By Shane Conto
In a world ruled by Disney Animation and Pixar….one other animation studio large enough to compete (yet still is overshadowed despite their best efforts) brings us their latest offering! Dreamworks Animation has been going strong since the late 90’s with their successful franchises like Shrek, Madagascar, and How to Train Your Dragon. In conjunction with Pearl, Dreamworks produced Abominable, a story of a young woman and a yeti and their adventure back to its home. The first trailer for this film sold me a film that had cheap and immature jokes with nothing special. The follow-up trailer spun a different story with charm and a beautiful violin cover of Go Your Own Way. And what does the audience get while in the theater, you ask? They get a sweet (if not familiar) adventure that is perfect for the whole family.
Jill Culton and Todd Wilderman directed this film with fun energy and beautiful animation. This film is surprisingly visually pleasing as the frames move in meaningful ways and the beautiful set pieces are something to behold. Whether it is giant cloud animals to giant statues covered in gorgeous flowers, there is so much eye candy to really enjoy on that level. The zippy pacing also helps as the story is set up well and the adventure of Yi and her friends breezes by at a satisfying rate. Tonally, the film incorporates some emotional themes of lost and family while hitting a fun and humorous tone as well. Is this your generic animated film tonal starter kit? It sure as hell is but at least this film is earnest enough to earn it. I would say though that the humor in it really does aim low on the age demographic totem pole. I still hate that stupid blueberry joke with a kid with blueberries in his pants.
Culton also wrote this film along with co-directing this effort. As I stated earlier, this is a very familiar story. Where have you seen this one before? Say The Iron Giant or E.T. or honestly any film were a kid connects with an unlikely being and tries to get them home. And why does every kid in an animated movie have to have a lost, dead, or sick parent? For dramatic effect, that’s why! But Yi is a likeable and relatable protagonist that the whole family can root for. And Peng is a fun sidekick who is genuinely endearing and funny. And let’s get to Nai Nai. She is one of the best parts of the film with her sassy comments and bluntness. I would say though that Jin was not the most likeable character or interesting. He was definitely overshadowed by how great Yi and Peng were. Oh wait, was he even there to begin with? But let’s be real here, you came for Everest. Our titular yeti is adorable and sweet to full capacity. You could have just made a film focusing on him alone and it would have been super enjoyable. In the end though, you have seen this one before. In fact, you have seen this film many times before. If you are looking for something fresh and new, this is definitely not it.
What makes this film stick out among a sea of endless animated films? The music of course! A lot of character is added to the proceedings through the gorgeous violin music that is threaded through the plot. Rupert Gregson-Williams recently has done great work among the DCEU but brings a beautiful score to this film that not only works on a story level but also a thematic and emotional level. What are the takeaways of Abominable? Do you want an animated film that will blow you away with an ambition premise, fantastic characters, and a full spectrum of emotions? Sorry to disappoint but that is not this film. But what if you just want a cute and adorable romp that you and your whole family can enjoy? That is Abominable a T.