Solid themes, mediocre narrative

Rating: 7/10 (6 May 2020)

Though the sentiments of the movie were great, the storytelling was poor. The movie begins with a brilliant montage and sets the stage for a strong redemption arc. After the first scenes, the film does not concern itself with any element of realism despite there being human protagonists. The army of talking dogs is quite obviously a disappointing crowd-pleaser. Who doesn't love dogs right? The narrative is further bogged down by a mediocre villain who's life-long motivation is to capture a chocolate-loving "beast". The final "fight" scene was abysmal as well. The last moments were emotionally potent, however, as Carl and Russell fill the father-son void that both of them lack. It was charming to see Carl overcome his attachment to the house that symbolizes his grief and angst towards the death of Ellie.
All-in-all if the quality of the narrative matched the character development, Pixar would have another classic.