Sinbad : La Légende des sept mers

My Take: Revives the old-fashioned Sinbad adventures of yore with the style and wit of modern animated movies.

More fun than Disney's own seafaring adventure of 2001 ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE (an under-appreciated film which I loved), Dreamworks' SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS has everything an exciting adventure should have: Action, romance, and a whole lot of laughs. Action-packed and sharply funny, SINBAD is a marvelous little film that keeps the joys and appeal of the rip-snorting old-fashioned Sinbad films of the 50's/60's.

The fast-paced storyline sets you off to the high seas and doesn't lose track. Brad Pitt is delight as the voice of the wisecracking Sinbad, a seafaring pirate who is framed by the evil Goddess of Chaos (savory Michelle Pfieffer) on stealing the legendary Book of Peace, which unites nations in harmony. While his trusted childhood friend Proteus (voiced by Joseph Fiennes) courageously allows to take Sinbad's place in execution, Sinbad sets of to find the book in order to save his trusted friend... or does he? Proteus' fiancée Marina (voiced with glee by Catherine Zeta-Jones) accompanies Sinbad on his voyage to make sure he fulfills his due. Also accompanying Sinbad on this lovely and perilous voyage is the audience, young or old, who will definitely have a rollicking good time with this film's successful melding of action and comedy... something for both the children and the adults will enjoy.

Once again, Disney has found great competition for an animated entertainment in this terrifically enjoyable adventure. Adults will have much to be surprised themselves (even if they had that final kiss scene coming). Lots of fun.

Rating: **** out of 5.

Took the kids to see Sinbad. We all enjoyed it. I thought the animation was great. Just because it isn't Toy Story 3 doesn't mean it isn't good. In fact the shapeshifter was just amazing.

There are a couple points in the movie where the dialogue seems to take longer than necessary, but overall it's action packed.

My kids are 3 and 6. They loved Nemo, they loved this.

I was surprised that Sinbad was seen as a failure. I loved the animation and the storyline. It was a PG rated animated movie, what should be expected? The drawing was on time, the voices were great and the adventure was mesmerizing. I would take my grandchildren to see it again just as an excuse to view this cinematic treasure again.

I realise that it may be premature to call this film overlooked, but with both Disney and DreamWorks sounding the death knell for cel animation, this film has yet to receive its due.

First off, this is a gorgeous film to look at. The CG work may not be quite seamless, but this seems to be an intentional decision on the part of the directors, and it wasn't jarring in any way. The colour palette is well chosen, and the characters are well-drawn and stylised.

Second, the voice performances are great. Brad Pitt has always been an underrated actor in my opinion, so his performance here was, no surprise, excellent, as were those of Joseph Fiennes, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Third, the pacing is great. This is a film that breezes by with plenty of action and a welcome lack of potty humour. There are scenes where vomit and bare bottoms are used, but not nearly to the same tasteless effect as most children's films these days.

Finally, my kids loved it. They had a lot of fun, and so did my wife. This is not a crowd easily pleased by movies, so this is really saying something.

I personally don't mind Dreamworks. They are either hit(How to Train Your Dragon, Prince of Egypt) or miss(Shark Tale, Bee Movie), but when they are good, they are good. Sinbad:Legend of the Seven Seas was surprisingly good and a thoroughly enjoyable animated film. It could have been longer though, and one or two parts could have done with more excitement. That said, the traditional animation is excellent, very colourful and vibrant, and the score is energetic and has a sense of adventure. The story mostly is engaging, with a sequence with seductive sirens standing out as well as the exciting escape from a bird of prey, and the script is smart and witty particularly the banter between Sinbad and Marina. The characters are likable and very well voiced. I am not the biggest fan of Brad Pitt, but he does a solid job as a somewhat flawed yet likable Sinbad, while Catherine Zeta-Jones is fine as the sassy Marina. Eris is quite sinister and fabulously voiced by Michelle Pfeiffer. In conclusion, a thoroughly enjoyable movie. 8/10 Bethany Cox