Director: Karey Kirkpatrick & Jason Reisig.
Cast: (voices of) Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Gina Rodriguez, Danny DeVito, Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry, Jimmy Tatro.
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| The tinea was completely gone! |
Okay, that's pretty deep for a critique of a kid's film, but believe it or not these are the questions at the heart of Smallfoot.
This is only the second non-Lego-related film from the re-branded Warner Animation Group and is the same vein as its predecessor Storks. It creates a similarly good world for its story, while getting strong laughs out of a comparatively dialled-down sense of humour. And like all the best family films, it has a thematic depth that's fascinating and will bear fruit on repeat viewings as the kids get older.
Oh and it's a musical. That may not have been totally obvious from the trailer, and it may put some people off, but don't let it, 'cos some of the songs are actually good.
The star is Migo (Tatum), a yeti who lives with his fellow abominable snowpeople above the cloudline of a Himalayan peak. He's quite happy living his yeti life and following the unquestionable rules of their society, as enforced by their de facto king the Stonekeeper (Common).
But a run-in with a crashing plane and its terrified pilot leads Migo to question the "truths" of his village's existence. Banished for refusing to deny the existence of the "smallfoot" pilot, Migo meets up with some fellow "smallfoot truthers" and sets about proving he was right - an action that could throw his people's way of life into jeopardy.
The major theme of the film centres on the nature of truth, which is fascinating, even if it does come perilously close to playing out like a conspiracy theorist's wet dream in family film form. The redeeming feature that stops this from feeling like it's championing such dimwitted dipshittery as flat-earthers, 9/11 truthers and anti-vaxxers is that Migo must find incontrovertible proof to validate his argument. Still, there was a moment or two where it felt like the fringe loonies were about to "woke the sheeple" or some such nonsense.
Ultimately it's about questioning dogma and not being afraid of new ideas, but also exploring how lies serve a purpose. In all, Smallfoot's theme of truth, and the way it's displayed, is pretty cool. It's a level of depth that elevates the film, giving it a degree of sophistication that's very welcome, especially when stacked up against some other family movies. It's the kind of thing the parents get now, and the kids will appreciate later on re-watching as they get older - one of the true indications of a good family film.
In a more immediate sense, Smallfoot will win over the young'uns with its bursts of Looney Tunes-style antics. There are pratfalls and slapstick galore, which is complimented by good comedic delivery. It's nowhere near as OTT as Storks, but just as funny.
Tatum does a great job as the lead voice, with DeVito also a stand-out in a solid cast. Corden is annoying, which is partly because of his character, but that fades as the film progresses. His worst transgression is an altered version of the Bowie/Queen classic Under Pressure, but again that's not entirely his fault.
This musical mis-step is the nadir of the film but the rest of the songs are either good or great. Common gets the musical highlight with a Gorillaz-esque centrepiece called Let It Lie, while Tatum's opener is also strong. The film would've worked just as well without the music, yet Let It Lie ends up feeling necessary, so in hindsight the musical interludes are welcome.
It's doubtful Smallfoot will be regarded as a kid-friendly classic, but it's a quality piece of animation that looks great, sounds good, and is thoroughly and thoughtfully entertaining across its brisk running time.
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