Abominable will take you on a thrilling and emotional ride filled with heart, a journey of self-discovery and friendship, well worth checking out.
“When mischievous friends Yi (Chloe Bennet), Jin, and Peng discover a young yeti on their roof, they name him Everest and embark on a thrilling adventure to reunite the magical creature with his family. On the journey of their lifetimes, Everest helps Yi, Jin, and Peng unlock an inner bravery they didn’t know they had. And as they travel across China to return the magical creature to his home, Everest will help them discover where they truly belong, too.”
From the creators of How to Train Your Dragon, Abominable tells the heartwarming story of a young girl named Yi whose father has recently passed away, and feels lost and incomplete in navigating the world around her. Withdrawn from her family and friends, it isn’t until she discovers an escaped creature on the roof of her building that she feels some kind of connection to another living thing. With the creature scared and confused, she hides it from the company owned by wealthy businessman Mr. Burnish (Eddie Izzard) and his zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) who will stop at nothing to obtain the creature. Yi devises a plan to take her new friend she’s named Everest, to his home, Mt. Everest, and picks up some concerned neighbors Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai) who reluctantly join her on her journey across China to reach the Himalayas, each learning who they truly are and forging an unbreakable bond.
There have been an abundance of Yeti/Bigfoot children’s films as of late for some reason, but out of all the ones I’ve seen, Abominable may be the best. What How to Train Your Dragon did in portraying the bond between a character and an animal was nothing less than spectacular, and that same heartwarming magic is in place in this film. Yi’s relationship with Everest is more than just a friendship, it teaches Yi more about who she is and that she is more than capable of navigating the world by herself without her father, giving her confidence and independence to attempt to move on from the pain of her loss, while remembering him in her music. It also teaches her that as much as she can do alone, having people there for you is always helpful, which helps her from being so closed off to her family and friends. These themes are perfect for a children’s film to help guide kids in a meaningful way while telling a fun and engaging story at the same time.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the story was the setting. Traveling across China to Nepal we are subjected to all kinds of interesting cultural differences that aren’t prevalent in other children’s movies, exposing younger audiences to new things and ideas. Instead of having American characters come in and interact with the yeti as like in Smallfoot, Abominable doesn’t side-step the location and tells a story based in that part of the world. It’s a decision I really enjoyed and respected, making it a better story over-all and more meaningful.
The main characters were all well written, Yi especially and her journey of discovery in regards to her losing her father. Jin and Peng were more of comic reliefs, with Jin too busy with posting selfies and being obsessed with his phone to commit to the journey ahead, eventually discovering his real self instead of the fake personality he presents himself online to be. There are some great sequences with him and his phone that will surely make children and adults laugh. Peng’s love of basketball and dream of playing professionally may never come true, but his dedication to practice and believing in himself aids their journey in more ways than one. Then, there’s Everest. Dreamworks has a knack for giving animals and non-verbal characters some of the most moving performances in their films. Everest is full of love and curiosity, much like a large dog, who is longing for home. For me, he ranks right up there with Toothless as one of my favorite characters in the Dreamworks films. As usual though in children’s films, the protagonists aren’t as developed as the others, but there is an interesting shift toward the end of the film that wasn’t expected.
Video
Abominable is presented in 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. The High Dynamic Range presented here looks absolutely fantastic, with such vibrant and brilliant colors that contrast beautifully with the whites in both Everest himself and the eventual change in scenery to white snowy mountains. The scenery before also impresses with ever-changing colorful displays of Asian culture. With some stunning animation and the brilliant brights and deep darks of the HDR, the 4k is definitely the way to go when seeing this film.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos, and is equally as impressive as the video transfer. There is heavy utilization of the surrounds and atmos speakers as helicopters constantly fly overhead while the search is on for Everest throughout their journey. There are also some great action sequences that really work out the surrounds, with dialogue sounding crisp and clear from the center channel. The score is also powerful and moving, especially whenever Yi plays her violin and the music echoes throughout your system.
Special Features
This set contains all bonus features on the 4k disc as well, providing them all in 4k resolution. There are tons of extras on this set that will keep you entertained after the film ends. These include:
- Dreamworks Short – Marooned
- Show & Tell (Original Short)
- Deleted Scenes
- Making a Myth
- Animating Abominable
- Meet the Cast
- Your Yeti Care Guide
- Courage to Dream
- An Abominable Tour with Chloe Bennet
- Everest’s Talk Box
- Cooking with Nai Nai
- How to…Abominable
- You Can Speak Yeti-Ese
- Nai Nai Says
- Audio Commentary
Abominable is a heartfelt journey of discovery and friendship. Although these yeti films are in abundance as of late, this should not be discarded as just another knockoff. Entertaining and very emotional, Abominable will leave you with a smile on your face the whole way through.
