Ferdinand

This may not be a Pixar movie, but it still is worth your time. It has some wisdoms of life, tells you it is ok to break out of structures while growing up and finding yourself and other positive (I would call them that) messages. Of course this also has jokes about incest and death - though both well "hidden" inside jokes. So something for the adults to enjoy snickering about and something I reckon kids wouldn't get in its entirety.

Good animation, funny dialog and an interesting set of characters add to the overall fun you can have with this. The voice performances are also really fine. Story works for the little ones but also the big ones watching with them (or without - there's no judging who watches it, anybody can).

Ferdinand is an over-the-top cartoony movie about a massive bull who's expected to be a fighter but only wants peace. It gets wildly energetic, sometimes to the point of being too much. The crazy goat, especially, is a really bizarre character that sometimes makes me laugh and sometimes just makes me uncomfortable. But if you're in the right mood and don't take it too seriously, there are some pretty silly and funny moments in the movie. Something I like too is that most of the characters, for all their quirks, have a moment of vulnerability. The few calm moments reveal a lovely message about putting down arms and soaking in the simple joys of life.

It seems that some people think the jokes in this movie fall flat and there is too much unnecessary clutter, but I honestly really really loved this movie. It was a reluctant choice after not finding anything else playing that we wanted to see, but man am I glad we saw it!

Ferdinand is the cutest bull I've ever seen, and I have to say I'm not familiar with this studio's other films but I thought the animation style was wonderful. I especially liked the wide range of expressions on Ferdinand's face throughout the movie, with a few close-ups that really captured the perfection of those expressions well.

The story itself was inspirational and heartwarming, full of examples and discussions on being yourself and breaking the mold and not letting anyone else define who you are. There were some heavy-handed moments that I'm not sure a younger viewer would understand, or possibly that may be too bleak for a very young viewer. Some of the humor was a little more adult-oriented, but most of it was clean, although sometimes rather stupid. The ending is pretty much exactly what you'd expect of a feel-good kid's movie, and I liked it very much.

If adults are going to review this film they should first ask what the children thought. Why some try to analyse these type of films is beyond me. It's old style fun and happy ending we all enjoyed as kids. If you don't have any, borrow one or two, because you'd have an excuse to enjoy a bit of fun. Don't want to bring up any religious connotations but I did fall in love with a goat.

The central concept of having a bull that would rather smell flowers than fight isn't a bad idea for a kid's story as it promotes a sweet message. The main character as well as the supporting characters were likable. There were 3 German show horses in the field next to the bulls and these horses would act like they were superior to the bulls. At one point there was even a dance off between the horses and the bulls, which although completely unoriginal, it was funny. There was also a joke involving 3 hedgehogs and Spanish numbers, which was also hilarious. The most creative (although overly extended) joke was a sketch literally involving a bull in a china shop. These as well as some of the action scenes that were impressive. As well as Cena, I thought there was a pretty good supporting voice cast which they did good. Overall, Ferdinand is a fine movie with a nice message.