Animation

Film review, by Jason Day, of Abominable, the animated movie about a Yeti who escapes scientists in China and travels with a girl (voiced by Chloe Bennett) to return to his home, Mount Everest.

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Synopsis

Teenager Yi (voiced by Chloe Bennett) is denying and ignoring the death of her father the year before, spending her time keeping busy with various to avoid dealing with her loss, much to the consternation of her mother and grandmother.

When she finds an injured Yeti on the roof of her apartment block – hiding from evil scientists who captured him days before – Yi sets off with the Yeti and her friends Peng and Jin to help Yeti return to his home in Everest.

Review, by @Reelreviewer

They only wanted your trousers, Dave.

After the visceral, grim, odd-bod Joker I really needed to follow it with some fluffy filmic stuff. Thank heavens for this gorgeously animated, lyrical Dreamworks/Pearl offering – the perfect antidote and vigorous tonic to two hours being ‘entertained’ by someone’s mental breakdown.

I had been waiting to see Abominable for a while, as it was trailed around the time that the dreadfully dull Smallfoot was released. Where Smallfoot failed to grasp the imagination – it barely registered with my young nephew – Abominable belies its name and is a truly magical joyride.

Moving and tear inducing without ever being mawkish, Abominable shows that even this critic is occasionally wrong. I had thought the best years of the modern animated blockbuster were over. Abominable shows that it still has a few peaks left in its range.

The humour is great and it’s the very small supporting roles of the science team’s goons that provide it, as well as an errant ‘Whooping Snake’ who springs up throughout the film to relieve any lags in the action.

The film does drag at the beginning – the first 20 minutes are on the wrong side of tedious – but this helps make the next hour or so soar.

As the Yeti is revealed to have magical powers that can bend and augment the world around him, Yi starts to play her violin again and the movie combined some truly eye-catching moments and stunning, classical music.

Also on the soundtrack are Coldplay, whose sweetly affecting song Fix You highlights how the Yeti helps mend Yi and her friends, effortlessly mixing into narrative.

With superb vocal acting and good star support from Eddie Izzard and Sarah Paulson (managing to sound like Minnie Driver with her British accent), Abominable has a big title character, an even bigger heart and will please all ages.

See the official UK website for more.

Cast & credits

Director: Jill Culton, Todd Wilderman. 1hr 37 mins/97mins. Dreamworks Animation/Pearl Studio. (U)

Producers: Suzanne Buirgy, Peilin Chou, Dave Polsky.
Writer: Jill Culton.
Camera: Robert Edward Crawford.
Music: Rupert Gregson-Williams.
Sets: Max Boas.

Chloe Bennett, Albert Tsai, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Joseph Izzo, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, Tsai Chin, Michelle Wong.