After seeing a glowing review for Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, which referred to it as a worthy sequel/successor to this film, I decided to go back and do my homework. I'm very glad I did. This film has an absolutely genius high concept premise. It's clever. It's funny. It's ambitious. One of the most impressive things about it is just the licensing arrangements that must have been necessary to pull it off. This is an idea that easily could have been a missed opportunity had it used unlicensed characters, but instead we get cameo after cameo featuring the greatest hits of animated characters. Just like we've seen recently in things like Ready Player One or Free Guy, having this kind of licensing power behind a film really adds a lot of value and helps sell the premise (i.e. it feels more like our world with a tweak, rather than some totally unfamiliar world).
Of course, even outside those fanservice-y elements, this film still packs a punch. The way it layers a classic noir detective murder mystery onto a PG film full of cartoons is masterful. I almost have a hard time even calling this a family/kid movie given how many adult elements are weaved into the story. It's a combination that you don't really expect to see, and it pulls it off in style. Of course, this is due in no small part to the stellar talent on both sides of the camera. Bob Hoskins is perfect as the jaded gumshoe and the production is all top notch, including both animated and live action elements.
Unfortunately, despite everything that it has going for it, the movie didn't stick the landing for me. The entire final set piece was a pretty big disappointment. It dragged on longer than I would have liked and relied on some questionable writing and hokey/unearned reveals. But even here, the ending isn't necessarily bad, it's just a couple steps down from the brilliance of the rest of the film.
As an aside, I've definitely seen the cover of this film over the years and, let me tell you, I had no interest in watching it based on that cover. Now, I imagine this kind of film is hard to advertise, and I certainly don't have any better suggestions, but it just goes to show how impactful advertising can be.
Review by SkinnyFilmBuffVIP 8BlockedParent2022-05-26T04:19:12Z
After seeing a glowing review for Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, which referred to it as a worthy sequel/successor to this film, I decided to go back and do my homework. I'm very glad I did. This film has an absolutely genius high concept premise. It's clever. It's funny. It's ambitious. One of the most impressive things about it is just the licensing arrangements that must have been necessary to pull it off. This is an idea that easily could have been a missed opportunity had it used unlicensed characters, but instead we get cameo after cameo featuring the greatest hits of animated characters. Just like we've seen recently in things like Ready Player One or Free Guy, having this kind of licensing power behind a film really adds a lot of value and helps sell the premise (i.e. it feels more like our world with a tweak, rather than some totally unfamiliar world).
Of course, even outside those fanservice-y elements, this film still packs a punch. The way it layers a classic noir detective murder mystery onto a PG film full of cartoons is masterful. I almost have a hard time even calling this a family/kid movie given how many adult elements are weaved into the story. It's a combination that you don't really expect to see, and it pulls it off in style. Of course, this is due in no small part to the stellar talent on both sides of the camera. Bob Hoskins is perfect as the jaded gumshoe and the production is all top notch, including both animated and live action elements.
Unfortunately, despite everything that it has going for it, the movie didn't stick the landing for me. The entire final set piece was a pretty big disappointment. It dragged on longer than I would have liked and relied on some questionable writing and hokey/unearned reveals. But even here, the ending isn't necessarily bad, it's just a couple steps down from the brilliance of the rest of the film.
As an aside, I've definitely seen the cover of this film over the years and, let me tell you, I had no interest in watching it based on that cover. Now, I imagine this kind of film is hard to advertise, and I certainly don't have any better suggestions, but it just goes to show how impactful advertising can be.