Back to the Outback (2021) User Reviews

Better than you might think

[pfne · 8/10 · 26 December 2021]

Flicking through Netflix you might see this movie and dismiss it as a cheap, low effort, low quality kids cartoon, but I would actually recommend giving it a try.

The cast is star studded, the music is brilliant, the animation is stylised but very good.

Well worth the 90minutes.

Surprisingly Captivating!

[sinahaase-960-743497 · 8/10 · 13 December 2021]

I overheard this film while my kids were watching it and just by momentarily listening to the dialogue it started to catch my attention. I ended up watching the whole movie while my 2 little ones fell asleep haha! A little embarrassing maybe, but I actually really enjoyed this movie. Yeah, there are some 2nd-rate corny lines here and there added with a few cliches, but overall it's quite a lovely film. In my children's animated films opinion, it's no Toy Story classic, but definitely more enjoyable than Frozen 2. I don't know why; something about the story really had me hooked :) You'll have to watch it for yourself!

It's been days and we're still discussing this!

[Zi_Reviews_Movies · 8/10 · 2 January 2022]

Not a big-budget animated masterpiece, but something you can learn from and enjoy. I watched this with 2 kids aged 7 and 9 and they keep talking about it, the facts they learned and what they already knew, how the title says 'back' twice, and how we're all beautiful. They actually laughed out loud, were surprised by some parts, and stuck till the end. To me, this movie was a reminder of Steve Irwin and the glory days of National Geographic. It may not be great for extremely tiny kids, but it's a fun watch for everybody else.

we should all be this ugly

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 7 December 2021]

Greetings again from the darkness. Capturing a kid's attention is difficult enough, but these days, it's a real challenge to hold that attention for 90 minutes. You best offer something extremely entertaining, which is exactly what first time (co-) directors Harry Cripps and Clare Knight have done. Ms. Knight previously worked as the Editor on the MADIGASCAR and KUNG FU PANDA movies, and is married to actor Wayne Knight (Newman from "Seinfeld"). Mr. Cripps previously wrote the screenplay to THE DRY (2020) and here he co-wrote the script with producer Gregory Lessans. Of course making animals the center of a kids' story is nothing new, and neither are the central topics of respect and family, yet this is quite an entertaining way to do so.

While watching the film with a four and five year old, I was able to witness first-hand the reactions and whether or not attention lapsed (theirs, not mine). The film opens at Australian Wildlife Park where Chaz Hunt (voiced by Eric Bana) is a Steve Irwin-type trainer who entertains the crowds and his son Jessie (Diesel La Torraca) with personal adventure stories that may or may not have a sprinkle of truth. But it's the animals who are the main attractions here. The park features the world-famous cutest animal, Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin), a Koala who excels at posing for pictures. In contrast, the "ugly" ones, or the deadliest ones, include Nigel the neurotic scorpion (Angus Imrie), Zoe the wise-cracking thorny devil lizard (Miranda Tapsell), Frank the funnel web spider who breaks out in dance when attraction strikes (Guy Pearce), and the newest addition, Maddie a taipan snake (Isla Fisher). Acting as a mother-figure to these creatures is Jackie the crocodile (Jackie Weaver).

After a dangerous event caused panic and misunderstanding, Jackie is shipped off away from the park. The other "ugly" animals decide to escape and head home (check the title). Pretty Boy accidentally gets caught up in the escape, and he ends up being quite obnoxious - in constant need of catering and compliments. This stands in stark contrast to the other animals who are quite likable and charming. That's the gag here, as well as our lesson in 'beauty is on the inside'. The road trip through the city and into the desert and mountains is quite an adventure and filled with things that don't go quite right for this band of misfits. Along the way, they learn of the U. S. S. - the Ugly Secret Society, which is a rescue operation run by animals for other animals that aren't lovable pets. They even have a funny catchphrase/password! Two of the most fun sequences involve Tasmanian Devils and a couple of toads named Doug and Dorene, who sing "When a Man Loves a Woman".

The film is obviously aimed at kids who are fascinated with animals, and it's charming and funny and entertaining for both kids and adults - exactly what you hope for with animated movies. The morals of the story about not judging a book by its cover, and the importance of family, are always good lessons to reinforce for kids. We should all be this ugly.

Available December 10, 2021 on Netflix.

What Walter Williams Is Watching

[waltermwilliams · 7/10 · 23 December 2021]

Finally an Aussie animation that both parents and children can watch together, yet enjoy on totally separate levels of humour..and it is hilarious!

"Back To The Outback" follows the road trip of a bunch of creatures in the reptile house at a zoo (closely resembling a cross between Taronga and Australia Zoo) who are sick and tired of being locked in, only to be released as part of an exhibition where humans gawk at them like they're monsters.

This group of Australia's deadliest creatures plot a daring escape from their zoo to the Outback.

Glorious animation is teamed with a clever, funny screenplay from Harry Cripps (who also directed this feature film) and loveable characters voiced by Aussie icons like Eric Bana, Isla Fisher, Kylie Minogue, Jackie Weaver and Tim Minchin to name a few and backed by a great soundtrack.

Marvellous Summer entertainment out now on #Netflix.

A charming animated adventure with a strong cast of characters that overcomes the familiarity of its premise

[IonicBreezeMachine · 7/10 · 22 December 2021]

In a wildlife park near Sydney, Australia, park manager Chaz Hunt (Eric Bana) boasts a diverse collection of exotic Australian species with the crown jewel of the collection being Koala Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin) whose popularity spans the world over including a 24 hour camera feed of his enclosure. Chaz routinely showcases more dangerous animals in a live show for the tourists with the animals not happy with being labeled "monsters" by both Chaz and the gawking public. The animals in the show consist of kind hearted blue Inland Taipan snake named Maddie (Isla Fisher), a lovesick purple funnel-web spider named Frank (Guy Pearce), a resourceful if slightly acerbic dark grey Thorny Devil lizard named Zoe (Miranda Tapsell), and orange softspoken finnicky marbled scorpion named Nigel (Angus Imrie) who form something of a surrogate family with saltwater crocodile, Jackie (Jacki Weaver), serving the group as a surrogate mother figure. Following a misunderstanding with Chaz's son Chazzie (Diesel La Torrac), Jackie is taken away from the park leaving the rest of the animals in the dangerous exhibit despondent until Maddie decides the group should go back to the Australian outback from where they were taken and reunite with their families. When Pretty Boy spitefully tries to sabotage the group's escape they knock him unconscious and with him reluctantly in tow set off on a journey across Australia back to the outback with Chaz and Chazzie in pursuit.

Back to the Outback marks the latest animated feature from Netflix's animation unit in conjunction with Akiva Goldsman's Weed Road and Reel FX Animation who were also behind the recently released Rumble. Writer/director Harry Cripps and actor/musician Tim Minchin had been trying to get an Australian themed musical animated film for nearly 10 years with the duo almost bringing to life their previous project, Larrikins, at Dreamworks animation, only for it to be cancelled in 2017 with the assets being recycled as part of the 2018 short film Bibly, and Dreamworks only stating that "it just wasn't working creatively". Cripps and Minchin decided to revisit the concept of a musical animated Australian adventure but shift the focus from "cuddly" creatures to the other end of the spectrum hence the cast being made up of some of Australia's more deadly animals. While it's certainly a bold move focusing on animals who are well known for their deadliness, the movie does a good job of giving the characters endearing personalities and appealing designs that help to make them likable.

The animation for the movie looks absolutely amazing with the characters all being energized and expressive with some really humorous engagements with the characters to endear them to the audience. The main character of Maddie is wonderfully played by Isla Fisher and the design and movement of her character does a good job at making a snake "cute" which is no easy feat. The same can be said for the rest of the cast with Guy Pearce as Frank being particularly funny with how love starved his character is (especially during mating season) and the more cynical Miranda Tapsell as Zoe and the soft spoken Angus Imrie as Nigel all bring their own unique charms to the characters who are also well designed and compliment their personalities. Tim Minchin as having an absolute blast playing Pretty Boy as an arrogant preening diva who looks down on everybody and we can't help but love to see taken down a peg, but Minchin also brings some humanity to the character with his antics masking feelings of loneliness and isolation from his fame. Eric Bana is also having fun as the zookeeper chasing the animals, as he plays the persona with a mixture of Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin in an exaggerated take on outsider interpretations of Aussie "bushman" lifestyles that have been ingrained in popular culture, but thanks to Bana's performance and some genuinely funny writing, the character never becomes a caricature and has some legitimately humorous revelations.

The movie is undeniably made from familiar parts with the plot reminiscent of many other animated films of this ilk such as Bolt, The Wild, Secret Life of Pets, or probably the most obvious influence being DreamWorks' Madagascar series. The movie has your typical "road movie" tropes, but they're well done and thanks to the likability of the characters and some really strong craft in the visuals and the musical score (with the Maddie's Lullaby scene in particular being a sight to behold) the movie earns a lot of leeway for its familiarity. Even characters who you think will be stock antagonists really aren't and are given arcs in the movie that pay off in satisfying ways. Sometimes the humor does go a little base with maybe a few too many indulges of seeing Pretty Boy in misery from his "beautiful fur" getting dirty by all manner of substances, but in comparison to other films I've seen do this it never goes THAT far with it, and the humor and heart hit more often than they miss.

Back to the Outback is a solid animated adventure with likable characters, strong animation, and a really good soundtrack. While Cripps and Minchin may not have gotten to make Larrikins, I'm glad they were able to salvage their ideas and bring us a solid Aussie themed adventure. Hopefully we see other collaborations from this creative team down the line.

Solid movie, predictable yet sweet and funny

[bomueller · 6/10 · 13 December 2021]

It is an entertaining movie, sweet yet with modern irony, every character get's a shot, everybody can be a hero. Nice happy end. I am 51 and it cheered me up after a bad day.

Such fun

[kerrysimpson-62755 · 9/10 · 10 December 2021]

As an Australian and as a resident of the Blue Mountains all of my life (64 yrs).. I could pick this to pieces BUT I wont because it was so well done and such fun that I just couldn't help but love it . Pretty sure its one I will watch again to see what I missed. Highly recommended !

A design sensibility greatly hampers an otherwise fine film

[CubsandCulture · 6/10 · 13 December 2021]

I think most kids will like this and parents should not find it too tedious. It plays out like an Aussie flavored Escape to Madagascar. The vocal work is pretty good too. But I couldn't get past a sweeping design choice.

The story is centered on "ugly" critters learning they are not monsters. This is the key point for the plot, characters and theme. The film is even smart enough to point out that beauty is sometimes just skin deep. I.e. The cute koala is a jerk when the film begins and his arch is about learning to look past surface appearances. Pretty much everything in the film is aimed at examining internal vs. External monsterhood. Unfortunately-probably for commercial reasons-*all* of the characters are designed to be cute.

All the critters are designed with big eyes and other basic features to subtly remind people of children/infants. The snake's fangs are *tiny*. The spider is literally and figuratively a goofball. Sure the koala is the cutest of them all but there's not enough of a difference between the koala and the rest. I want to cuddle the scorpion pretty much the same as the koala. I don't necessarily think more realistic designs needed to be used. Ditto for frightening designs. But the animators needed to pull back and make the deadly creatures less cute.

Surprisingly heartwarming and funny - and with great animation! :-)

[stevebondi · 8/10 · 14 December 2021]

I find that CG animated films outside of the major studios are normally a "big miss" money grabs catered towards young kids (not requiring good writers and animators). But, this by far is an exception - with great character designs for the creepy creatures and humans, and actually funny, heartwarming dialog for all ages! :-)

good group

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 15 December 2021]

Devil lizard Zoe Thorny, deadly spider Frank, and scorpion Nigel are in the danger exhibit in an Australian zoo. Poisonous snake Maddie is the newcomer. She is excited to be loved by the audience as zookeeper Chaz tells her. When she gets her first appearance, everybody is scared and the kids are crying. She is distressed at being hated by the public. Meanwhile, koala baby Pretty Boy is the media darling of the zoo. When the crocodile gets banished for a misunderstanding, Maddie leads the group to escape back to their outback home.

This is a good group and there is a good message at its core. This is somewhat standard in animated animal family films. It's not exceeding beyond that. It's an average family film from Netflix. It does get stupid with the fire truck. I'm willing to go with stupid but then it goes insane with the rocket launcher. Obviously, the filmmakers thought they needed to ramp up the crazy action but it does go too far. For example, they need to show how they're driving the truck and also a funny flashback showing how they learn to drive. On the other hand, there is no reason for the rocket launcher. It distracts more than thrills.

Very Lame copy of Madagascar!!

[ajaynegiislucky · 2/10 · 15 December 2021]

Was excited to see the movie because of positive reviews but boy was I disappointed.

Well within first few minutes the logic is thrown out of the window but I thought ok it was more of a figurative kind of movie but then again it was just a pathetic piece of work. Don't know how it has above 5 stars.

Reminds me of madagascar & steve irwin

[sisubalan · 6/10 · 9 August 2022]

Not bad. Reminds me of the older animated movies with the same plot. That hunter reminds me of steve irwin. Its comedic and kinda fascinated with the adventure among the less likelable poisonous group of animals. Great voice casts and kinda into the animation. Recommended.

Quite decent

[jessejohnson-55751 · 7/10 · 12 December 2021]

This really is a pretty decent childrens movie. It revolves around 5 captive animals being used as show pieces some place in Australia. The animals realize they are looked at as monsters and decide they want to return back to their home, the outback. On their return home, though, their previous captor and his son attempt to capture them once more on their journey home. I watched this with my seven year old cousin, and he loved it, and even watching it as an adult, I have to say it wasn't near as bad as even some of the newer Disney films have been to sit through. There are some very obvious and major plot holes, but these things are to be expected from a movie of this latitude, and the plot, voice acting, and script all make this a pretty enjoyable watch. Definitely not something I would have gone out of my way to watch, but also not one that I regret. If you've got children that need entertaining, this will be a good choice!

poor plot and far-flung jokes

[jerzykjackowski · 6/10 · 19 December 2021]

It's that type of movie which is Attractive by graphic style and by few touching moments... But on the other side GOD, these jokes were cringy, in few moments i felt that characters say unnecessary things... Te plot was OK but on the other side how many times we saw that journey motive? During the movie some moments wanted me to just close the netflix cuz it was cringy by its jokes. Only the character look kept me watching this because seeing such a quality as scales or eyes were pleasing to me. To sum up, maybe i'm too old, but for watching it with younger viewer could be fun i guess...

it was ok

[djurrepower · 6/10 · 1 January 2022]

Movie doesn't make a whole lot of sense from time to time. And it did feel a little bit stale. But overall not bad or anything. So overall, kinda fun to see an autralian movie, but apart from that not much special.

6/10: yea ok.

So unaustralian..

[petagartist · 2/10 · 15 December 2021]

I was convinced an American wrote this script. So much patriotism and the blatantly obvious copy of Steve irwin and his son are basically the tiger king dressed up as aussies. I'm still confused as to why an Australian portrayed australia like this. The storyline wasn't even original.

Nice

[vessalalizadeh · 8/10 · 10 December 2021]

This is such an interesting movie. I love the characters very much, my favorite character is Maddie the snake, she's just so cute and beautiful. Some animated movies like this are not as perfect as Disney, but this animated film, may have this well-worn silly humor, but the characters won me over a lot. I hope that there will be a sequel.

Falls Short but Not Bad

[t-mclean1 · 6/10 · 24 December 2021]

The plot is pretty standard stuff in most respects and the jokes tend to be on-point and genuinely comical. The thing that lets the film down a bit is the silliness. Now, obviously you expect the movie to be fairly absurd when talking animals are concerned but some of the plot points and action sequences are just too much. This could have been a solid 8 but 6 is the fairest assessment I can give.

The voice acting is superb throughout, especially Eric Bana.

My kids love it. They've asked for it to be on again and again.

Pathetic and anything but Australian

[vlad1980 · 1/10 · 18 December 2021]

Violent, bizarre, and ugly! You'd expect this kind of production from Chinese animations. Poorly executed. Word ugly is the keyword, that properly describe this title. I'm mean, child driving in the car in the from seat with no seatbelt, while adult is shooting at animals... and this doesn't stope there! When on earth this bizarre adventures would happen in Australia? A true misrepresentation of Australian culture and values, poorly executed by Australian animators and voiced by Australian celebrities. Are we this desperate to put this to the world?

Nice moral message

[brandonksl-50813 · 7/10 · 16 December 2021]

I found this movie heartwarming and the animation looks great coupled with good voice acting. While it is a fun movie to watch, it carries a deeper message of the importance of not judging people / things by their surface / looks and bond of good friendship.

I do find it a bit far fetched that the father would go to all that effort to catch those animals for his son to show him what an awesome he is when the son clearly wanted his father to let the animals go but a really enjoyable movie !!

Way to go Hollywood

[Gamepads · 16 December 2021]

Another liberal movie trying to indoctrinate children and kids.

Wake up and downvote this movie to oblivion, they are useless.

Don't waste time on this useless movie.

Madagascar In Australia

[sxft_pqstls · 6/10 · 19 January 2022]

Apparently, 2021 was kinda the peak year for entertainment. Sure, years like 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 have brought us far better series and films, but 2021 was a massive improvement from the previous year where entertainment kinda dropped in quality because of a certain situation. A lot of great anime series came out that year and western cartoon films seem to be decreasing in lazy money hungry capitalism and increasing in quality.

After watching Back To The Outback, I had a mixed feeling. On one hand, you got a fun film about animals going on an exiting and engaging adventure. But one the other hand, you got Madagascar but instead of taking place in Madagascar it takes place in Australia.

On to my points :

1. Story Good Story Traits - Very rarely have I seen a piece of non-Australian entertainment take place in Australia (Seriously, that's very rare to see). I love the adventure and the jokes are funny. The message is a very important message for children to learn I love how they deliver message using animals, something children love.

Bad Story Traits - The script is pretty generic for a film that came out in 2021. The characters are boring archetypes that are already seen in other animated films that feature a group of animals going on an adventure. The story is the exact same as Madagascar (But in Australia). And the way they deliver the message is awful. The "Don't judge a book by it's cover" message is a good one. But, did you really had to do it with animals that can actually poison and murder people in real life? Like, a child could actually try to pet or touch a very venomous animal after watching this film. You could have done it with the big scary breeds of dogs that are actually harmless. But you just had to choose literal spiders and snakes. Not to mention, the film is a little bit too "American" and I think it's a bit too "American" because it's distributed in the United States.

2. Animation Good Animation Traits - Wow! An animated film that takes place in Australia and actually looks like Australia instead of the Sahara desert? That's amazing! I'm saying it like I'm some random Australian being happy that they my home country isn't looking like a literal desert. No, I'm Filipino and I have never been to Australia. Heck, I have never even been somewhere outside of The Philippines. But still, I'm so tired of some films showing Australia as just a big desert. It's so nice to see that change. I love the Australian scenery featured in the film.

Bad Animation Traits - The animals are nothing like their real life counterparts. You guys seriously made actually poisonous animals from the country that has the most poisonous animals look like adorable stuffed animals that you would see in the Build-A-Bear workshop store you would see at the mall. The humans in this film are terrified of the animals (Because they're legitimately poisonous in real life), yet the animals look so cute that a real life human would look like an idiot for being scared of them.

Overall, this film is fine. But to all the parents watching this, please tell your kids to never touch these animals in real life.

Good enough.

[sebastianali123 · 6/10 · 29 December 2021]

Back to the outback has some major problems like the abuse of dumb humour or the fact that only three of the characters in the group has charm (Nigel and Frank are just so forgettable, easily one of the worst companions i ever seen in a movie, they could just dont be there and the movie wouldnt change anything). But its good messages really saves the movie. Maddie especially is a very good protagonist, and is the best developed character in the movie by far, and i like how two humans in the movie dont see the animals as "pure evil", but this really remains unexploited and is still very forced in the movie (along with many other forced situations only for doing bad dumb humour like the use of a rocket launcher only to stop some animals). Also, the main villain is horrible. Is impressive how unbalanced he is. He risk the life of he´s son only to chase some dangerous animals and later he forgives them only for saving their life.

Overall, while is a very flawed movie with tons of filler and dumb/forced situations, characters like Maddie, Zoe and Pretty Boy saved the whole movie thanks to its unique charm.

Nice

[Sh31kh_H0kv5 · 6/10 · 29 December 2021]

I can't say much but it was a beautiful feeling that they thought of this this way it was awesome even, hey chaz don't 4get you got a new family now or whatever way u see them just hold on.