A rather simple and straightforward film from writer/director Bastien Dubois, this film shares Dubois' experiences in Madagascar by capturing the sounds of the nation with extraordinarily beautiful visuals that captivate long after the film's just over 11-minute running time.

Madagascar, A Journey Diary is exactly that - a scrapbook-like experience in which Dubois, a French video game programmer, avoids the distraction of sound and voice and, instead, allows his story to be told through visuals, paintings, graphic arts and other unique forms of animation that capture wonderfully the many layers of his experience in Madagascar. The film is edited at a brisk pace, traveling through such seemingly everyday experiences as street vendors selling their wares, children playing, dogs rummaging through the trash and many more. As ordinary as it all seems, it's brought to life with such energy and excitement that one can't help but feel as if we're sharing the journey with Dubois along the way.

Dubois layers the film in such a way that one gets the sense that his experiences in Madagascar were transformative, and Cyrille Lauwerier's sound design exudes the joy that is contained in each frame of the film.

Madagascar, A Journey Diary may be a tad bit of a difficult sell for American audiences accustomed to CGI-laden tech and films filled to the brim with distraction, however, there's no doubt that this film is among 2010's most uniquely realized and creative animated efforts.