Smallfoot

Kids movies have a deserved reputation for handling simple ideas. Accept people who aren't like you. Believe in yourself. You can overcome grief. Don't be a dick.....ok maybe not that last one. You get the idea. Family movies have simple themes to resonate with the widest possible audience. Dreamworks has leaned on this a bit more than other animation studios. So today's movie is going to cover.....healthy skepticism and critical thought? What is happening at Dreamworks? I dig it. Alright let's do this.

The movie centers around a community of Yeti who live by a series of superstitious rules ranging from boulder to collection to ringing a gong to make the sun come up. But when the soon-to-be gong ringer Migo accidentally comes across a human, he goes of a journey that could upend his people's way of life.

Like a lot of recent Dreamworks fare, Smallfoot is another enjoyable for all ages film with pop songs, big name voices, and extended bits of physical comedy. Channing Tatum is a perfect guy to voice the overly enthusiastic Migo, the songs are bouncy (if not memorable), and the jokes mostly land. I also like how much detail goes into the yeti and how the film distributes just enough variations on its snowy backgrounds to provide visual contrast. It's a comfy film.

I'll admit the physical gags get tad tired, since almost all of them are extended prat falls involving Migo, and the ending isn't as satisfying as it could be. But that's not why you should see this movie. 

You should see this movie for its story.

And at first the plot seems easy to predict. Migo discovers a human, which they call a Smallfoot, but almost everyone else doesn't believe him. That is except for a small group yeti portrayed as conspiracy theorists that want to send Migo down the mountain to find a "smallfoot" and bring it back. And as it so happens Migo stumbles across a nature show host Percy who's about to stoop to a conspiracy of his own to boost his ratings.

Thus Migo and Percy can meet up and bond and redeem themselves in the eyes of their respective communities. But nope that's just the second act resolution before the movie reveals that its really about the dangers of blind superstition (and using said superstition) over facts.

I can't undersell what an outlier this is in family movies, especially those by Dreamworks, but I love it. The film hammers this home by making the belief structure within the Yeti community comically misguided, like the aforementioned Looney Toons styled gong that makes the sun rise. It's stuff that kids should already know is off, which makes Migo's situation sympathetic to kids and adults.

I think it's incredibly important to tell kids that the world is full of scary possibilities and uncertainty and you need to confront it.  Be skeptical. Ask why rules exist. And be really skeptical of anyone who insists on rules that contradict your experience. That's gutsy as hell.

Verdict: Fun and Bold

Though it failed to make a splash upon its release, Smallfoot deserves credit and viewers for its refreshing message. 7/10.