Review Summary: Animated us vs. them tale is cute and fun, but doesn't rise to classic heights.
In the race among animation studios nowadays, Warner Animation Group has only had two real successes. The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie are modern animated classics, blending subversive humor with heart and depth. Besides that, everything else has been "meh" at best. The LEGO Ninjago Movie was entertaining, but too predictable and almost embarrassingly formulaic, while Storks was way too high on the crazy pill.
In comes Smallfoot, which rises higher than those last two movies, but doesn't quite reach the heights of the first two. It benefits greatly from a goofy (though not annoying) and slapstick sense of humor that more closely mirrors the Looney Tunes cartoons from decades ago. The film does rely on this a little too heavily at times, but most of the jokes hit their mark. There's also little in the way of bathroom humor, with only two or three instances here or there.
The animation is colorful, though it feels more like something that came out 10 years ago rather than in 2018. That's actually not a bad thing. In a time and era where movie studios are trying to make things more realistic, Smallfoot's more cartoony style is a refreshing break. The character designs here also reflect an earlier time, as do some of the voice personalities.
Meanwhile, the film itself starts off as a musical. The first two songs are terrific as "Perfection" and "Wonderful Life" succeed in moving the story along. But the musical element becomes less and less as the film progresses. There's a semi-rap later on in the film when the Stonekeeper reveals a secret, and Percy does a clever made-up cover of Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure". But, pretty much all musical elements disappear after that. That's a shame, as I was hoping we would get an old-school villain song or a number for the film's trio of sidekicks.
The voicework in the film altogether is pretty good. Channing Tatum provides the voice of Migo, and he gives a wonderfully cartoony performance. Zendaya is also very solid as Meechee. LeBron James, Gina Rodriguez and Danny DeVito also provide a few solid moments of voicework here and there. If there's one odd-sounding actor here, its' the Stonekeeper. I didn't find actor/rapper Common's voice to be a good fit for the character personally.
Beyond all that, the story itself tries to have depth. There's a subversive theme on "tearing down old ideas" and "curiosity" here that runs through the film. Some may interpret this as being an "anti-religion" message. For me, after thinking about it some, I found the theme to be a creative way to explain why humans and yetis haven't seen each other. The film does get a little preachy and specific on the idea of "questioning the stones" too much, however.
Director Karey Kirkpatrick deserves a lot of credit here. He not only helmed this film, but he also co-wrote it and served as a co-songwriter. That's a lot of dedication. In the meantime, his vision of flipping the Yeti vs. man story on its' head is definitely one of the most unique and original ideas for a film in years. In a time and place where Hollywood seems to be begging for originality, a film like this is sorely needed more often.
For a lot of the time, Kirkpatrick and Warner Animation succeed in executing that vision. Now, did it need to resort to occasionally confusing subtext just for the adults in the crowd? Not really. And, there are some moments where it does struggle with what kind of film it wants to be. But, as a cartoon aimed at kids and families, Smallfoot has enough laughs and charm to make it at least a worthwhile matinee.
My Score: 7.1/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: Smallfoot is rated PG for "some action, rude humor, and thematic elements." For viewers ages 5 and older, there's not a whole lot here that's offensive. Slapstick violence is the name of the game, with plenty of pratfalls, hits, kicks, long falls, and minor injuries (the worst injury a yeti does to a human in this pic is knocking out someone's tooth). We do see a few sketches of yetis (in a museum) being portrayed as scary while humans defend themselves with torches and guns. Police officers chase after yetis and hold guns in defense. An airplane crashes, but its' handled rather discreetly (we do see fire around it, but no explosions). Tranquilizer guns are shot and knock yetis and people unconscious. A couple of yetis cause some minor damage in a village.
There's a quick running gag about a "scroll of infinite knowledge" (its toilet paper), and the yeti are believed to have come out of a "yak's butt". A couple of "twerking animal" images show up. Besides all of that, parents are encouraged to discuss with older kids the theme of "breaking down old ideas and finding new ones", as well as "questioning" authority.
