrous yet cuddly.
Labou has all the elements adventure-seeking movie-watchers want: comedy, scares, dark swamps, enchantment and wonder, supernatural thrills, treasure maps, hidden wealth, old legends, bad guys, and real reasons to pull for our heroes — even the bratty one (that'd be "The Toddster"!). While it's certainly not an instant classic, it's a lot more entertaining and better-made than the vast majority of direct-to-DVD and TV movies in this niche.
The DVD commentary features Aronowitz, producer Sheri Bryant and actor Chris Violette. It's spirited and casual, humorous and informative. The film was made on an extremely low budget, but you would never really know it unless you listened to some of their funny stories ("That's not the bayou, that is actually my driveway!"). There are also several "Nickelodeon"-style featurettes, most of which are hosted by Cuevas, who's a real cutie and does a great job as our tour guide to New Orleans and its districts, flanked by her costars, Hamilton and Kitto.
The Making Of Labou
The Casting Process
Building Labou
The Music of Labou
Special Effects
New Orleans: Points of Interest Tour
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