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rj_andersonI never imagined I was going to even feel compelled to see this movie, let alone enjoy it. The trailers looked cute, but gave so little hint of the plot that I really didn't know what to expect, let alone whether it would appeal to anyone but little kids who think animals dressed up as people are funny. In the end, I only took my kids to see it because it had such a good critical rating and I hoped it would pleasantly surprise me.
But I loved it. I loved it SO MUCH. It was everything I wanted and didn't know I was going to get from a movie like this.
It's a bickering odd-couple adventure! No, it's a hustle, sweetheart. [1] It's... a sort of interspecies romance complete with declarations of love that gave me more shippy feels than Justin and Mrs. Brisby from THE SECRET OF NIMH, and that's saying something? Only the payoff isn't a wedding but the two of them being buddy cops until death does them part [2], which is both admirably consistent worldbuilding and wholly satisfying in its own way.
Judy was just such a great character with her determination and idealism and willingness to take responsibility for her mistakes, and Nick was the perfect sly foil who makes good in the end (I loved his Tragic Backstory, even if I'd pegged him as a thwarted idealist from the beginning). And the in-jokes, oh, the in-jokes. I knew to expect the Godfather homage because "Mr. Big" was in one of the trailers, but the Yak being voiced by Tommy Chong was hilariously unexpected. And IDRIS ELBA and J.K. SIMMONS both voicing major characters, never mind Peter Mansbridge, DID CHRISTMAS COME EARLY OR WHAT.
[1] I love hustles, and Nick's are brilliant. Especially in partnership with Finnick, the tiny fennec fox who has both a perfect name AND a voice that made me laugh every time.
[2] I am going to resist the urge to look up the relative lifespans of foxes to rabbits, because that can't end well.
I want to see it again. Not in the theatre, probably, but when it comes out on video I'm definitely making my husband and oldest son watch it.
But I loved it. I loved it SO MUCH. It was everything I wanted and didn't know I was going to get from a movie like this.
It's a bickering odd-couple adventure! No, it's a hustle, sweetheart. [1] It's... a sort of interspecies romance complete with declarations of love that gave me more shippy feels than Justin and Mrs. Brisby from THE SECRET OF NIMH, and that's saying something? Only the payoff isn't a wedding but the two of them being buddy cops until death does them part [2], which is both admirably consistent worldbuilding and wholly satisfying in its own way.
Judy was just such a great character with her determination and idealism and willingness to take responsibility for her mistakes, and Nick was the perfect sly foil who makes good in the end (I loved his Tragic Backstory, even if I'd pegged him as a thwarted idealist from the beginning). And the in-jokes, oh, the in-jokes. I knew to expect the Godfather homage because "Mr. Big" was in one of the trailers, but the Yak being voiced by Tommy Chong was hilariously unexpected. And IDRIS ELBA and J.K. SIMMONS both voicing major characters, never mind Peter Mansbridge, DID CHRISTMAS COME EARLY OR WHAT.
[1] I love hustles, and Nick's are brilliant. Especially in partnership with Finnick, the tiny fennec fox who has both a perfect name AND a voice that made me laugh every time.
[2] I am going to resist the urge to look up the relative lifespans of foxes to rabbits, because that can't end well.
I want to see it again. Not in the theatre, probably, but when it comes out on video I'm definitely making my husband and oldest son watch it.
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