Ferdinand The Most Relaxing Animated Movie of 2017

While the powerhouse giants of Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, and Illumination Entertainment jostle with the yearly releases of animated features, Blue Sky Studios is somewhere trailing behind them; caught in their dusty cloud smoke of racing to the “success” finish line. Originally connected to 20

In 2002. The film itself, which starred the voice talents of Ray Romano, Denis Leary, and John Leguizamo, was generally well-received by the both critics and the general moviegoing public as it somewhat launched the studio into a contender in children’s animation motion pictures. Unfortunately, while trying to build an Ice Age franchise brand, its subsequent sequels (i.e.

) were subpar to its original, lacking a wholesome narrative and feeling derivate to other animated film projects out there. Additionally, with the

The Art Of Ferdinand (hardcover)

Films were faced with mixed reviews and received a mediocre return at the box office, placing the animation studio behind the curve against its competition, which were producing either superior cartoon endeavors. Now, after a year of solid animated films (i.e.

; based on the beloved children’s book by Munro Leaf. Does Blue Sky Studios make their mark on the 2017 year with their latest animated movie or does it fail to make a lasting impression?

Being born at Casa del Toro and raised into a legacy of bullfighting, Ferdinand (John Cena) merely wants to spend his days smelling flowers, living a peaceful life that’s threatened by bullies such as Valiente (Bobby Cannavale). Unfortunately, tragedy strikes the tender-hearted bull with the loss of his father, who’s killed in the bullfighting ring, finding Ferdinand running away from his home and is found by young Nina (Lily Day) and her family. Growing up strong yet delicate, Ferdinand finds peace with Nina’s family, who raise the bull as a pet, giving him the love he craves. After an incident of rampaging through town, Ferdinand is taking away from Nina and returned to Casa Del Toro, where he comes across childhood bull friends, including Bones (Anthony Anderson) and Guapo (Peyton Manning), some new faces, including Agnus (David Tennant), old enemies (i.e. Valiente), and unusual friendship with the goat Lupe (Kate McKinnon), who shares a desire to train Ferdinand into becoming a fighting bull. However, due to his size and strength, Ferdinand is soon marked as a potential for bullfighting, acquired by El Primero (Miguel Angel Silvestre), an arrogant matador who collects various bulls, hoping to select a prime opponent for his latest bullfighting match. Soon learning of what becomes of the bulls selected by El Primero and the fate of those sent to the nearby slaughterhouse, Ferdinand plans a escape plan, only to find himself soon caught in the crosshairs of helping his friends and showing the world the meaning of “don’t judge a book by its cover”.

Film Review: Ferdinand

As a fan of animated movies, I’ve seen my fair share of kid’s cartoon films to have a pretty good idea of what’s make them memorable or (at the very least) good in children / family entertainment. Like I said above, the releases under Blue Sky Studios have been mediocre, especially when compared to the other releases made by their animation studio competition. For me, the

Movies have been hit and miss with me, finding the odd number entries to be better than the even ones. Still, while I did find some enjoyment in them (i.e. a few comical parts and the solid voice acting talents behind the various characters), the

Were pretty mediocre, which isn’t a good thing for being the signature franchise brand of Blue Sky Studios. There other non-Ice Age films are just as okay as most are either pretty forgetful (

Review: Ferdinand (2017)

, Blue Sky Studios’s latest release. Naturally, I remember reading Munro Leaf’s classic children’s book (i.e. The Story of Ferdinand) several times when I was younger. I even remember watching Disney’s 1938 animated short

As it was usually attached to several home releases compilation as well as appearing on TV several times during my youth. Of course, the core message of Ferdinand is a palpable one, one can resonate within everyone, which is why it is still a beloved story to read. Thus, this peaked my interest when I first heard about the movie

. To be honest, I really didn’t here much internet buzz about this movie until they (the studio) decided to release the first trailer for the film. Of course, I instantly fell in love with the movie as well as Ed Sheeran’s song “Castle on the Hill”, which played throughout the first trailer as well as the second trailer released. Despite the fact that this movie was being released the same weekend as the much-anticipated film

Ferdinand [blu Ray + Digital Hd] [2017]

, I decided to purchase a ticket to go see this new animated film. However, me actually doing my review for Ferdinand fell through the cracks and a bit delayed, but I’m doing it now (hooray!). What did think of it? Well, I actually liked it. Despite of some small problems here and there, Ferdinand still manages to be a wholesome and entertaining kid’s flick, especially thanks to the voice talents as well as keeping the core heart of the narrative intact. It may not beat out a Pixar latest film

). Thus, given that career in working in both animated films as well as Blue Sky Studios, Saldanha is the perfect choice in directing Ferdinand. To be quite honest, his directorial work on this film project is perhaps his best endeavors of all his Blue Sky Studios features, with Ferdinand finding more of a balance with its audience viewers and storytelling, which is pretty straightforward. The film’s screenplay, which was penned by Robert L. Baird, Tim Federle, and Brad Copeland, does provide a lot of kid-friendly entertainment, navigating through its main tale, with plethora of animated side-characters and humorous jokes and gags that did make me laugh (out-loud) several times. While there’s enough distraction and entertainment value, the film’s ending (the last fifteen minutes) is where the movie shines the most and speaks to the heart and within its Leaf’s moral center.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect (and most engaging) of the film is the fundamental value that it presents. Yes, Leaf’s original thematic message is still there, but the movie adds to the message by expanding on certain elements. Naturally, the message of “being yourself” and “never judge a book by its cover” is what I’m talking about, but the movie also talks about the masculinity and society’s (in general) position on it. Yes, other films (both animated and live-action) have touched upon this issue, but it fits great within the context of Ferdinand in both its story and messages. Speaking in general terms, men (males) must fit / act a certain way (don’t show emotion, don’t cry, be manly, etc.) or they are labelled feminism and sometimes branded as “outcasts”. It’s sad, but it’s true and

When “the Story Of Ferdinand” Was Fodder For The Culture Wars

Is a great platform to at least bring to light (with kid’s gloves on) and shows how an individual can overcome such adversities and just “be themselves”, which is a universal thematic message to learn.

Also, while the animation isn’t as high quality (more on the below), it is still pleasing to the eye, with plenty of bright and vibrant colors when displayed on screen. Additionally, the film’s score, which was composed by John Powell, is solid, with plenty of musical melodies playing throughout the film that invokes a variety of emotions (i.e. be it comedic sequences and / or dramatic poise). Lastly, the film’s main song, which is titled “Home” by Nick Jonas, is actually pretty good and quite catchy. I’ll even admit that I bought the song (via iTunes) already. Still, I think that Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on the Hill” is a better song.

(Pixar’s latest animated endeavor), this film lacks a sharp animated design. As I stated above that the film’s animation is good, but it’s not as expressive and intricately detailed as

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Was. I know Pixar is one of the premiere animation studios out there and I know that everyone animated movie out there can’t be held on the same standards as a Pixar film, but it’s still noticeable of the two different styles in animation quality. Ferdinand’s animation just keeps it with the status quo to the industry standard of cartoon animation (i.e. it doesn’t break any new ground). The other problem I found with the movie was several of added content into the main narrative. While the essential core fundamentals of Leaf’s book are still there, Saldanha (and the story and screenplay writers) add material to the “beef up” the children’s picture book story into a full-length animated film. Of course, this is fairly common when adapting a children’s picture into a film. However, this sort of “new” material added isn’t usually the best. Such is the case in

, which involves Ferdinand venturing into a slaughter house to save one of his bull companions, which is kind of “dark” idea to put into a kid’s movie. There’s also a few chase scenes, a break dance competition between the bulls and three obnoxious horses, and three sidekick hedgehogs, and so