Jungle Beat: The Movie

Cute, but kind of cute, the story is cute, but it didn't captivate me, neither the pink elephants, nor the excluded alien, nor the banana-dispensing monkey, without cute...

The animation and imagery are excellent. The problem is, most of the characters are forgettable. Well, maybe not that, but most are 'borrowed' from established films. (Madagascar?) There are a great, many animated movies that can entertain the entire family. This is not one of them. Young children might find humour in a good many scenes The story is nice and heartwarming. Many of the voice actors are great, but they lack chemistry together. A valiant effort, but falls short of the standard set by Pixar et al.

Although the movie appears fairly simple in characters, the poignant and important life's lessons are not lost on young kids or old folks. It takes a simple theme of assisting a lost 'alien' to not feel lonely and return him safely to his home (like good friends should do). The simple metaphor of a "warm, fuzzy but pounding intuitive emotion" is clearly explored and will be absorbed from young kids all the way through. This feeling being more important then pleasing a larger peer pressure group, inherited expectations or old fashioned values of the world. When trust is gained, support and love felt, and the feeling that' you are not alone nor the odd one out, magic happens within. The breaking barrier of generational habits, herd mentality and fear is explored in a comedic journey of some simple African animals who know no better or nothing else then to hug, stick together, adventure and have each other's backs. The idea of friendship value systems being true compared to accomplishing pointless quests for the senseless reason of 'it was done this way before' makes this a rather wonderful timed juxtaposition of many kids and adults alike in the 21t century. Head over Heart. Breaking unreasonable tradition for more honest relationships. Mostly that kids have always taught the older generation and times are changing so be open to new leadership and new traditions.

Sweet movie with strong positive family values. My younger brother really enjoyed watching Fneep's journey into the jungle and following his friendships as they developed. The movie includes adventure, friendship, challenging harmful systems, adorable characters that learn to stand up for themselves and each other, familial love and highlights the power of second chances. All of the characters present undergo some sort of change whether it be that they find their strength or find their identity.

I love everything about this movie. The plot was overwhelmingly joyful and the characters were delightful!! This movie is one that I am proud to watch with the kids!