The real awful thing about this movie is that it was barely (if even) advertised, which is the only real reason I can see for it having bombed in the theatres. If you keep in mind that this is a kids' movie, you'll enjoy it; if you go in expecting a complicated plot, lots of graphic violence, swearing, or whatever else, you'll think it was lame.
The story is simple and typical of adventure movies for kids, but what did you expect? It's got a superb cast of voices, the graphics style is fresh and innovative, and perhaps with the exception of the comic relief character Filo, the characters are likable (Filo goes way beyond overboard, but again, he's there to keep kids watching and laughing). The animation is well done, only getting weird in bits where they seemed to be trying to make comic-relief characters funnier - which was obviously done to keep the attention of its younger audience. Finally, the world it's set in is beautiful, making one wish the movie were perhaps longer and more in-depth, but again, it's a kids' movie.
The people writing reviews trashing this movie have serious issues. I imagine the majority of them will find what they are looking for in James Cameron's "Avatar" when that gets released. But if you're looking for something to show your kids, or because you want to see something fantasy-adventurish, give this a try. As long as you keep the title of this review in mind, you'll enjoy it. It's not terrible by a long shot.
The only thing spoilerish that I will write in this review is that a few characters do die in this movie, so the PG-rating is appropriate.
The story is simple and typical of adventure movies for kids, but what did you expect? It's got a superb cast of voices, the graphics style is fresh and innovative, and perhaps with the exception of the comic relief character Filo, the characters are likable (Filo goes way beyond overboard, but again, he's there to keep kids watching and laughing). The animation is well done, only getting weird in bits where they seemed to be trying to make comic-relief characters funnier - which was obviously done to keep the attention of its younger audience. Finally, the world it's set in is beautiful, making one wish the movie were perhaps longer and more in-depth, but again, it's a kids' movie.
The people writing reviews trashing this movie have serious issues. I imagine the majority of them will find what they are looking for in James Cameron's "Avatar" when that gets released. But if you're looking for something to show your kids, or because you want to see something fantasy-adventurish, give this a try. As long as you keep the title of this review in mind, you'll enjoy it. It's not terrible by a long shot.
The only thing spoilerish that I will write in this review is that a few characters do die in this movie, so the PG-rating is appropriate.