Les inséparables

A marionette called Don is tired of being the fool of the play. He wants to be the hero. He escapes the theater workshop into Central Park where he partners with DJ 'Didier' Doggy Dog, a hip hop stuffed bear. They go on their misadventures.

This seems to be trying for Toy Story with Don Quixote. I'm fine with that. After all, a couple of the writers were involved in Toy Story. The animation is a step below top notch theatrical release. Sometimes it does detract from the movie. I am not in love DJ Dog and the two thieves feel like they come from a 90's movie. Apparently, all the characters come from the 90's.

As the advertising has insisted, this is essentially a retelling of Don Quixote through a Toy Story like world. Except of just toys, puppets and animals also talk, and there appears to be no unspoken rule about hiding from humans, which makes the set up especially confusing, given some things we later learn.

Animation wise, it's generic CGI, but the imagination sequences have a vivid painted style, which is quite pleasant to look at.

Story wise, the comparisions to Toy Story are really unfavourable, as this features a much more by the numbers plot, including a somewhat forced third act break-up. I will give credit, however, in how creative some of the actions by the characters are, as well as the concept of a self-run puppet show

Overall mid.

If you're up on your Cervantes, then you will appreciate just why "Don" is fed up with being the butt of all the jokes amongst his puppet fraternity and so, in despair, sets off to tilt at a few windmills (without or without distressed ducklings). Along the way, he encounters the battery powered "DJ Doggy Dog" and they have some fun adventures together rescuing the needy. Meantime, back at their home the other puppets are under threat from two young burglars who want to kidnap and sell them. It's just by pure chance that our two dragon-defeating cavaliers stumble upon the warehouse where his erstwhile friends are being held captive. Can they figure out a way to save them from the bubblewrap? This is quite a fun action film that's peppered with some fun dialogue, imaginary derring-do and it delicately reinforces messages of team-playing, loyalty, family and not getting your electronic toys wet! The pace is quite good, the animation engaging to watch and though I'm not entirely sure what demographic it's aiming for, I still found it entertaining with a slightly more grown up "Pinocchio" style of storytelling.

Very entertaining plot, it has similarities to that of the classical Don Quixote, however the hero is not just some detached idealistic dreamer, his visions help him to solve the problems that he is facing, and to gain real friends in the process. I think this is teaching kids to value their own imagination and how it has the potential to transform their world, and to value their own reality around them. I think this movie deserves more love than it is getting right now. I think that this is not just a rerun of the Toy Story movie, the move has a lot of merit in its own right. I think it is of educational value an is also very entertaining.

I watched this in 2024 and I never knew that the writers are the one who wrote Toy Story so that's why they are kinda similar, although I loved the twins as the villains like Trolls 3 and the Don's imagination animation is really good, I can't believe that this company is underrated and not really well known. I appreciate the animators who animated the 2.5D parts and the 3D parts, shout out to them.

I really love the characters, especially Dee cause she's shows that she's not just a "damsel in distress" but she can be a hero or a fighter, and Don is such an interesting character to this day..