With the critical success of 1991’s surreal dark comedy Delicatessen, French filmmakers Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro went on to co-direct 1995’s The City of Lost Children.

After that they decided to part ways, to pursue solo, tonally different projects, and for Jeunet that meant 2001’s Amélie, which is enjoying a re-release to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Having been brought up by two eccentric parents, who decided to home school her after mis-diagnosing her with a heart defect, Amélie (Audrey Tautou) found herself working in a cafe in Paris.

One night, she noticed a news story that would change her life; it was announced that Lady Diana had died, which led to Amélie discovering a tin box hidden in her bathroom. It belonged to a young boy who had lived there before her, and she decided she would try to return it to him, forty years on.

It was a mission that would lead to many others, as she tried to bring happiness into the lives of others – and eventually her own.

This was a return to French cinema for Jeunet, having directed the fourth entry in the Alien franchise with 1997’s Alien Resurrection.

It still has hints of surrealism like his earlier work, with a strong visual palette, featuring prominent colours such as green and red hues throughout, but also a bigger a heart.

It has an infectious warmth to it, putting the love in the city of love, as Amélie finds herself surrounded by such vibrant characters. It put Tautou on the worldwide map, like a doppelganger Audrey Hepburn figure, very dainty and beautiful, but instead of heading to Hollywood, she remained on home soil.

Due to the French director’s unique vision, it has managed to avoid being dated, and is still a timeless wonder, 25 years on.

It’s also still delightfully quirky, with its narrative with such an unpredictable journey, that also includes a gnome embark on a world tour, making it utterly enchanting.

It’s a French classic that is still very much a Jeunet film, which thoroughly deserves a theatrical release, to charm le pantalons off of old and new audiences alike.