Fireheart (2022) User Reviews

Not bad for kids, but not recommended for firefighters

[Bandicoot_ · 6/10 · 23 February 2022]

As a female firefighter I am probably not the target audience for this film, but thought I might be able to offer a useful perspective given the subject matter. The concept of the film is unique, and kids (and maybe even some parents) would probably find it to be a fun adventure along the lines of Scooby Doo, but firefighters may find it hard to like.

It comes across as a film that tries to show what firefighters do in an age-appropriate way, while still containing plenty of the fun elements that appeal to kids. While this may be fine for its target audience, the result is a sufficiently inaccurate (and at times illogical) depiction of firefighting that will likely be a frustrating watch for a firefighter. But not just that, this is not a film where you can sit your kids down in front of it and tell them, "this is what mummy/daddy does". It's just too dissimilar.

Going into this film, I was concerned the 'woman fighting the patriarchy' plot point might be overdone to the point of being grating, but it actually had a much smaller role than I expected, and was handled fairly well, and was more just used to set the stage for later events.

It's worth mentioning that there's probably no trigger warnings for firefighters in this film. It is significantly sanitised since it's directed at a young audience, and I don't recall even seeing any open flame, just smoke. There's also no blood, gore, violence, car accidents, or character death. However, like most firefighting films that are not made with accuracy in mind, expect to be yelling at the tv a lot.

Firefighters, by all means let your kids watch this one, but if you join them don't expect to find it all that great yourself. Also, be prepared to field a few questions where you have to explain all the ways firefighting isn't like this movie.

A decent adventure solid animation and good voice cast

[IonicBreezeMachine · 7/10 · 20 February 2022]

Set in 1930s New York, young woman Georgia Nolan (Olivia Cooke) as a child dreamed of becoming a fireman, but her father, retired fire captain Shawn Nolan broke the news that women can't be firefighters. Georgia has seemingly accepted that and works alongside her father as a seamstress for his tailor business but still holds that dream close to her heart training every opportunity she can get. When a rash of mysterious blazes featuring colored smoke and eerier music occur at various Broadway theaters, the city's firefighters begin disappearing without a trace. Mayor Jimmy Murray (William Shatner) as a last resort finds Shawn Nolan and asks him to come out of retirement to lead a volunteer team to help fight the arsonist which Shawn reluctantly agrees to. Georgia overhearing this decides to dress up as a man named Joe and dons a disguise working under her father along with neurotic science expert Ricardo (Ryan Garcia) and daredevil driver Jin (Wilex Ly) who's prone to fainting spells to stop the arsonist from turning New York to ashes.

Fireheart is the latest film from Canadian animation studio L'Atelier Animation who may not be a household name, but did score a reasonably big hit in 2016 with the animated feature Ballerina also known as Leap! In its U. S. release, earning $100 million worldwide against its $30 million budget. Much like Ballerina, Fireheart is co-produced by both French and Canadian sources, and like many films of this ilk it's on the lower end of the budget for this type of movie with estimates ranging from $35-40 million. Fireheart has gotten a very quiet release, especially in the United States where it appeared on Hulu earlier this month and doesn't seem to have much presence. While Fireheart isn't an overlooked gem or anything, it's a solid smaller scale animated film that I did enjoy.

The best asset of the film is definitely in its animation. While Fireheart doesn't have the resources and polish of something from Disney or Dreamworks, it's more than capable of competing against the likes of Illumination even with half the budget of a typical Illumination production. The movie does a decent job of creating a version 1930s New York, not perfectly but there are some nice background details in things like Times Square with various posters and ads that do feel like they're of the era. I thought Olivia Cooke and Kenneth Branagh were really good in the film and there is a natural chemistry that comes through in their interactions so you buy their relationship as father and daughter. And the firefighting scenes are really good, the arsonist scenes in particular are nicely atmospheric with this colorful smoke and a suit disguise that looks really good and even a little unnerving at certain points.

The movie itself is pure formula especially with its very Twelfth Night/Mulan type protagonist and all the humor that entails. If you remember movie's like She's the Man or Disney's Mulan where the characters attempt to act "manly" by inserting the word "man" into every other sentence we do get some of that here, and there is a running gag about Georgia/Joe's mustache made of dog hair falling off or being on when it shouldn't. The movie is pretty similar to firefighting movie Backdraft if you filtered it through the lens of something like Zootopia (save for the anthropomorphic animals part) and if you've seen Zootopia or 70% of animated films of the past 10 years you'll probably be able to spot the arsonist as soon as they appear. The movie's humor is mostly okay, it's not great or anything but it's serviceable for its target audience. But then you have headscratching moments like a character named Captain Neil of the NYPD who speaks throughout the movie in this exaggerated falsetto with mannerisms that feel like a less restrained Jack from Will & Grace that makes this movie seem like it's about 15 years out of date. I will say that despite this being a "liar revealed" story, the path they take doesn't go exactly the same direction you'd think they go, considering how often this story beat is often tapped I was considerably more accepting of it here.

Fireheart won't set any fires, but it's a solid animated film that can be enjoyed as a suitable time killer. The animation is solid, the voicework is decent (captain Neil notwithstanding), and there are some thrilling or inventive sequences in the movie. The movie does use some rather familiar elements with its central mystery pretty easy to solve even by the least jaded viewer, but other elements such as the conflict of Georgia's lie are handled better here than similar plot points in other films. If you have children who like action/adventure or firefighting this is probably a decent sit for them.

It's a decent movie for aspiring firefighters.

[therealjojo · 6/10 · 20 February 2022]

It's your typical kids movie with a lesson at the end. This time, it's a movie about the fire female firefighter in the FDNY... set in 1932. I think it contains just the right amount of action for a movie, if you count the part where they drive a taxi onto the Empire State building under construction.

Easy Watching

[svader · 6/10 · 20 February 2022]

Enjoyable and easy to watch.

Decent animation and the story is ok also.

Only major annoying thing for me was the main characters voice. She's supposed to be 16 but the voiceover is from a 40 year old woman who doesn't sound 16!

Good movie but.....

[shandeeburton · 7/10 · 2 April 2022]

I really liked to movie it wasn't as generic as some of the other Hulu made movies. I don't want to be that person but at the end there wasn't any black firefighters and they showed them from all over the world. They couldn't find one? But the movie was good.

The entire idea's kinda dumb

[pgillavila-84356 · 7/10 · 20 June 2022]

So the basic idea of this film is that it's another feminist tail (which I always admire and enjoy most of the time) but the "guy-ish" thing that "no girl is strong enough to handle" that she has to overcome/her big "frowned upon for girls to practice" passion is firefighting. Generally okay plot, but get this: half, if not, more that half of firefighters are women so it kinda renders the entire gimmick a bit useless and looks like a cash grab by antelier animation (by the way who the heck has even heard of these guys?) They might be a new studio which I definitely think they are (but I don't wanna look it up, I'm lazyyyyyy), so of course their first animated film, so I give them some slack. It's pretty good in other stuff though. Has charm, relatively funny for kids and nice animation. So I half recommend. Mostly if your a kid.

What a Waste

[carolanne443 · 2/10 · 10 March 2023]

I watched this film out of sheer curiosity on Hulu. As you can tell by the low rating, it wasn't worth my time. "Fireheart" is everything that's wrong with modern animated films. The main character Georgia is a Mary Sue. She's unrealistically tenacious, learns things WAY too fast, and suffers little to no consequences for her actions. Also, I can't suspend my disbelief long enough to believe that the main story takes place over the course of only a few days or that EVERY firefighter in New York City went missing. Finally, the messages are obnoxiously PC. Seriously, this movie can't go five minutes without hammering something preachy into your head. My advice: Skip this movie altogether and watch a more worthwhile animated film.

Goofy, silly, over the top, and fun

[Snootz · 7/10 · 6 March 2022]

This animated film starts out weak, has quite a few silly "jump the shark" moments, is goofy, but in parts funny, heartwarming, and overall fun.

Good animation (common in today's world of CGI animation) and a decent story (a young woman who wants to be a fire fighter when such was prohibited) work together to make this an enjoyable watch. Children will love it. Some adults will tolerate it. Other adults will love it, some hate it. It's right in that gray area.

I'm giving it 7 stars because despite its flaws, it teaches several good lessons about bravery, caution, determination, and the difference between right and wrong while still recognizing that sometimes things go sideways. Those lessons are well worth learning, especially in the younger set.

Not my favorite animation, but it accomplished its purpose despite its flaws. Worth a watch, especially for children.

Head is spinning

[gini_bliss · 3/10 · 16 May 2022]

The racism in this towards Asians and the original former slave woman who was ACTUALLY the first female firefighter made this movie fall so flat for me. I was so hopeful to watch a movie with my daughter about the first female firefighter and that is not what this is. Pure fiction with a splash or Asian racism.

A dedicated appreciation

[Sh31kh_H0kv5 · 6/10 · 10 January 2023]

In my honesty, not just fire fighters but all those around the world that are still fighting despite being held back for obvious reasons of gender neutrality, this movie was the voice dedicated too you, taking keep fighting for what you want and not otherwise what people tell you, am no motivator but i guess the movie speaks for all of us, am just pointing out why my opinions on this movie matters, can't categorize it in any favorite but at the end like always plus the fact that i did ebony it i must comment it by saying it was truly touching that at the end everything worked out fine for them.

Cartoon Network Overload - Fireheart

[arthur_tafero · 3/10 · 18 October 2022]

How much worse can it get? Cartoons posing as movies when they should count themselves lucky if they just make it to the Cartoon Network. Inept plots that are as likely as traveling to one of Jupiter's moons by automobile, and a finished product that is as predictable as a warm day in Florida during the summer. To try and make small children and their parents pay $20 or more (not including the inevitable popcorn and drinks) to see this kind of junk is really pathetic. Take your kid somewhere else; not to crappy cartoon films. They can watch this junk on TV. TIme with you should be spent doing something you BOTH enjoy; and this aint it.

French Canadian animation

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 9 March 2024]

It's 1920 Brooklyn. Little girl Georgia Nolan loves playing firefighting with her dog Ember. After her mother's death, her heroic father Captain Shawn Nolan quit firefighting to be in the safe job of a tailor. He tells her that girls can't be firefighters. She would follow him into tailoring but secretly trains to be a firefighter. It's 10 years later. A mysterious Broadway arsonist has somehow made a fire team disappear. The mayor recruits Shaw to lead the fire station with only two misfit recruits. Georgia manages to join disguised as Joe.

This is French Canadian animation. I like the style for the most part. The message is female empowerment which is strange as the final text reveals that NYPD only started hiring women in the 80's. I don't like Georgia's voice for a teen girl. Although it may work better for the sex switch, she still sounds rather old as a teen. The premise is a bit awkward. It's not a good look that only a few are willing to go work in that firehouse. It rings wrong that all the firefighters are cowards and all the cops are idiots. Ignoring all that, the Scooby-Doo mystery is fine and I like the characters.

Good Animation for Kids

[Shadowed_Mirror · 6/10 · 20 August 2022]

Set in older days when women were not considered fit to work in the outside world because the jobs were too dangerous for them the movie tells the story of a young girl who has her heart set on being a fire fighter.

The animation and the cast of the movie is good. For me the climax and the story fell a little flat. I felt that the important aspects of the characters were not highlighted when it would have provided more strength to their characters. Overall, it might not be fun for adults and young teenagers but children would definitely enjoy a good time watching it.

THIS IS A TERRIBLE MOVIE START FOR 2022

[Rinnyson_brob · 5/10 · 24 February 2022]

THE PLOT MAKES NO SENSE THE GIRL WANTS TO BE FIREMAN BUT SHE CAN'T THEN 10 YEARS LATER SHE SEWS AND THEN WANTS TO BE ANOTHER FIREWOMAN AND AFTER THE NEXT DAY SHE USES BUTT HAIR?! THATS UNREALISTIC FOR BEING A FIREMAN. VERY BAD. AND THERES A TWIST VILLIAN AND IT DOESN'T WORK FOR THIS MOVIE BECAUSE THERE ISN'T A BACKSTORY ON THEM.

no one asked

[mucarog · 1/10 · 31 May 2022]

This movie is so sucks it so bad andd i dont like it she was cringe and the dad died and the dog was 100 yrs old and there was one scene where this guy said something and absultly no one asked him. Trash movie also the cgi was form 1952 so yeah this is a very profesional revew.

Cute, fun movie for kids

[mammathin · 8/10 · 10 March 2022]

Cute and fun, goofy movie, good for children. I'm a pretty easily entertained person and I found it decent.

I only have two issues with this film, but they are pretty minor and easily overlooked.

1. The voice of the main character; she sounds wayyy older than 16, which is the age she is supposed to be, but I grew into it through the course of the movie and pretty much stopped noticing it.

2. The character design for the main character, she is seen working out at the beginning and doing some stuff where she is shown she can easily hold her own body weight and I feel it's very unrealistic that her character looks like she has no muscle mass at all, but then again, its an animation, and a childrens movie, so I can't really ask for realism.

Watched with our 3 year old and she was gripped, loved it!

[jamessparkcomedy · 8/10 · 26 June 2022]

As with most animated movies you have to appreciate they are aimed at children - the initial storyline was easy to follow and accounted for the pack of attention span of children - there were some funny moments and the animation was good so perfectly fine as an adult watching.

The only bit I wasn't convinced by was the villain/weapon element which I think was a bit far fetched for children to follow and popped out of nowhere. This wasn't anything that spoiled the film for us and our little one was watching until the last minute which is always nice for parents!

Absolutely Beautiful Film!

[amyjacksondesigns · 10/10 · 10 February 2022]

A Beautiful film, with stunning Animation!

Very cute characters, and beautifully rendered animation!

I loved the story and the characters, I really loved the adventurous little girl and her Dalmatian.

I loved the music throughout the film, it is a heart warming story with a courage girl at the centre of it!

Awesome film!

[jp_91 · 10/10 · 4 February 2022]

"Fireheart" is a good Canadian-French co-production animated film, the work of the animators is excellent. I was reluctant to watch this movie at first after how bad the also French animated movie "Pil" was, however "Fireheart" has great charm and doesn't ask for anything from well-known animation companies. The script is about following your dreams and not giving up, a common theme but played from the female perspective of the 1930s. In addition, the plot is somewhat inspired by "Scooby Doo, Where Are You!", managing to capture the spirit of the aforementioned animated series. The animation is well done and the air of 1930s New York feels very realistic. A modern classic of animation.

Kids Will Have A Burning Love For This Hot Spot Animation!

[silicontourist · 9/10 · 12 May 2022]

Whilst reading some other reviews I came across one from a female firefighter that I found disappointing in 2 major ways... 1). That she was unable to just leave her job at work and sit back to chill out with a playful children's cartoon; which just happened to be about her real life job. She obviously has long forgotten how to just enjoy herself.

2). That she had the audacity to emphasize the point that she (who nobody outside her circle of life has even heard of) absolutely did not think real Firefighters would enjoy/like this film - how sad is that in that she has such a negative outlook on fun!

Personally! I think this will be a huge hit among kids (and the child within adults also) for years to come. These type of films are meant to be made in the way that will make them appealing to children/kids - who have not yet formed a stagnated brain yet by misinformed/bad teachings of later life - and know only untarnished simplistic fun. That is something many adults would love to have the ability to be able to relive once again!

In the world of cartoons anything is plausible in happening and is done so to add to the fantasy make believe that kids exist in. If it gives one young girl the dream to be a firefighter when she (sadly leaves her best days behind her) grows up, then that's good for the fire departments of the world...but not for the chauvinistic numb-nut firemen within those firehouses!

This is fun, entertaining, visually cool (pun intended 😄 ) colorfully vibrant and delivers exactly what a film is intended to do. Its a good job that the makers of such films who have kids are tuned more to their kids ways of thinking, rather than the far to serious female firefighter who reviewed this; who has forgotten how to separate fun time from work time!

Inspiring and thrilling.

[freitasfaisca · 9/10 · 15 June 2022]

The wonderful story of Giorgia captivates the mind and heart of everyone watching with it's fiery emotions.

This film is a must-watch for any child trying to learn about the values of inclusivity and equal rights for women, because it approaches it in a very subtle way.

The animation style is good, and it manages to captivate the air of a New York that's thriving, past the Rolling Twenties. I genuinely think this is worthy of being a movie from a major studio like Pixar, and definitely deserves more recognition.

"You could have lived your dream.. if you were a boy"

[daisukereds · 5/10 · 19 April 2024]

A Firefighter animation film with a Ghostbusters-like villain.. with a premise out of the 90s.

No surprise here, but this overly-energetic film is aimed at children! With plentiful antics that distract long enough for the movie to be over. There's training scenes, bad guy hidden-identity (that is somewhat predictable) and an "agenda" with a small (but somewhat appreciated) twist. The family dynamic reminds of Inspector Gadget.. with a childish female lead that fails to be charming, and doesn't have the knowledge/training to match her enthusiasm (for a profession she was supposedly denied due to her gender, but still wants more than anything). At least the father is well written and likeable.. everyone else isn't. The music is decent, and it aims high enough to be commendable!

Still, not sure if I would recommend it, as I found it rather boring.