È arrivato il Broncio

Went to see that with my kids. We were all totally bored. Biggest attraction was popcorn.

In a magical world, a wizard known as The Grin (Ian McShane) comes to the kingdom of Groovingham along with his fiancé, Mary (Amy Thompson). The Grin tries to spread happiness throughout the kingdom, but an overzealous blacksmith causes a fire while under the influence of his spell leading to a fire in the kingdom that The Grin is blamed for. Mary helps The Grin escape, but is soon captured by Groovingham's soldiers and is exiled to another world as punishment. Several years later, Mary tells her grandson, Terry Dexter (Toby Kebbell) stories of The Grin and has published them as an author and used them as a basis for an amusement park. When Mary passes on, Terry inherits stewardship of the Park but his reluctance to change anything from the way Mary left it has lead to drop offs in attendance and accumulation of debt. Terry while repairing Mary's balloon car discovers a crank for the car which takes him to the world of Groovingham where The Grin is now known as The Grump and intends to seek revenge of Groovingham by placing a spell of gloom on it. The care free Princess Dawn (Lily Collins) soon finds herself on the run alongside Terry with Dawn seeking to end her Kingdom's curse and Terry to find his way back home.

Here Comes the Grump also known as A Wizard's Tale is an adaptation of the 1969-70 animated series Here Comes the Grump by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng. The series featured a simple premise of 10 minute segments with the main characters of Terry Dexter and Princess Dawn traveling around a strange world in search of the McGuffin the Crystal Key that would lift curse from Dawn's kingdom (that we were never made privy to the nature of) and eluding the evil wizard hunting them named The Grump. The show never really had much staying power in the United States where it aired to moderate success with one season, but was apparently a much larger success in Mexico hence why this film is a Mexican co-production. Here Comes the Grump didn't really have much substance as a show with the main selling point being in the bizarre novelty of different lands or creatures Terry and Dawn encounter along with slapstick that came about from the Yosemite Sam inspired Grump falling victim to backfiring plans or bad luck. Having seen a few of the episodes of the TV show it was just okay, it didn't really do anything particularly special and I think Jay Ward did much of the same things it tries to do with Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends with better writing and a lower budget, but as far as cartoons from that era go it's harmless. Unfortunately A Wizard's Tale is nowhere near as okay as its inspiration and doesn't even pass the standards for mediocre animated films.

The movie comes to us from Ánima Estudios the same company behind Top Cat: The Movie and Top Cat begins, and while I don't think A Wizard's Tale is as bad as those two, it certainly rings of something from the same creative team. The movie's initial set-up was very middle of the road with the film trying to create a "sympathetic" Grump, and already out of the gate that's a sign we won't get a faithful adaptation because the Grump in the show was a petulant jerk who reveled in how big a jerk he was. Sure we never got any real back story for our characters in the show and you have to give the audience something, but it probably shouldn't be something that undermines the core concept of the thing you're adapting. The animation is also very muddy and while it's not the worst 3D animation I've seen, everything has a plasticky look to it with blurry textures that look pretty cheap. And then there's Terry Dexter and Princess Dawn, oh boy. Both Terry and Dawn were basically blank slates in the original show as their purpose was to serve as straightmen to the oddness of the lands they visited or to The Grump's attempts to capture or hinder them. Here however they're not great in the additions made. Terry's now a very whiny and obsessive prat whose desire to save his grandma's theme park might have held weight if it wasn't taken to Grey Gardens levels of disturbing. And then we have Princess Dawn who's design with oversized eyes is really off putting and is so airheaded she doesn't want any responsibility and just wants a "Prince Charming" to rescue her. It's pretty hard to put any stock into Dawn rescuing her Kingdom when she really doesn't seem to care.

And then there's the movie's humor. On occasion the film does have some inspired moment such as mood changing darts in a chase sequence where Terry and Dawn first meet, but most of the time the film consists of poorly timed slapstick that pales in comparison to what was on the original show or just bizarre jokes that make you scratch your head at best or rub your temples in frustration at worst. A baffling setpiece takes place at the Bloonywoonie Kingdom (which appeared in the actual show) and is a particularly cringe worthy sequence as the Bloonywoonies are strange hipster caricatures who have a hooka-den/coffee shop analogue that's clearly an analogue for drug use (as Princess Dawn indulges some and exhibits certain "behaviors") which would be bad enough in and of itself, but they take it a step further by having them fend off against the Grump using Twitter......I'm not joking, the Bloonywoonies have a major sequence in this film where they fend off the grump by using their smartphones and tablets to say mean things in social media posts that somehow turn into physical manifestations of hashtages, poop emojis, and etc. And it's such a lazy pandering sequence.

A Wizard's Tale (Here Comes the Grump) takes a cartoon that didn't have that much substance to begin with and somehow does less with it than the original show did. The characters are awful, the animation is mediocre at best, and the humor is either ill timed slapstick or painfully stupid. There's no reason to watch this, I probably shouldn't have even watched it. But I did, and I have to live with that now.

Unless I saw it after all and just didn't know it or forgot, I can claim no familiarity with the cartoon that this is based on. Being so far removed from a cartoon that aired 50 years ago, I also don't think that necessarily matters. Those behind the film were given the task of making these characters matter for folks who had never seen or weren't even aware of the preceding material, and possibly throwing in references for those who did. To sit and watch this 2018 movie - well, it's not that I think that primary objective was completely unmet, or that this wholly fails, but unfortunately it doesn't take long for it to start to make an impression as a very mixed bag, with distinct issues that limit the entertainment.

I find no fault with the animation. Ánima Estudios' designs are imaginative, and the otherwise work put in by Prime Focus World is smooth and on par with most any 3D fare one finds in modern TV cartoons, or films from studios outside the industry titans (Pixar, DreamWorks, Disney). I think the voice work in and of itself is just fine. Writer Jim Hecht penned a screenplay with some splendid ideas, and some notable cleverness, and Andrés Couturier's direction is technically competent. All this is well and good. The problem, however, is that when one looks closely at the details the ends to which all these facets were guided are rather unremarkable, if not altogether questionable in too many ways.

The editing is often noticeably curt, cutting off scene unnaturally. Broadly speaking the voice acting is fine, but the participants (stars Toby Kebbell, Lily Collins, and Ian McShane above all) have been guided into performances that mostly lack real, believable depth, personality, emotion, and nuance; it's as though we're generally getting only the most basic idea of what each character should sound like. This sadly echoes the tenor of 'A wizard's tale' overall, for the fantasy world of Groovingham is a hodgepodge of everything, but without any apparent rhyme or reason except "Just Because." Despite blips of cleverness or good ideas - e.g. The "mood darts" of the henchmen, the Oracle, or the broad strokes of the plot - the writing is kind of all over the place. There are too many ideas, and the feature may have benefited from having one or two dropped from the narrative or Groovingham at large; at the same time, the dialogue and scene writing are often weirdly simplified, as though this were geared toward the youngest of the youngest viewers. This isn't an inherently bad trait, yet I don't think Hecht's screenplay provides nearly enough balance with elements that older audience members could equally enjoy (such as fleeting use of the English-language version of Nena's 1983 hit "99 Luftballoons"). In the same vein, humor and "action" carries an ethos recalling the plainly outlandish gags or violence of, say, 'Looney Tunes' or 'Merrie Melodies.'

True, much of this is in keeping with the tack of 'Here comes the Grump' in the first place - the abject cartoonishness, the simple storytelling, the "anything goes" mentality of Groovingham. If nothing else I have to admire what seems like an effort to create a true full-length adaptation of an animated series that was brief but beloved, and even though I don't think the voice acting is all that it could have been, it's unquestionably superior to the straightforward work of the 1969 series. However, the fact remains that 2018 (or 2023, as it were) is not 1969; modern animated fare needs modern sensibilities, and a greater tinge of earnestness and complexity. The same pure, deliberate childishness that characterized the production of DePatie-Freleng Enterprises can't sell to any but the most innocent and unknowing of children now, yet glimmers of wit aside, that's just what we get in this title. As if to emphasize the point, major plot points to come are readily discerned and predicted by the time only about 16 minutes have passed, and themes tend to be broached with a heavy hand. The sequence in the Balloony Kingdom embraces utmost cartoonishness for its own sake, and the one to follow isn't much different. This is to say nothing of racial and cultural stereotypes that define multiple supporting characters, which is truly just mind-blowing.

With all this having been said, I can honestly say that I actually did enjoy 'A wizard's tale.' There's a lot to love about this, from the cast and the fundamental animation, to the brightest and best ideas that went into it. Despite outright goofiness, the sincerity of the intent is unmistakable, and I appreciate the effort put into this by all involved. Ah, but if only the project were approached more mindfully; the entertainment and otherwise value is evident, but the same is true of the flaws to at least the same extent. Changes to the supporting characters, more modern notions of humor and animated films, more aspects to appeal to older viewers, more finesse in the writing, editing, and direction of the voice work - to list them out this may seem like a lot, but I don't think it would have actually taken much to improve upon the movie as it presents. The foundation is there, and the rest of the production just needed little tweaks. Ultimately this is passably satisfying if one comes across it, and I am curious to watch more from Ánima Estudios, Prime Focus World, Hecht, Couturier, and all others on hand. Still, there are many other titles out there that are more readily deserving of one's time, and the recommendation 'A wizard's tale' earns is only a soft one. By all means, watch it if you have the chance, but don't feel the need to go out of your way, and temper your expectations.

It might be because I was under the influence, seeing as how alot of people seem to have hated it...but I actually didn't mind it? I mean yeah it wasn't great, there were some pacing issues, especially in the beginning. But I certainly wasn't bored watching it, I actually laughed a couple times. I'm not super familiar with the original show, but from what little I've seen I recognized alot from the movie right away. The show wasn't bad either honestly. The world the movie is set in really is kinda trippy and is really unique. The characters, while some of them could've probably used work in the looks department, were at least dynamic and had shown character development and change by the end of the movie. Overall with more budget and and better pacing I think this movie would've been alot more popular.

A Wizard's Tale (2018), directed by Andrés Couturier, is an animated fantasy film that attempts to bring a magical world to life through a quirky, humorous lens. The story follows Terry, a young man who discovers that the wacky fairy tales his grandmother once told him are not only real, but far more dangerous than he could have imagined. As Terry embarks on a journey to rescue his grandmother, he encounters balloon kingdoms, dopey police dragons, and an array of strange characters, all while navigating a world that is not as cheerful as it first appeared.

The voice cast, including Ian McShane, Toby Kebbell, and Lily Collins, brings energy to the characters, but the performances feel underwhelming given the potential of the material. Terry, voiced by Toby Kebbell, is a likable but somewhat bland protagonist, and while McShane's character adds a touch of gravitas, the film doesn't fully explore the richness of its magical world or characters. The whimsical setting and colorful animation style do their best to create a sense of wonder, but the visuals often lack the depth and polish needed to fully immerse the viewer.

The film's pacing is uneven, with certain moments dragging on longer than necessary and others feeling rushed. The narrative, while lighthearted, lacks the emotional depth or compelling stakes to make it resonate beyond its surface-level adventure. The humor, aimed at both children and adults, falls flat at times, with jokes that feel forced or out of place in the context of the fantasy world.

Despite its whimsical premise and colorful world, A Wizard's Tale doesn't manage to capture the magic of more successful animated adventures. It's a fun, family-friendly watch, but it lacks the substance and charm to make it truly memorable.

Rating: 4/10. A whimsical adventure that never quite reaches its potential, offering light entertainment but little emotional or narrative depth.