The worst: Some of the visual gaffes are fairly ridiculous
Comments: What if we made Hotel Transylvania....but we traded the monsters....for YETIS!?
10 minutes into the movie I was convinced that I was going to write a review of this movie basically saying it was Hotel Transylvania Redux. Which would not be the worst thing, as I rather enjoyed that movie. But pretty soon the movie stopped skating along and dove into a solidly enjoyable tale with some enjoyable themes for all ages.
Yetis live on a mountain, and think people are mythical. Then one of them meets a human, and eventually the two sides meet each other. And within that basic framework for a kid's tale, Smallfoot gives us a story that touches on searching for truth while lightly poking at blind obedience to tenants, but keeps it light and fun. The characters are fresh and bright with enjoyable interplay and dialogue that keeps the plot hopping along. During the film I heard laughter from both younger children and adults.
The art was pleasant. Shades of white are dominant when around yetis and humans come across with neon and darker colors. Each bigfoot has a very individual look, from body type to hair, that makes it easy for each to stand out and be noticed. The yeti and human villages contain a surprising amount of little details that make them feel alive and interactive. The CGI is what you would expect from a modern animated file - clean and clear.
A real highlight is the voice work throughout the cast. Channing Tatum and James Corden are great in the lead roles, each providing very good personality to their characters. Common deserves a special mention, adding some real depth to the story as the stoic Stonekeeper. And the songs were entertaining, if not particularly great. The music fit into the overall story, but lacked some of the magic we've seen recently in Moana, Coco, or even Trolls. The exception would be Common's Let it Lie, which was the song that stuck in my head as I walked out of the theater.
Kids will love this movie, and I think most adults will at least enjoy the experience. It's cute and fun, which is usually good enough for me.
Rating: 7.5/10 - Enjoyable and memorable
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