>>85929680That's literally the point of the story.
The killer and the girl are just a backdrop, a big, depressing reality behind the cartoony fantasy of the characters. There is no story about the killer and the girl beyond the fact that the guy killed the little girl. That's all that you need to know because it serves the purpose of being grim.
It's about these little cartoon characters who each see the world in a different way, and in the end it could be interpreted that their failure to see the world for what it actually is lead to their demise.
Zelie thinks she's a princess in a world made for her, Plim is immature and self-centered and oblivious to the consequences of his actions, and of course Aurora tries to be fair and amicable but is taken advantage of even when she tries to keep to herself.
These simple, archetypal characters are being contrasted with the unjust cruelty of the world we live in.
None of this is "deep" or pretentious. It's not trying to be high art or anything. It's just a story that aims to make you feel something. If it didn't make you feel anything or think about it and you took away nothing from it, well, I'm sorry got you I guess.
