Ferdinand

First let me say my physically 37 year old but mentally 4 year old son (umbilical cord around neck cut off air at birth/brain damage) thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was a bit slow in the middle at one spot I thought, but generally entertaining for me as well.

There is a reason this is PG, namely that it is about bulls that are raised for fighting in the ring - If you know the story of Ferdinand you know the basics, and the movie included some elements from the book so those were nice to see.

There are some of the usual innuendos these cartoon movies only adults will understand, but the characters are varied enough it keeps the movie hopping along. Towards the end the young bulls realize the bull never wins in the ring, thus bringing the subject of death into the movie, the momentum quickly shifts to the comedic as the characters break out from their confines, and in the end they all live happily ever after...Entertaining, likable, not a classic but good little movie.

The central concept of having a bull that would rather smell flowers than fight isn't a bad idea for a kid's story as it promotes a sweet message. The main character as well as the supporting characters were likable. There were 3 German show horses in the field next to the bulls and these horses would act like they were superior to the bulls. At one point there was even a dance off between the horses and the bulls, which although completely unoriginal, it was funny. There was also a joke involving 3 hedgehogs and Spanish numbers, which was also hilarious. The most creative (although overly extended) joke was a sketch literally involving a bull in a china shop. These as well as some of the action scenes that were impressive. As well as Cena, I thought there was a pretty good supporting voice cast which they did good. Overall, Ferdinand is a fine movie with a nice message.

Ferdinand is an over-the-top cartoony movie about a massive bull who's expected to be a fighter but only wants peace. It gets wildly energetic, sometimes to the point of being too much. The crazy goat, especially, is a really bizarre character that sometimes makes me laugh and sometimes just makes me uncomfortable. But if you're in the right mood and don't take it too seriously, there are some pretty silly and funny moments in the movie. Something I like too is that most of the characters, for all their quirks, have a moment of vulnerability. The few calm moments reveal a lovely message about putting down arms and soaking in the simple joys of life.

It seems that some people think the jokes in this movie fall flat and there is too much unnecessary clutter, but I honestly really really loved this movie. It was a reluctant choice after not finding anything else playing that we wanted to see, but man am I glad we saw it!

Ferdinand is the cutest bull I've ever seen, and I have to say I'm not familiar with this studio's other films but I thought the animation style was wonderful. I especially liked the wide range of expressions on Ferdinand's face throughout the movie, with a few close-ups that really captured the perfection of those expressions well.

The story itself was inspirational and heartwarming, full of examples and discussions on being yourself and breaking the mold and not letting anyone else define who you are. There were some heavy-handed moments that I'm not sure a younger viewer would understand, or possibly that may be too bleak for a very young viewer. Some of the humor was a little more adult-oriented, but most of it was clean, although sometimes rather stupid. The ending is pretty much exactly what you'd expect of a feel-good kid's movie, and I liked it very much.

It may be a bit generic with a predictable plot and some cliché characters. Some of the voice acting may be a bit jarring and the animation is simply OK. Still Ferdinand delivered humor and warmth in spades. I could not stop laughing! Even when the jokes were corny, the corniness fits right in with a soft-hearted, flower loving bull that wouldn't hurt a fly.

A pretty good, feel-good family movie for when you just want some light watching.