View source for Bayala: A Magical Adventure

{{short description|2019 computer-animated fantasy adventure film}}
{{Infobox film
| image          = Bayala_a_magical_adventure.jpg
| caption        = Film poster
| director       = Aina Jarvine
| producer       = Emely Christians
| writer         = Vanessa Walder (script)
| screenplay     =
| story          =
| based_on       =
| starring       =
| narrator       =
| music          =
| cinematography =
| editing        =
| studio         = Ulysses Films<br>Fabrique d’images<br>{{ill|Universum Film|de}}
| distributor    = Universum Film/[[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Germany]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kino-zeit.de/film-kritiken-trailer-streaming/bayala-das-magische-elfenabenteuer-2019|title=Bayala - das magische Elfenabenteuer (2019) &#124; Film, Trailer, Kritik|access-date=2021-11-02|archive-date=2021-11-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102230018/https://www.kino-zeit.de/film-kritiken-trailer-streaming/bayala-das-magische-elfenabenteuer-2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
| released       = {{Film date|2019|05|01|International Festival of Animated Film|df=y}}
| runtime        = 85 minutes<ref>Beitrag von DPA (21 October 2019) [https://www.nau.ch/people/welt/animationsfilm-bayala-das-magische-elfenabenteuer-65601693 Animationsfilm: «Bayala - Das magische Elfenabenteuer»]. (in German). ''Nau.ch''. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref>
| country        = Germany<br>Luxembourg
| language       = German<br>English
| budget         =
| gross          = $771,969<ref name="box office">[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7063304/ Bayala: A Magical Adventure] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518002724/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7063304/ |date=2021-05-18 }} at ''[[Box Office Mojo]]''. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref>
}}
'''''Bayala: A Magical Adventure''''' ({{langx|de|'''Bayala - Das magische Elfenabenteuer'''}}; released in some European countries as '''''The Fairy Princess and the Unicorn''''')<ref>[https://cineuropa.org/film/384773/ Bayala: A Magical Adventure (Bayala - Das magische Elfenabenteuer)] at ''Cineuropa'' – the best of European cinema. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref> is a 2019 [[Germany|German]]-[[Luxembourg]]ish 3D [[animation|computer-animated]] [[high fantasy]] [[adventure film]] directed by Aina Jarvine and co-directed by Federico Milella from a script by Venessa Walder.<ref>Milligan, Mercedes (8 May 2019) [https://www.animationmagazine.net/features/exclusive-bayala-official-trailer-takes-wing/ Exclusive: ‘Bayala’ Official Trailer Takes Wing]. ''[[Animation Magazine]]''. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref> The film is based on the toy-line of the same name by German manufacturer [[Schleich]].<ref name="meza">Meza, Ed (7 February 2019) [https://variety.com/2019/film/spotlight/european-theaters-tooning-up-for-an-animated-2019-1203131831/ European Theaters Tooning Up for an Animated 2019] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518002729/https://variety.com/2019/film/spotlight/european-theaters-tooning-up-for-an-animated-2019-1203131831/ |date=2021-05-18 }}. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref>
== Plot ==
In the land of Bayala, elves and dragons live in harmony, the elves watching over dragon eggs until the Dragon's Feast, where they return the newly-hatched dragons to their parents, their bond strengthening the land's magic. One day, however, Ophira, the queen of the shadow elves, steals the dragon eggs and abducts Surah, princess of the sun elves. With the dragons gone, the land begins to wilt away while Ophira grows in strength. Years later, Surah manages to escape the shadow realm with the help of her friends Jaro and Nuray, Ophira's niece. However, growing up in the shadow realm results in her gaining the wings and magical abilities of a shadow elf.
Years later, on the coronation of Crown Princess Eyela of the sun elves, young elf Marween discovers what she believes to be a talking rock, only for the elves to realize it is a hatching dragon egg. Eyela plans a new Dragon's Feast; however, it is only possible with royalty from all the elven tribes, including the shadow elves. The elves decide that Surah and Jaro will go to the shadow realm to retrieve Nuray, while Surah's twin sister Sera and Marween will take the baby dragon, Nugur, to his parents at Dragon's Peak, while Eyela gathers the other elven royalty to prepare for the feast. As the group travels through the woods, Ophira, growing suspicious of their intentions, summons a storm spell to attack them, but Surah counteracts it with her own storm spell. They arrive at the home of Magus Bilara, who teaches Surah not to view her shadow elf abilities as being evil. Bilara supplies the group with a boat and sends them across the lake to the path to Dragon's Peak. However, Ophira, spying on the group with her ravens, discovers Nugur and sends another storm spell, causing the group to crash on the shore of the shadow realm.
With little options available, Surah resolves to send Marween to take Nugur to Dragon's Peak alone while the rest goes to retrieve Nuray. Using Surah's bird Kuack to distract the ravens, the group manages to escape and splits off. Ophira sends her shadow to contact the group, offering to trade Nuray for Nugur. As the group arrives at Shadow Rock, they are taken prisoner, but Ophira discovers they don't have the dragon and sends her ravens to Dragon's Peak to retrieve him. Meanwhile, Marween takes Nugur to Dragon's Peak and successfully reunites him with his parents. At Shadow Rock, the group defeats Ophira's guards while Surah battles Ophira. While initially overpowered, the magic of the reunited dragons strengthens her magic and allows her to defeat Ophira, turning her to stone. The dragon statues on Shadow Rock are destroyed, revealing the stolen dragon eggs hidden within them.
Nuray is crowned the new queen of the shadow elves and returns the dragon eggs to Solstice Rock, where the elven tribes have gathered for Dragon's Feast. Marween is announced the royal liaison to the dragons and is taken as Bilara's apprentice. The united elven tribes celebrate the return of the dragons and the restoration of magic to Bayala.
== Voice cast ==
=== English cast ===
*Madison Mullahey as Surah
*Jessica Webb as Sera
*Olivia Manning as Marween
*Sara Petersen as Eyela
*[[Marc Thompson (voice actor)|Marc Thompson]] as Falaroy
*Gregory Max as Jaro
*[[Lisa Ortiz]] as Ophira
*Rebecca Becker as Nuray
*Kathryn Cahill as Bilara
*Louise White as Feya
*[[Shannon Conley|Vibe Jones]] as Ice Queen
*Andrew Watts as Rainbow King
*[[David Wills (voice actor)|David Wills]] as Forest King
*Michael Kargus as Piuh
== Release ==
''Bayala'' had its world premiere at the 26th International Festival of Animated Film in [[Stuttgart]] on 1 May 2019,<ref>Milligan, Mercedes (19 February 2019) [https://www.animationmagazine.net/top-stories/2019-stuttgart-highlights-missing-link-bayala-avengers-endgame/ 2019 Stuttgart Highlights: ‘Missing Link’, ‘Bayala,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’]. ''[[Animation Magazine]]''. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref> and was released in German theatres on 24 October 2019. It had a worldwide gross of $771,969.<ref name="box office"/> ''Bayala'' was released on digital and [[video on demand]] on 4 August 2020.<ref>Swartvagher, Jennifer (29 July 2020) [https://redtri.com/schliech-bayala-movie/ "The Fairy Princess and the Unicorn: The Bayala Movie" Comes to On Digital & On Demand]. ''Red Tricycle'', by [[Tinybeans]]. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref>
Critically, the film received generally negative reviews.<ref>[https://www.wn.de/Welt/Kultur/Kino-Kritik/4008282-Bayala-Elfenabenteuer-als-Werbefilm Elfenabenteuer als Werbefilm], 24 October 2019. (in German). ''{{ill|Westfälische Nachrichten|de}}''. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref><ref>Hanton, James (7 December 2020) [https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/fairy-princess-unicorn The Fairy Princess and the Unicorn]. ''[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]]''. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref>
== Video game adaptation ==
A video game adaption,<ref name="meza"/> ''Bayala - The Game'', was released for the [[Nintendo Switch]], [[Steam (software)|Steam]] and [[PS4]] in October 2019. It was developed by Independent Arts Software.<ref>Geloven, Yvonne van (27 October 2019) [https://ladiesgamers.com/bayala-the-game-review-nintendo-switch/ bayala – The game Review (Nintendo Switch)]. ''LadiesGamers''. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref><ref>McNally, Christopher. [https://www.bonusstage.co.uk/archives/151516 Bayala – The Game Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518010851/https://www.bonusstage.co.uk/archives/151516 |date=2021-05-18 }}. ''Bonus Stage''. Retrieved 18 May 2021.</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
*{{IMDb title|tt7063304}}
[[Category:2019 films]]
[[Category:2019 computer-animated films]]
[[Category:2019 fantasy films]]
[[Category:German children's fantasy films]]
[[Category:German fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:2010s children's fantasy films]]
[[Category:2010s children's animated films]]
[[Category:Luxembourgian animated films]]
[[Category:English-language German films]]
[[Category:English-language Luxembourgian films]]
[[Category:2010s German-language films]]
[[Category:Films about unicorns]]
[[Category:Animated films about dragons]]
[[Category:Animated films based on toys]]
[[Category:2010s English-language films]]
[[Category:2010s German films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy films]]