Smallfoot (Review)
Smallfoot is A Movie with A Lot of Big Ideas.
There have been a lot of animated movies this year, but I don’t think any of them have managed to capture the same charm that Smallfoot has. Sure it’s not as well made as say Isle of Dogs or Incredibles 2, but it’s a lot of fun and so much better than I thought it could have been, and I was prepared to like it. I’m not going to say that this is a film that will wow the Academy, but it’s one that will give parents and children plenty of moments to laugh at.
Just in case you couldn’t tell from the commercial, Smallfoot is a movie about a tribe of Yeti living high atop a mountain. It centers around a Bigfoot played by Channing Tatum who proves himself to be much more than a pretty face. I’ve always liked him as an actor, but he never struck me as one with a lot of emotional depth to his performances. It’s not that he’s a bad actor, it’s just that he doesn’t seem to project a lot of feeling in his roles. That being said, he’s phenomenal as a voice actor. His character is high energy and within the first few minutes, he manages to endear himself on audiences. Even more surprising is that not only can Tatum act and dance, but he can sing as well, which just doesn’t seem fair.
Joining Tatum on screen are the likes of James Cordon, Danny Devito, and LeBron James. It also features a few single-named stars like Common and Zendaya. All of whom bring an infectious excitement to their performances. I’m a full grown man and I found myself getting sucked into this film just as much as the small children littering the theater I was in. When they laughed I laughed and that says a lot about Smallfoot in general. However, if you think this is just another kids movie that an immature film critic enjoyed, think again, because Smallfoot has a tremendous amount of depth to it.
While it might look like just another animated movie on the surface, Smallfoot tackles a lot of deep social ideals. The Yetis in the film live in a small village and follow arcane rules written on stones that are translated by the stone carrier (Common). While everyone in the village blindly follows these rules and subscribe to a philosophy that encourages them to bury any questions they have deep down until they eventually disappear. The real rebels though question everything and don’t think a lot of the stones make sense at all. Of course, this is a metaphor for religion conflicting with science. The stones are meant to keep control over the village through fear, because, as Smallfoot so eloquently puts it, the only thing stronger than fear is curiosity. Yeah, it’s some pretty heavy stuff for a kids movie, but it’s these sorts of themes that are going to help create a better generation in the kids we drag along with us to theaters. There are plenty of other wonderful themes explored in Smallfoot, but I definitely don’t want to spoil them all. Basically, you’re looking at a film that preaches understanding, wonder and treating living creatures with respect. IN other words, this is a movie I can’t get behind.
Look I’m not going to sit here and say Samllfoot was a tremendous film. I won’t even say that it’s necessarily a “great” one. However, I will say that it is a very good movie and an incredibly solid film. I mentioned Isle of Dogs and The Incredibles 2 earlier, but those are very different kinds of movies. They are made to be pieces of high art and I appreciate that, but sometimes you just want to be entertained and that’s where Smallfoot comes in. Not everything has to be made thinking that it’s going to be a great piece of art. Smallfoot knows that it’s a family film that’s there to give kids a few lessons without preaching and has a responsibility to make the adults chuckle a few times as well. In that regards, I would call it a resounding success.
Smallfoot is more than I thought it would be. The performances are solid, the songs are catchy and there’s a surprising amount of detail in the animation. It won’t necessarily be a movie that you remember from 2018 and will probably lead to a spinoff series on Netflix or some other streaming site. That’s not a bad thing though. It’s because it’s solid, like a rock, that it will lead to these things. It’s watchable, enjoyable, and, frankly, worth the price of admission. So, if you have little ones, take them to Smallfoot. They’ll enjoy it and you can go on date night to see grownup movies.
