The kid (5 year old, hasn't seen more than five feature length movies in her life), liked it well enough, so that's good enough I guess? Everything is great if you experience it for the first time or something? Mission accomplished movie.
1 star for that, one for the world itself even if there could have been done more with it, and another because while rehashed, the messages are at least timeless and good.
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As for the movie being frightening. While my kid wasn't, so what? Kids need to be frightened sometimes. It's a good learning experience and if anything a plus. Nightmares or no nightmares. If your kid is frightened by this, talk about it. It'll be fine soon enough.
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Now. I like kids movies. if there's anything good in them. Be it jokes for the adults, charm, great animation, creativity, or even just plain goofy fun.
There's nothing, NOTHING, suprising, funny or original in this movie. Clichee characters, story, jokes, everything. To the last detail, everything this movie has, you have seen somewhere else, just better. It's almost funny to remember the movies this one plucked its stereotypical beats from.
I'm not expecting Pixar quality in the animation department from a mediocre budget German production, but I *do* expect a certain amount of script quality or some fresh ideas, wether it's a movie for small kids or not. Wether it's an adaptation or not. Give me SOMETHING movie! It didn't. Nothing. This movie is completely devoid of any and all creativity. Which is sad to see. The property itself is a great thing for kids, sad they didn't do much with it.
Maybe I'm jaded and seen to many movies.
As a final sidenote, this movie is based on a weird rockmusical thing for kids, so there are a few "rock"... ish songs in it. Fine. But did those absolutely need to be twice as loud as the rest of the movie, even the action scenes? Really obnoxious, bad mixing there.
