by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Who wouldn’t want to see a bunch of critters trying to escape an encampment in Australia to find their way home? Wait… isn’t that Finding Nemo? Kind of, I guess, but we are here to talk about Back to the Outback! Based on my snarky comment, you will probably realize that this new animated feature coming to Netflix might not be the most original of films. But should that be an issue if it is a fun time? Directors Harry Cripps and Clare Knight bring a whole cast of famous Australian actors together to breathe life into this animal-focused adventure.
Can Cripps and Knight make this new film standout in a flooded market of animated films about cute animals? To be honest, this one doesn’t stand out too much amongst them. The narrative plays off a lot of tropes of cute adventure films with a specific destination (but you know the answer was always right there all along). We have a sweet group of critters (and one stinker to be far from who seems like he should be the sweetest). We have a Steve Irwin-esque animal tamer who is our main antagonist. Third act saviors to the rescue as well! In short, this film is predictable to a fault. But for a group of kids, that probably won’t make too much of a difference.
You have a bunch of cute critters, so are there some strong voice performances to bring them to light? One of the best aspects of this film is the voice cast. Isla Fisher is a perfect lead as a sweet but misunderstood taipan (snake). Her endearing lead makes it a lot easier to go on this journey with them. Tim Minchin gets plenty of fun as a koala who is supposed to be sweet but is a little jerk. Our Mr. Irwin wannabe is portrayed with quite a bit of manic delight by Eric Bana (who also kills it in Cripps’ drama from this year, The Dry). Throw in a few more big names like Guy Pearce, Keith Urban, and Jacki Weaver (who is a delight as a giant crocodile), and you have yourself a blast.
But what is the big message of this whole story? It must have a message, right? This is a kids’ story so that is almost all but guaranteed. There are probably two that really standout. Finding one’s family is right at the heart of the matter. These animals want to reach the outback and find the families they left behind when they got taken into captivity. With such a charming crew of animals, I am sure they will find family somewhere (wink, wink). The other is a timeless one among fantasies: don’t judge a book by its cover. Simple, right? When you have a fanged snake as your lead, that might be a little scary but that is the point. We get to see this little charmer shine and show all those people out there why these “seemingly” creepy crawlies are not so bad.
Nice messages and cute characters make a lot of headway but is it enough? In this one… it is just enough. This is not near the top of animation this year, but for something endearing and sweet, I think it might charm a few people out there. Great for the kids, this one just might have enough fun for the adults in the room too.
Grade: C+
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