Luck

I sat down to watch the 2022 animated movie "Luck" with my 12 year old son. I hadn't heard about this particular animated movie prior to getting to watch it. So I didn't know what we were getting in for here.

However, I will say that "Luck" is without a doubt an animated movie that is well-worth taking the time to watch. The storyline was very enjoyable and had lots of good laughs to it. And it was something that appealed to both me and my son, so writers Kiel Murray, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger managed to put together a script and storyline that had equal appeal to kids and adults alike.

The character gallery in "Luck" was good, with lots of likeable characters and memorable characters as well. Especially the cat Bob, he was just the star of the show. And with "Luck" being an animated movie, then having a good voice act ensemble is a must, and they definitely had that here, with the likes of Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, John Ratzenberger and even Grey Griffin.

The art style and animation in "Luck" was good, so the CGI animation team definitely churned out a great product with this particular animated movie.

"Luck" was very watchable and enjoyable from start to end, and it is a great combination of good storytelling, funny characters, great locations and just an abundance of great details in every single scene.

If you have the chance and opportunity to sit down and watch director Peggy Holmes' 2022 animated movie "Luck", you should do so. I was genuinely entertained by this animated movie, and it is something I can and will warmly recommend.

My rating of "Luck" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

The beginning of the movie felt like your common flat children's movie. Which didn't having anything for adult to watch and enjoy. The second part adding more depth and in the end and have lessons for adults and children. I felt better about myself, after watching.

I thought the first act was good. The main character is very likeable and relatable. An orphan that grew out of an orphanage and cast into the cold adult world. The story had me hooked. The comedy with Murply's law is extremely relatable lol. Unfortunately, the film seemed to lose its way into a convoluted mess by the second half. The main thesis could still be understood, that of making your own way through life instead of being a victim of circumstances. But they complicated the whole good luck, bad luck screenplay too much that I think children will get lost in it too.

The animations are top notch even if it has a Disney princess vibe to it. I noticed little things like the water droplets falling on the puddles on the New York City streets in the background as the animated characters performed their roles. I think the animators did a fab job with details. It was just the screenplay later in the film was made unnecessary complicated and convuluted.

I was laughing almost constantly for the first minutes, lovely stuff. The finale of the show was fun, loveable and had a good point. The problem is all the stuff in-between. It get very quickly convoluted, convenient and sure it is a cartoon but what are the rules of this world/s? This also has a pacing problem, which is not often you say about a cartoon..

The main character is great and despite me not being a huge fan of this movie I can still see the good and this is by no means bad. I also think that kids might like this a lot more than I did.

At the end of the day I had a decently good time. This was just not that good and entertaining in the middle parts (they should have made the movie 15min shorter) but overall not bad, and I will recommend this to parents and kids - I am fairly certain children will like this.

For me I give this a 6/10. Worth the watch but as an adult I recommend having a few glasses of wine ready for the boring middle parts.

Greetings again from the darkness. "Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you'll have good luck." That's how the old saying goes, and it plays a prominent part in this first animated feature film from Skydance Animation. Directed by former Disney animation choreographer Peggy Holmes, and co-written by Kiel Murray (CARS, 2006) and writing partners Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who teamed on the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise (as well as other projects), the film's approach shifted when Skydance hired John Lasseter as head of animation. You may know Mr. Lasseter as the creative force behind Pixar and such groundbreaking films as TOY STORY (1995), but he's also the guy that faced multiple accusations of workplace sexual impropriety and left Disney Pixar in late 2017. His Skydance hiring brought a change of director to the project, and was the reason Oscar winner Emma Thompson recused herself, replaced by Oscar winner Jane Fonda, who evidently had no such qualms about working for Lasseter.

Sam Greenfield (voiced by Eva Noblezada) is a klutzy 18-year-old who has 'aged out' of the foster home where she has lived. Never experiencing a 'forever family', Sam has maintained a positive outlook on life, despite what she sees as a never-ending streak of mishaps, accidents, unfortunate coincidences, and overall bad luck. She's been very supportive of her younger friend Hazel (Adalyn Spoon), who holds out hope for adoption and is a collector of good luck charms ... missing only a lucky penny. While bumbling through her first days as an independent woman, Sam finds a lucky penny, only to have bad luck strike (in the form of an automatic toilet) before she can deliver it to Hazel. And soon, Sam is chatting up a talking black cat (Simon Pegg) before they both enter a portal that whisks them to the Land of Luck.

It might seem odd that a black cat brough Sam her first taste of good luck, but as the story develops, so does their friendship. The Land of Luck is run by a dragon (Jane Fonda), and it's her Captain (Whoopi Goldberg) that has it out for Bob ... and the shenanigans that Sam brings to this new world certainly don't help. The Land of Luck consists of leprechauns and four-leaf clovers, rabbits (none missing a foot), and pigs (never knew they were considered lucky). Down below the Land of Luck is the land of Bad Luck, and it's Jeff the Unicorn (a terrific Flula Borg) who is charged with keeping the 'right' mixture of good luck and bad that gets sent to the land of humans. Yes, it's all a bit convoluted, but what the movie gets right are the colorful visuals and the fun characters. Sam, Bob, the Dragon, and Jeff are all memorable in their own way.

It seems pretty clear that John Lasseter's fingerprints are on the final film, as influences from INSIDE OUT and SOUL are quite evident ... although those films are far superior. Where this one falls short is in memorable and pointed storytelling, always a strength of Pixar. We are left a bit befuddled on the takeaway message. Are our lives determined by a mixture of good and bad luck? What about making our own luck and forging our own path? Taking responsibility for our own actions and building our own network of friends and acquaintances seems every bit as important as whether the toast lands jelly-side up or down. Despite all that, it's a pretty solid first animated feature from a studio likely to continue to improve as more projects are released - assuming they have the best of luck!

In select theaters and on AppleTV+ on August 5, 2022.