Solid and simple fun buckles under own weight.

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2016)

This sequel introduces some memorable new characters, and sets them up within some really quite funny scenes. From scene to scene, and through a child's eyes, this film will deliver.
However, the weight of this jumble of frenetic scenes threatens to collapse the thin narrative and simplistic emotional framework underpinning it all. The scenes and dialogue are great, but there are too many ideas being thrown at a rather flimsy concept. The film feels long, there is too much geographic back and forth. Parts of the film, though entertaining, seem unnecessary in the larger scope of the tale.
It's a fantastic ride for the most part, but the adult in me can't help wonder whether this essentially basic story really needed an entire movie to tell.
For many, this film will provide an entertaining outing into a world we haven't heard from in 13 years. Sadly, while I can appreciate the film's many positives, it feels all too long, tries to do too many things without enough narrative drive, and the main plot was not enough to keep me absorbed throughout.