Approaches Great

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2019)

24 November 2007. Theatrical animation technology has finally reached the dilemma point of having to push ahead towards replacing live action film or retain its distinctive animated nature. Not since the ill-fated FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN (2001) has animation taken the realistic leap into recreating real life forms. Unfortunately, while the creative innovations are used here, they are used inconsistently, with glimpses of the great potential that animated technology can have in delivering an amazing cinematic experience. The qualitative inconsistency between the male and female characters where many of the male characters have rich, densely, layered human appearances, most of the delicate females seem artificial and incomplete for the most part. Even the Angelina Jolie's character, sometimes sumptuously rich, will in the same scene alternate between a realistic image of a creature to just a caricature. The plot outline also has a number of weaknesses, particularly how the Queen's character was not realistically portrayed either she had contemporary morality of faithfulness that didn't match that of the times or would accept later the sharing of her husband. The recovery of a special, cherished item was also mysterious. While there will fabulous animated scenes that clearly justified animation, there were also several scenes that just seemed awkward in the use of animation. The spawn creature was also not fully developed and its relationship to its maker wasn't fully captured on screen. This movie does deserve credit for being a morality tale that isn't what the American audience is used to. Unfortunately, the potential of animation was touched but not fully executed to its greatest effect. Seven out of Ten Stars.