Buka. Moyo lyubimoe chudishche

Right, well I had no idea that I was watching a Russian-made animated movie when I sat down here in 2023 to watch the 2021 animated movie "My Sweet Monster". It never struck me that the movie might be a dubbed version. But nonetheless, I watched the animated movie with my son.

I had no expectations really to the movie, as I hadn't heard about it prior to sitting down and watching it. But I will say that writers Aleksandr Arkhipov, Dmitriy Novoselov and Maksim Volkov put together a rather enjoyable script and storyline. It is definitely a story that follows an archetypical fantasy fable formula. But it works out quite well.

The version that I saw, the Englished dubbed version, had the voice talents of the likes of Pauly Shore and Jon Heder on the cast list, along with others whom I was unfamiliar with. And it was actually because of Shore and Heder on the movie's cover that I thought this was an American produced animated movie.

The animated movie could have fared better without the singing, especially since the English voice cast were relatively unable to carry proper notes. Most of the singing in "My Sweet Monster", at least in the English dubbed version, was rather cringeworthy.

Something that really impressed me about "My Sweet Monster" (with the original title being "Buka. Moyo Lyubimoe Chudishche") was the CGI and art style. The entire world in which the story took place had such an overwhelming attention to detail that it was just spectacular and breathtaking. It looked marvelous and it really made the world come to life on a very gratifying manner on the screen. I will actually say that "My Sweet Monster" is well worth watching for the CGI graphics themselves.

I was genuinely surprised and entertained by "My Sweet Monster", and if you enjoy animated movies, then you definitely should give this one a chance, should you have the opportunity to do so. It is an animated movie that has an appeal to children and adult alike.

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

I never thought I'd notice dubbing in a cartoon/CGI, but interestingly enough, you can see that the lips don't move with the words. It's originally a Russian language film.

It's overall plot and subplots are extremely cliché, but it was entertaining as background noise. The movie starts off slow and takes a little too long to get the story really going. And then it took too long to end.

Musical numbers were pretty good and colors throughout the movie were mostly bright. I didn't notice anything that would cause uncomfortable parent/child conversations. Kids might find the story more captivating than this jaded adult.

Did anyone watch this movie? Is this Russian botnight? I was pleasantly surprised with the opening. How it wanted to grasp a steampunk like magic. But everything was clunky. The story, the animation and the acting. Horrible from A to S.

W A R N I N G: Pauly Shore sings.

Other than that, it's an enjoyable little movie.

The . Animation . Is . Near . Realistic . For . All . The . Scenery . While . The . Characters . Held . A . Cartoonish . Appearance. The . Story . Was . Simple . While . The . Characters . Kept . It . Fun. Most . Of . The . Singing . Was . Enjoyable. I . Merely . Wanted . To . Watch . A . Lighthearted . Cartoon . And . That . Is . Exactly . What . This . Was, . A . Very . Nice, . Lighthearted . Little . Cartoon/animated . Movie. I'm . Trying . Very . Very . Very . Hard . To . Attain . . the . Minimum . Words . Goal . But . I . Really . Don't . Have . Much . Else . To . Say.

My Sweet Monster is the kind of animated film that feels like it's trying to capture the magic of better, more polished fairy tales but doesn't quite hit the mark. The story is one you've seen a hundred times before-an unlikely hero, a misunderstood monster, and a journey that predictably leads to friendship and understanding. While this formula isn't necessarily a bad thing, it does make the film feel overly familiar, lacking the spark that would make it truly stand out.

One of the biggest drawbacks here is the animation. It's clear that the budget wasn't on par with some of the more prominent animated features out there, and it shows. The animation often feels stiff and cheap, with character movements that lack the fluidity and expressiveness you'd hope for. This detracts from the overall experience, making it harder to fully immerse yourself in the world the film is trying to create.

Despite these shortcomings, My Sweet Monster does have some redeeming qualities. For one, the villain is surprisingly enjoyable. The voice acting for this character is lively and engaging, making the villain easily the most memorable part of the film. Additionally, there's an undeniable charm to the movie, even if it's a bit rough around the edges. It's the kind of film that kids might enjoy despite its flaws, and there are a few moments that even adults might find amusing.