Have you ever watched a pretty decent movie over a weekend and then never gave another thought about it after? That might just be Abominable for you.
Abominable is written and directed by Jill Culton, who has been a story artist for a couple of Pixar classics such as Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Monsters Inc.
Abominable has the ‘Pixar formula’ scribbled all over itself – The main character pursuing a passion against all odds, every single character having an arc and a villain in the grey area. Don’t get me wrong, these are definitely fantastic elements that great films possess. However, it just does not emotionally hook you as strong as it should have.
The film greatly depends on external forces such as mythical creature powers, mythical creature powers…and more mythical creature powers to force ‘character development’ and drive the plot forward…to the point where it might just cause parents to disconnect and fall asleep on their children’s shoulders instead.
But thanks to mythical creature powers, Abominable makes way for some solid visual scenes that are sure to get kids glued to the screen! Alongside this, the film also features some magnetic animated landscapes of China and the Himalayas, complementing the magical side of the film well.
Despite its visual scenes, the slightly amateurish direction of the film lacks cinematic grandeur and can feel like you’re watching a telemovie (nothing against telemovies we love you, High School Musical).
On the bright side, Abominable is definitely a feel-good movie that entertains. It is clean, fun and even funny at times. Nonetheless, it lacks punch and is nowhere near the first or even second tier of animated movies that have been made.