Post by Vits on Jun 1, 2020 13:03:43 GMT
THE WILLOUGHBYS is one of those animated movies where certain characters are always safe despite being seconds/inches away from something dangerous (which isn't funny) while other characters are like lightning rods of bad luck (which is cruel). Humor should be more balanced. Not to mention that, once this "hierarchy" becomes obvious, the jokes become predictable. The performances are good and there are some unique elements, like the characters having been designed as hand-made figures (hair made of wool included) and their catchphrases that involve wordplay. However, it also borrows things from many other movies/books, such as A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (even down to the "If you want a cute family movie, this isn't for you" opening joke) and STUART LITTLE (the location of the house). At the beginning, a cat explains who the titular family are. He says "And then this marriage had--", we hear the sound of a baby crying, and the cat says "Well, you know." That's true: We know. We can figure out things without an explanation. Why do we need you (or anyone else) as a narrator? Throughout the plot, Jane (the daughter) sings snippets of a song. It sounds catchy every time. It's not a spoiler to say that she eventually sings the whole thing. When she does, her voice sounds raspy. I guess it's supposed to feel raw, but it sounds bad, plain and simple. The pop version is played during the end credits. It's so overproduced that it's not snappy anymore. Now, it's fine if you want to make a dark comedy about negligent parents. Actually, that can make a movie targeted at kids edgy in a good way. However, don't bring the real world into a story like that. Social services? Foster homes? You're forcing the viewer to apply logic. Since a lot of the humor comes from purposefully unrealistic situations, it's damaging. Jane and her brothers Tim, Barnaby A & Barnaby B come up with a plan to become orphans by tricking their parents into going on a trip and never coming back.
5/10
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When they're adopted by different families, they feel bad for being separated from one another, so they decide to go looking for their parents. They say that the abuse is worth it as long as they're together under the same roof. No, it's not played for laughs; they're dead serious! What kind of message is that?! If they had completed that mission, this would've been a truly despicable movie. Instead, their parents leave them to die in the middle of a snowstorm. Linda (their nanny) and Commander Melanoff (the owner of a candy factory) save them. Since they've acted like true parents, the right decision is obvious: They adopt the 4 children and they all live happily ever after. Here's the problem: The siblings never realize that going back to a broken home was a bad idea in the 1st place. In a way, that messed-up message remains.
5/10
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You can read comments of other movies in my blog.