Surprisingly Mature

Rating: 9/10 (6 December 2004)

The most unfortunate thing about this film was how underrated it was when it came out. To be honest, when I heard about it, I thought the animation looked simplistic and was another straight to video deserving flik.
But when I actually got to see it finally on TV it blew me away. Not only was the animation actually an artistic and in a few ways a technical achievement (nicely handled discrete use of CGI), the story and dialogue were far more sophisticated than the usual strand of kid's animation. So much so I became far more intrigued emotionally by the characters and the major plot twists then I have been by many live action movies. The humour was also subdued to short well timed bursts, not completely unbearable like some tripe i've experienced. The story is also told in a way that is logical; characters react accordingly to events and everything happens in a way that can't be questioned and is completely understandable, not overly simplified for the younger audience. Plus the ending was satisfying and a great way to round off an unforgettable experience.
It's a shame therefore that such an emotionally vibrant and surprisingly mature animated movie has to be judged on how good it is just by how much cash it rakes in, a dire fate that many a movie has been subject to. 10/10