Cert U 92mins Stars 4

Buzzing with huge amounts of charm and humour, this wonderfully inventive and engaging animation is fun-packed family treat combining action, romance and a strong eco-theme.

A standalone companion to 2014’s award winning adventure, Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants, this uses the same technique of seamlessly mixing real life locations and people with animated insects.

When a pair of ladybirds inadvertently undergo a perilous trip from their French Alpine home to the Caribbean, a spider and an ant team up to rescue them.

Storms, sharks and venus fly traps are among the dangers, but rather than being outright scary, the marvellous musical accompaniment gives the derring do action the feel of a 1930’s swashbuckling cliffhanger serial.

All the creatures communicate with appealing whistles and raspberries, and the absence of dialogue adds to the feeling of old fashioned fun. Meanwhile the emphasis on the need for cooperation across cultural borders adds a timely message to the joyous and tender heroism.