(I should really do more movie reviews, I think)
I was pleasantly surprised by this!
I thought I had it pegged based on the trailer, and I did… up to a point. But it also surprised me.
For one thing, it doesn’t hide the fact that animals eat each other, and die. It’s still kid friendly, but walks the tightrope nicely, and does so with a good sense of humour.
Heck, one really dark joke that shocked me ended up getting softened by having the animal pull the “I’m okay” trope, only to have an even better joke follow it that was almost as dark (from a parent’s point of view, but probably not a kid’s).
The humour is solid, both for kids and adults. Best way to sum up this story – The Jungle Book by way of WALL-E.
The main difference is, WALL-E had an environmental message where the focus was on criticising consumerism, but the focus here is on embracing the joy of wildlife.
Heck, it made me cry a couple times, but dammit, it earned those tears with good storytelling.
I’m not without criticism, however. The last act shoehorns in a conflict that, while it looks cool, I feel was there just to complete a checklist of “messages” it was trying to get across. I personally think they could have done better there.
I also feel like some of the movie ended up on the cutting room floor that shouldn’t have, because a character is introduced late in the game without warning or foreshadowing.
Other than that? No real notes, just personal preferences and what I might have done differently.
Definitely worth a watch.
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