Ash Gomez reviews the latest film in children's animation.
Ash Gomez reviews the latest children’s animated film.Smallfoot Ascentres around a village of yetis who believe that they live on an island in isolation. Their society is guided by a series of stones which are inscribed with truth, one of which states that ‘smallfoots’ (humans) don’t exist. The story follows a young yeti named Migo (voiced by Channing Tatum) as he discovers a smallfoot. He is banished from the village when they learn that he is claiming that an ancient stone bears mistruths, and he embarks on a journey to prove that humans do exist. The story delivers unexpectedly deep moments through its themes of truth and knowledge. There are allusions in its dialogue to the power of being “woke” over ignorant. The film seems to take the context that children are living in today, and instils in them a desire to discover the truth. One of the most striking moments in the film occurs when a character defends his use of lies by claiming that they are “good lies”. It feels directly inspired by the concept of “fake news,” and encourages children to uncover the truth regardless of the consequences.
“The film seems to take the context that children are living in today, and instils in them a desire to discover the truth.”
The cast is full of famous voices like Zendaya and Danny Devito, which makes for an entertaining game of guessing who plays who with a banger of a soundtrack. However, there is one where James Corden sings about viral videos and wanting to be famous. The references to selfies and twerking feel out of place, and the performance is undoubtedly the worst moment in the film. Although it is a cute film with an important story, Smallfoot struggles to hold up as something for more than children. Adults who are taking their kids will probably be pleasantly surprised by it, but it is does not strike as a film for adults to see on their own accord like many Disney or Pixar movies might be. It’s a good film to put on for children, but it fails to hold an older audience’s attention as effectively.In a nutshell: Although Smallfoot is surprisingly deep, and the star-studded cast makes for a fun experience, it is definitely just for kids.