One in what is supposed to be many more to come made by Harmonic Entertainment Inc. I heard about this 5 year movie production in animation circles on discord and decided to watch said movie.
Unfortunately however, I found this movie to have several key issues in its production. Whether it is ripped off jokes from the cartoon series Spongebob(42:08), the clash of art style with the car transformation near the end of the movie, the animation inconsistencies such as the rodfellows car having its gas slot on both sides or the characters switching beds (34:24).
The animation is very simple. Often looking flat with most of the cinematography being simple shots made to easily incorporate premade and reused assets. This makes it so in many scenes, the characters look wooden and stiff which when coupled to the lack of blinking makes everything feel off. This is most problemsome when it comes to characters standing on the side of the seat while inside the car. One scene in particular however that went against this was (22:50) which was well animated. Some assets are noticeably from Vyond (formally Goanimate) such as the cars used by the characters of the movie.(39:19)
The voice acting although amateurish does have a charm, but only for the characters that are audible. Many characters are inaudible due to mic quality, fake accents, and the audio mixing having music and sound effects way too loud, often drowning out the scenes.
My biggest issue however is the plot. The writing felt clunky in many places, especially when a joke is attempted, running into a tangent with very little payoff. Some scenes such as (33:00) and the award scene at the end are meant to fill time. With a sluggish first act, it eventually catches itself in the second and third act before halting to a stop again during the resolution. Although meant for kids, the plot delves into two possibly underage characters entering a nightclub with a scantily clad pole dancer with noticeably larger breasts than most of the other female characters. The plot has two pranksters, Zander and Zayden mess with the Rodfellows. The issue with this however is that the Rodfellows confront them afterwards and threaten them, leading to a peaceful resolve. The Rodfellows however continue to escalate their assault against both of them and even continue to go after them for pranks and crimes not targeted at the rodfellows.
We later learn that Double Z have to write an apology note and might get expelled from elementary school by the principal for one of their pranks. This either means that Double Z are adults who broke into the school and them getting confronted by the principal is nonsensical and should have been cut, or that they are in fifth grade at the most and are getting targeted by clear married adults and also walked into an adult establishment. Either way, both are creepy in their own ways.
The story ends with a literal Deus ex Machina when the creators come down (note, in universe the characters have said oh DLE (the creator) instead of oh god.) and arrest the antagonists for messing with the Rodfellows. Not only that, but one character is killed on the spot for being a remorseful ex-husband. This is right after everyone got done happily talking and discussing about killing him with their iconic smiles on their faces.
Last odd thing to note is that many accused the creators of having a fat fetish. Although I remain in the camp of innocent until proven guilty, many scenes are questionable in my opinion. The small puppy characters such as the orange and black puppies hug only the fat characters. Another character, the archaeologist is another questionable addition. Her weight and size are the particular interests of some of the characters and the archaeologist herself talks about smothering and crushing people with her stomachs.
Although a good first attempt guys, I just see too many problems and too many issues that makes this movie an unpleasant watching experience. I reluctantly give it a 4/10.
Unfortunately however, I found this movie to have several key issues in its production. Whether it is ripped off jokes from the cartoon series Spongebob(42:08), the clash of art style with the car transformation near the end of the movie, the animation inconsistencies such as the rodfellows car having its gas slot on both sides or the characters switching beds (34:24).
The animation is very simple. Often looking flat with most of the cinematography being simple shots made to easily incorporate premade and reused assets. This makes it so in many scenes, the characters look wooden and stiff which when coupled to the lack of blinking makes everything feel off. This is most problemsome when it comes to characters standing on the side of the seat while inside the car. One scene in particular however that went against this was (22:50) which was well animated. Some assets are noticeably from Vyond (formally Goanimate) such as the cars used by the characters of the movie.(39:19)
The voice acting although amateurish does have a charm, but only for the characters that are audible. Many characters are inaudible due to mic quality, fake accents, and the audio mixing having music and sound effects way too loud, often drowning out the scenes.
My biggest issue however is the plot. The writing felt clunky in many places, especially when a joke is attempted, running into a tangent with very little payoff. Some scenes such as (33:00) and the award scene at the end are meant to fill time. With a sluggish first act, it eventually catches itself in the second and third act before halting to a stop again during the resolution. Although meant for kids, the plot delves into two possibly underage characters entering a nightclub with a scantily clad pole dancer with noticeably larger breasts than most of the other female characters. The plot has two pranksters, Zander and Zayden mess with the Rodfellows. The issue with this however is that the Rodfellows confront them afterwards and threaten them, leading to a peaceful resolve. The Rodfellows however continue to escalate their assault against both of them and even continue to go after them for pranks and crimes not targeted at the rodfellows.
We later learn that Double Z have to write an apology note and might get expelled from elementary school by the principal for one of their pranks. This either means that Double Z are adults who broke into the school and them getting confronted by the principal is nonsensical and should have been cut, or that they are in fifth grade at the most and are getting targeted by clear married adults and also walked into an adult establishment. Either way, both are creepy in their own ways.
The story ends with a literal Deus ex Machina when the creators come down (note, in universe the characters have said oh DLE (the creator) instead of oh god.) and arrest the antagonists for messing with the Rodfellows. Not only that, but one character is killed on the spot for being a remorseful ex-husband. This is right after everyone got done happily talking and discussing about killing him with their iconic smiles on their faces.
Last odd thing to note is that many accused the creators of having a fat fetish. Although I remain in the camp of innocent until proven guilty, many scenes are questionable in my opinion. The small puppy characters such as the orange and black puppies hug only the fat characters. Another character, the archaeologist is another questionable addition. Her weight and size are the particular interests of some of the characters and the archaeologist herself talks about smothering and crushing people with her stomachs.
Although a good first attempt guys, I just see too many problems and too many issues that makes this movie an unpleasant watching experience. I reluctantly give it a 4/10.