WHOA! WHAT'RE ALL THE RAVES FOR?

Rating: Null/10 (12 December 2002)

I drove 50 miles (what? only 50?) to see this because I was SURE
I read multiple rave reviews for it. Was I dreaming? Or are we so
easily impressed today after years of South Park and The
Simpsons that we've completely forgotten how great animation
can be?
So, OK, I thought, I guess the reviewers were blown away by a
wonderful story. A half-hour went by, then another half-hour, then
another and eventually another. Nope, can't be the story. The
story's nice, heroic, a little scary, a good morality tale for little kids.
But on a school night there were no little kids in the theater. There
were some technically brilliant flashes of animation, especially in
Sen's facial expressions. All told, maybe 5 seconds' worth. I'd call
it a 50/50 movie. 50% YES for kids, 50% NO for adults out for an
evening on their own.
So if you've got 6-year olds take them to the Saturday matinee.
Otherwise stay home, save the baby sitter money, tuck them in and
read them a book. It'll be time better spent for all.