Smallfoot

Voices of: Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito, Gina Rodriguez, Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry, Patricia Heaton, Jack Quaid
Directed by: Karey Kirkpatrick, Jason Reisig (co-director)
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A Yeti (Channing Tatum) is shocked when he learns that smallfoot humans might actually exist.

Review:

Tim: I acknowledge that I'm generally hard on animated films. I truly believe that many critics are too lenient with them. Sure, the colors and visuals are important, but just because a film is aimed at the younger demographics doesn't mean it can't be made with the same level of love and expertise as other movies. Just because a film is cute and will appeal to children doesn't make it a good movie. So, I have to say I went into Smallfoot with my usual reservations and apprehensions. I have to say that while flawed, the film was much better than I expected. It'll never be considered an animated classic, but it was a fairly entertaining children's film. I had more fun watching it than I would have expected.

I actually really enjoyed the twist at the heart of the story- we see a village of Yetis who tell myths of the "smallfoot". It's a cute reversal of the bigfoot/abominable snowman myths that we know so well. Now, I will say that I don't think the story leveraged this to the fullest. This aspect of the film kind of gets lost among everything else. That was slightly disappointing, but the basic idea here is a good one. I also enjoyed the message at the heart of the film. The movie really does explore the idea of truth and the concept that sometimes you need to lie to people to protect them. I thought this was a surprisingly mature theme to tackle in a children's film and it did it well. The point was made even though it was packaged in a cute kid's story. I know the film created some conversation with my almost four year-old son about telling the truth verses lying. I really appreciated this aspect of the film. The movie also explored the idea that people are scared of things they don't know. It's easy for humans to demonize "others", so it was worth exploring that concept here. I liked how that was done on both sides and eventually, the humans and yetis had to realize the other side weren't monsters and accept them. We also get other positive messages- like friendship, sacrifice for the good of others, etc. Those show up in most animated films and there wasn't anything particularly special about how it was portrayed here. Still, good messages are always a plus.

I thought the animation was solid. We've become so accustomed to these colorful, beautiful animated films. This one isn't going to set the world on fire or make you sit up and really pay attention (there's a lot of white snow), but it's well animated and this contributed to the film. The story is cute and has some moments of levity. I wouldn't say the film was especially funny, but there were a few jokes that appeal to adults while giving kids enough hijinks to keep them engaged. I was somewhat impressed by the mythology of the Yeti culture. The movie went into much more detail than I would have expected about the origin of their species and the world. I found it fascinating to explore their myths and how they were rooted in truth, or how they were created to control behavior. This aspect of the film was unexpected, interesting, and entertaining. It felt like that would appeal more to adult audiences, which was appreciated.

The voice cast was good. Channing Tatum did a good job in the lead role. He's not someone I would have tapped to lead a voice cast, but I had no issues with his performance. James Corden did a really good job and I suspect he'll have a long career voicing animated characters. Zendaya was solid. She did better than I would have expected. Common was fine and although LeBron James didn't have anything especially hard to do, he did a good job, too. I loved hearing Danny DeVito and his character was great- I wish we got more of him. As a whole, the voice cast worked. It'll never be an overly impressive one, but the right people voiced the right characters.

Smallfoot might always be considered a lesser animated film, but I enjoyed it more than many I've seen in recent years. The songs might not be classics, but they worked within the context of the film. The story was clever and was used to deliver some positive, solid messages. There wasn't anything inappropriate or unnecessarily frightening for children. I had a fun time watching this movie with my son. It's a movie I enjoyed and wouldn't be opposed to revisiting someday.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
The Lego Movie, Storks