Howard Lovecraft is the adventurous story about a young boy from the 19th century who must travel an undersea kingdom to rescue his captured mother and father. Aside from the real Henry Lovecraft who was an American horror fiction writer in the 19th century, little Howard is the star of this animated film. Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom takes you on a wild adventure to protect his father’s journals as he battles evil with the help from Dr. Henry Armitage. Howard and Dr. Armitage use the power of the journals to free his loved ones and defeat the evil forces once and for all.
I was actually very entertained with the beginning of the movie. The tone was so dark including the animation which was pretty exciting to see coming from a children’s film. I liked the idea of the transitions from the other world and the real world. It made the film more interesting because of its use of supernatural abilities which made up most of the plot.
I was a little confused as to the importance of Howard’s father’s journals. There was never really a clear explanation of why these journals possessed so much power. I kind of pieced the connection together that his father must be an advanced scientist for this time period and holds magical abilities. I also was not sure how the connection between the undersea kingdom related to Howard and his world or how it began.
After I did my research, I became aware that this film is just one of others which are based on novels by Bruce Brown and Dwight L. MacPherson. In each film, Howard battles evil with his companion Spot and continues his journey to success. I was actually surprised to see there were others considering I never even heard of these series of films.
I was a bit thrown off from the animation because it was so digital, but not in a good way. The graphics were as if I were watching a video game. Every character moved at a slow pace and it was just weird to watch their movements like that the entire movie.
I did appreciate the various colors to indicate the magic that was taking place. The warp tunnel that the characters went through looked so cool and looked three dimensional. One of my favorite scenes was when Howard and Dr. Armitage are in a secluded outside area practicing magic. The colors used to display the magic was bright and did not look too digital or animated.
The Blu-ray edition comes with special features that include an interview with co-star, Jeffrey Combs. The bonus features also includes a trailer of the film itself. Unfortunately, this is not available on the digital edition. The digital copy is available to stream on multiple devices such as a mobile device, tv, computer, or a tablet
Overall, Howard and the Undersea Kingdom was just alright. I expected something more entertaining but the plot seemed to go in circles. I would recommend the film to young children who love adventure. It is a fun way to keep them entertained because of the multiple magical scenes.
