Wonder Park

Honestly, I do not understand how they get such a low score. The film had a beautiful story, with an interesting morality and very important for the life of anyone in the world, this in a fun way. In addition, the film had fabulous characters, beautiful scenes, good actors, beautiful animation and great intelligent humor. Highly recommend.

Fan of Roller coaster Tycoon, or Simulation coasters? Were you one of those people who had an imagination that could take you to anywhere you wanted to think of? Have you wanted to go to a place of wonder where girls didn't blow up to blueberries? Well tonight's movie attempts to bring all of this to you in a package that looks to people overwhelmingly cute. Robbie K back with his thought on yet another movie to hit the silver screen in hopes of not getting lost to the reruns of the theater. Let's get started!

Movie: Wonder Park (2019)

Writers: Josh Appelbaum (screenplay by), André Nemec(screenplay by) Stars: Sofia Mali, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell

LIKES:

Cute Voice Work Special Effects Animation Energy Jokes Imagination Message

Summary: Disney movies make it difficult to try to bring animated features out because of the not so big budget or army of animators/ideas. Nickelodeon is able to still work some charming magic into this piece though, managing once more to bring the cute factor into their film and get the feelings going. It's got some surprising emotional work, with voice acting and story coming together to sell the feelings lying deep in the fun, cute charm that the trailers show. Much like the opening scene of Up, Wonder Park has some surprisingly deep messages that will hopefully motivate the young and refresh the older generations on the importance of imagination and wonder. Sap fest aside though, the movie accomplishes the goal of still being fun, managing to inject the wonder of imagination in terms of visuals and adventures. Nickelodeon's team injects a lot of kid friendly energy into the mix, making an infectious, thrill seeking ride that is perfect for the intended audience. The smooth animation, with high paced speed keeps in time with the nature of the animals and imaginative girl, while the design manages to bring in the magic that theme parks and kids movies have. All the unlimited potential of a child's imagination is unleashed in this film and it is certain to bring you back into the world of pure imagination.

DISLIKES:

Predictable Too Simple Lacking Intense Suspense Short

Summary: As we have talked about, animation movies require a story to be very dynamic, fun, and have a sense of adventure that takes us out of our world. While Wonder Park does semi-accomplish this, it doesn't quite do it as well as some of the other bigger studios have done. For one thing the movie is predictable, all the symbolism, mystery, and potential twists are easily discernible and lacking the finesse and mind-blowing moments that the sister studio is famous for. In addition, despite all the fun that Wonder Park did in helping you relive your childhood, it was a little too simplistic in the adventure department, not quite having the drive or dive that Pixar and DreamWorks is able to concoct. This means for me that there was not too many suspenseful parts in the mix, most of the chases reduced to quick bouts of falling, or lost in another joke. All the dark challenges and impasses are very diluted avenues, that act as symbolic psyche components of humans rather than true antagonists. Yet the main thing that is semi disappointing, is how short the movie is. Clocking in at just around 80 minutes, this film certainly moves fast, but not so much in the good way as the content feels a little lacking to be honest. Oh well, it got me out a little early, but the length may not be the most bang for your buck in terms of the expensive movie ticket price.

The VERDICT:

Wonder park is certainly an important illustration about the important components of life, including the importance of maintaining your imagination and wonder. It makes great use of the kid friendly energy, yet has a few things for adults to latch onto, especially those touching, pull at your heart string moments. Yet despite all the fun I had in this movie, the film still feels like a Nickelodeon tv special that could have been left to the network. It needed some more adventure, it needed more suspense for me, and more importantly it needed more of that magic they talked about. Wonder Park certainly has the makings for a fun merchandising series, it just needs a little more finesse to finish the deal. Worth a trip to the theater? Hmmm kind of, but this one is probably waiting for streaming for most.

My scores are:

Animation/Adventure/Comedy: 7.5 Movie Overall: 6.5

Nickelodeon Movies are back with another movie under their belts, this time back to animation once again, with the concept of a theme park brought to life by a imaginative girl, sounds super promising and could be a strong animated film, so I was pretty excited for the movie after the teaser, with it's perfect choice of music and beautiful visuals, the other trailers went in a comedic way which didn't quite grab me but other wise it's still got me interested, but after it was released in the US, I have not heard great things about it, in fact it sounded quite underwhelming, which is ashamed because from the teaser, it seemed like the animated film that would deliver something strong, so I saw it a few weeks after the US release and....... it really wasn't that bad, I know it's not great but it's watchable at best, so let's talk about it.

June always imagined being the theme park of her dreams to life called "Wonderland", with the help of her Mum (Jennifer Gardner), with animal mascots based on her toys, Greta (Mila Kunis), Steve (John Oliver), Gus, Cooper (Joe Sugg, Casper Lee), Boomer (Tom Baker) and the main mascot and ride creator Peanut (Norbert Leo Butz), but after June's Mum gets ill and is taken to hospital, the darkness in Wonderland is brought in and takes over the park with cute Chimp toys that turn into Chimpanzombies that are now tearing the park apart, so it's up to June to go to the park and help her friends to save the park, well i mean.... you can guess from there what is going to happen, it's pretty predicable from top to bottom, you know what will happen and it will end exactly like how you would imagine, it doesn't take any risks or become interesting since despite it's unnecessary PG rating, it's a safe piece of fluff, with a weak script and it felt so rushed with nothing a lot to take from it, that and the moral and it's theme is all over the place, however despite all that, the movie's execution isn't too bad, it makes up for it with decent comedy, scenes that are generally fun and exciting at times to watch and the first few minutes before June heads off to Wonderland, are probably the best parts of the movie, it's touching, funny, strong and it has a decent set up for the movie, however half way through it grinds to a halt and just becomes a perfectly watchable film, the writing may has not saved the movie with it's predictability, bland and generic elements to it, confusing and rushed, it does save it with it's heart, chuckleworthy comedy and the first thirty minutes being great, so in a way, it's Splendiferous!.

The animation is easily the best thing about the movie, but at the same time it's also the thing that makes the movie not very.... well "movie" worthy, first off it is a very beautiful looking movie, there is a lot of effort that has gone into making the movie, the different rides, the character designs and scenes where the rides malfunction are very well done, making it a pleasant film to look at, however!...... it's not the best looking animated film out there, although it's a impressive looking movie, it's also a very bland looking film, most of the characters look like it was done by a animation student, the Chimpanzombies look very basic and far too similar to the Minions and out of most the animated films, this one feels like it belongs to Netflix, not on the big screen with it's quality and especially opening and ending credits, but despite that, the animation is still a beautiful, but yet fun ride!.

The characters are fine as they are, nothing about them stands out, but they aren't bad at all, June is quite likeable and relatable, although a bit bossy and bratty and a tad bit annoying but likeable, Peanut is probably the best character since he is delightful, interesting, loveable and funny, the other animals don't offer a lot, they deliver personality that may seem stereotypical, like Greta is the boss, Boomer is the one who always falls asleep, Gus and Cooper are the brothers who always fight with each other and Steve is pretty much the comic relief who has a crush on Greta, they are fun I guess?, but pretty forgetful, the parents are okay, although June's Mum has relatability and her chemistry with June is quite sweet honestly, other characters like Banky don't do anything to the movie besides being June's friend and love interest with not that much chemistry, however the voice acting is great, Brianna Denski does a good job as the voice of June, Norbert Leo Butz is spectacular as Peanut, Tom Baker is charming as Boomer, Mila Kunis is fun as Greta, John Oliver is amusing as Steve, as for YouTube vloggers Joe Sugg and Casper Lee, they are okay..., nothing special, just basic and doesn't stand out, but not a bad performance, the characters are a mixed bag, sometimes they have wonderful performances by great actors with some entertaining, relatable and likeable characters, on the other side, they are basic, nothing special, not very interesting all that much and are just stereotypicals.

*sighs* Oh Nickelodeon Movies..... you were close to going back to the 2011's when you did animation in a amazing way, i mean... it's good to see ya back and all, but I'm a bit underwhelmed and kinda disappointed with your new film, it is better then Monster Trucks, I mean far better!, but.... not all that great, Wonder Park is a passable, watchable, perfectly fine animated film, kinda like this year's Boss Baby if you will, it has beautiful animation, a great concept, good voice acting, some funny and likeable characters and it is quite fun, this movie could of been a really strong and powerful movie about childhood and imagination, like Spike Jonze's 2009 adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, however unlike that film, Wonder Park didn't quite hit all the right notes with a predicable story, animation that feels like it came from Netflix, comedy that is juvenile, characters that are nothing special and it feels confusing at the same time, so it's pretty good, but not amazing...., which is a shame, I can see this movie working as a well crafted original movie, but it doesn't quite get that..., honestly if they released this to Netflix then I would of been a bit more forgiving, but as it is, it's..... just fine, if you want to take the kids to see something colourful and that will keep them quiet, I guess go and see this, although Missing Link is still out and that one is far better, take the children to see that, but if you are interested, then see it, it's really not as bad as people are putting it, ignore the critics and form your own opinion on the movie, as for Nickelodeon Movies, maybe the TV series might be better and I hope they improve from this movie, maybe a Tintin sequel or a original movie?, but for now, we'll have to wait and see.

I'm going to give Wonder Park a 7.2/10.

Wonder Park, written by Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec, is a touching film and a magical adventure. It is filled with action, humor and heartfelt moments that make it enjoyable. The movie is all about the power of love and imagination. It is a wild ride of fun.

The movie tells the story of a young girl, June Bailey, (Sofia Mali and Brianna Denski). She is very imaginative and adventurous, which shows throughout the movie. She and her mom (Jennifer Garner) have a very close relationship. Together they invent a theme park called Wonderland, based on figments from June's imagination. It is a whimsical place filled with exciting rides and attractions, such as a flying fish carousel and crazy roller coasters. The park has great characters like Boomer, the narcoleptic bear and Steve, a gentle porcupine. There is also Greta, a feisty hog and a beaver Cooper played by the hilarious Ken Jeong. My favorite character is the monkey Peanut (Norbert Leo Butz), the leader of the park. He is such an endearing character. When June's love for the park is tested, the magic of what she and her mom created begins to disappear. It's up to June to save the park and herself.

The plot is creative. I like the animation and the magical looking effects. I love the vision of the park and the details that capture the theme of a child's mind. All of the areas of the park are vibrant and unique. I love the bendy straw slide and the balloon cove. The scenes match the mood of what occurs in the storyline. One of my favorite parts is when June first comes to Wonderland and sees that her creations are real.

The movie has some emotional moments between June and her mother. We see how June goes from being a happy-go-lucky kid to a sad little girl. We watch her love for the park fade away. However, we see her get her shine back. It is a great story about relationships and the importance of imagination and always believing.

I rate this film 4 out 5 stars and recommend it for ages 3 to 13, as well as the entire family.

Reviewed by Jordan M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critics. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst.org

Wonder Park is a movie that has a pretty cool premise and potential but doesn't quite reach greatness. One issue is the pacing of the films tone, during the first arc it's back and forth between whimsical, cutesy, funny and then dramatic until we get the park. The humor isn't laugh out loud either but their are some laughs to be had. One of the films strong points are the action sequences like the introduction the park at the very start and when June and the mascots are dodging the oncoming destruction of the park set foot by the zombie sock monkey toys (I can guarantee you this is the only movie to that zombie Sock monkeys).

The characters are typical but likable but the relationship with June and her mom is one of the films strong points they get along real well and they time their on screen together is just so precocious and Junes arc of dealing with uncertainties of weather her mom can return to her is when the film has it's best moments. Though the pacing is better in the middle of the film it still isn't smooth as butter I don't wanna spoil too much but there's a scene in which the mascots believe June betrays them and it's shown as a big deal, but the next day after helping with the one of the rides, she regains all their trust instantly.

I'm pretty sure the films issues have to do with the directing, there was some drama where the director was called out for harassment charges and had to leave production, so the studio had to carry on with either a new person in charge who has not been credited as of yet or they pressed forward with what they had done so far, and it's pretty sad cause this movie could have had it's issues ironed out and given likely would have dodged a lot of the criticism thrown it's way.

The movie isn't a broken mess it's just their was a lot more that could have been done with it, as it stands now it's a fun movie even if it feels unfocused and has some mood-swings with the tone from scene to scene. It's also a pretty short movie too.

I should also note that much like Jimmy Neutron Boy genius and Big Hero 6, Wonder park is getting TV series that will air on Nickelodeon in the not too distant future and hopefully Wonder Park gets more justice done their.