I was so expecting this to be just another rushed and forgettable Dreamworks/illumination wannabe.
Yes, the animation has a staccato quality suggesting some budgetary constraints but it ultimately adds to the charm. This movie had the animators and the skills and used them efficiently to create a visually captivating and immersive marine world. It's somewhat cartoonish but they use that to their strengths.
But the best surprise is how well written it is. It's not high concept; they're seals, they want to defend themselves from Sharks, a lot of this should write itself to an extent.
But they didn't just let it write itself. This writer showed up and actually put in the work to spin us a narrative of doing what it takes to stand up against an immense foe during challenging times. With a cast of eccentric characters, their relationship as team is rich and earnt as the pathos of military camaraderie actually doesn't feel like vulgar propaganda.
The stakes are high and there is actually a meaningful sense of dealing with life and death.
We're at a point where the mere casting of Warburton or Schaal is feeling a bit like a cliche but I guess that's not their fault. The sharks are not complex villains but it's not really about them. They only need to be formidable (which they are).
And it's FUNNY to...too often the dialogue and jokes of talking animal movies is blunt and excruciating but there is a Macfarlanesque competence of just knowing your way around a joke.
I'm the kind that animated movies are made for but this was not only the most surprisingly good movie I've seen this year, it might actually be the best.
Yes, the animation has a staccato quality suggesting some budgetary constraints but it ultimately adds to the charm. This movie had the animators and the skills and used them efficiently to create a visually captivating and immersive marine world. It's somewhat cartoonish but they use that to their strengths.
But the best surprise is how well written it is. It's not high concept; they're seals, they want to defend themselves from Sharks, a lot of this should write itself to an extent.
But they didn't just let it write itself. This writer showed up and actually put in the work to spin us a narrative of doing what it takes to stand up against an immense foe during challenging times. With a cast of eccentric characters, their relationship as team is rich and earnt as the pathos of military camaraderie actually doesn't feel like vulgar propaganda.
The stakes are high and there is actually a meaningful sense of dealing with life and death.
We're at a point where the mere casting of Warburton or Schaal is feeling a bit like a cliche but I guess that's not their fault. The sharks are not complex villains but it's not really about them. They only need to be formidable (which they are).
And it's FUNNY to...too often the dialogue and jokes of talking animal movies is blunt and excruciating but there is a Macfarlanesque competence of just knowing your way around a joke.
I'm the kind that animated movies are made for but this was not only the most surprisingly good movie I've seen this year, it might actually be the best.