Based on one of Germany's most popular children's books MOONBOUND tells the story of little Pete who embarks on an enchanting journey together with June bug Mr. Zoomzeman and the Sandman to rescue his little sister from the evil Moon Man.
If one were to over-simplify Moonbound (separate from its source material), they would perhaps call it a reimagining of the classic Wizard of Oz. Being transported into an unknown world with strange creatures, and a handful of magical creatures, and an all-powerful magical person that the protagonists must reach to get home and save the day. All that is missing is a pair of shoes and a dog.
That would, however, still be an oversimplification of the story. In fact, there are so many superfluous characters and motives and underutilized personality attributes that the story could have easily been turned into an epic adventure tale if the writers and animators were bold enough. Perhaps, I am getting a little distracted and off-task.
Moonbound is a well-animated family film. With character designs not dissimilar to Dreamworks or Illumination Studio designs (think exaggerated and disproportionate details), Moonbound brings that decidedly European animation style; bringing focus to textures, renders, and warm, soft colour palettes. Character movements are exaggerated at times, and there is a heavy emphasis on physical humour, which all comes together to create a film that will catch the eyes of children, and keep them quiet for a good 90 minutes.
Where the film isn't so good, is in the coherence of the story. Perhaps some elements are lost in translation, but for a film that is so devoid of injuries to appeal to younger audiences, it seems peculiar to frequently use words and phrases such as" narcolepsy" and "occupational hazards" repeatedly. It's not like they would be difficult words to substitute, but it makes you wonder whether the silence in the film theatre was from kids engrossed in the film, or kids who had no idea what was going on.
Adults were in the minds of the animators and screenwriters, with plenty of classic pop culture jokes that would go over the heads of the little ones, and garner a chuckle or two from the older audience members, and clearly, some of the writers and animators were of the older generation, with an important character being portrayed as a "ditsy millennial". The remainder of the cast is diverse in appearance, even if they are one-dimensional caricatures.
Despite the lack of proper character development and an absolute cacophony of unrelated characters and events, Moonbound is still an entertaining feature. The quality of the animation is pleasing to the eyes and comforting, and the world-building is imaginative and filled with wonder. It has strong female characters, with our main protagonist's little sister having the strongest will and emotional maturity far beyond her years. It puts a new spin on old ideas and works slightly outside of the usual Hollywood formula, which keeps the feature feeling fresh. definitely worth checking out.
Moonbound is in cinemas from July 8, 2021
Originally posted to: https://djin.nz/Kr8875