Smallfoot

“An animated adventure for all ages, with fun new music by Zendaya and Common and featuring an all-star cast, Smallfoot turns the Bigfoot legend upside down when a bright young Yeti (Channing Tatum) finds something he thought didn’t exist – a human! News of the “smallfoot,” Percy (James Corden), throws the simple Yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village. This epic story about friendship and courage is a “great movie for everybody big, small hairy…and anotherwise!” (Mark S. Allen, ABC-TV).”

Smallfoot opens in a tranquil Yeti town where the simple life is bliss for all residents. Their daily routine begins with the ringing of the gong which they believe raises the sun, one of the most important jobs in the village, which Migo (Channing Tatum) is training to take over from his father, Dorgle (Danny DeVito). Their society is based on the beliefs etched in stone which tell them they live on an island in the clouds with nothing below. They are taught not to question the stones by any means, told to stuff any questions they have deep down until they go away. Ignorance is truly bliss as the village, Migo in particularly, seems very happy accepting everything he’s told. However, when a practice run of ringing the gong sends Migo hurdling over the confines of the village to the edge of the mountain, he sees a plane crash, a contraption he’s never even conceived of before. Inside he finds the pilot, a Smallfoot, who is whisked away when his parachute catches the wind and is carried gently down through the clouds. Migo quickly runs to tell his village of his discovery, but after the plane falls off the cliff and the evidence disappears, the village only has his word. The Stonekeeper (Common) tells Migo that Smallfeet don’t exist, because the stones say they don’t exist, and saying he saw one is basically saying the stones are wrong. Migo can’t lie to himself or others, so he accepts banishment from the village for making such claims. With the help of Meechee (Zendaya), Gwangi (LeBron James), Kolka (Gina Rodriguez) and Fleem (Ely Henry), Migo braves the unknown to go below the clouds to prove what he saw was real.

Down in the human world, Percy, a somewhat washed up animal expert looking to come back from dwindling ratings, concocts a scheme to fake a Yeti sighting in order to have his videos go viral and to get back on top. He gets more than he bargains for when a real Yeti shows up and from his perspective takes him prisoner. The two attempt to communicate with each other, with Percy filming the entire thing. Eventually, Percy agrees to go with Migo back to his village to show everyone that Smallfeet do in fact exist. With the entire village in wonder as Percy shows them new and exciting things that open up their minds to endless possibilities, the Stonekeeper takes Migo aside to tell him the truth. The stones aren’t real, and only exist to keep the village safe from the cruelty of humans that almost annihilated their species long ago. Migo must now choose whether to lie to his people to protect them or be honest and take the risk and open their world to much bigger possibilities.

Smallfoot at its heart is a film filled with some great themes for kids and adults alike. Besides friendship and courage the movie promotes, it also promotes curiosity, knowledge, questioning the status quo and not blindly following edicts or teachings without the desire to learn how and why things are the way they are. This theme can be dangerously controversial, as the parallels between the stones of the film and religion are hard to ignore, but the film walks the line carefully, not to create a stance one way or another. Instead, it focuses on obtaining all the information possible and making an informed opinion, but still has a degree of faith added in, faith that there is good in the world. The film also promotes integrity, as Percy initially wants to deceive his viewers with a fake Yeti just to get ratings and popularity but has a change of heart when he sees what the exposure of their village would do to them. This selfless act goes a long way in providing a good moral core to the story.

The film balances the humor and the thematic elements quite well, obviously appealing to kids mainly but can also be enjoyed quite a bit by adults. The sheer irony of the film, which no doubt will go over most if not all kid’s heads, that this society has a legend of a ‘smallfoot’ just as we have for a ‘bigfoot’ is funny in itself, and it uses all kinds of outlandish clues and speculations of evidence for its existence that bigfoot hunters use. The musical numbers were pretty good, though seemed a tad bit forced at times, like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a regular kid’s movie or a musical. I don’t know much about Zendaya nor have I listened to her music, but I thought she was phenomenal in The Greatest Showman. Though her songs here aren’t as memorable as they were in that film, they do provide some heartwarming entertainment that kids will be sure to enjoy. Now, for Common, I don’t listen to his music, nor do I think he’s a good actor. Personal preference, but I groan every time I see him – sorry Common. That being said, I prepared my long groan when his song started but stopped a bit into it. What I thought was going to be just another rap song turned into the best one in the film. Keep singing songs about Yetis, Common, and maybe I’ll become a fan.

Although the cast is quite diverse, for voice acting they all work well together. Channing Tatum honestly doesn’t impress too much, and although I like him in live action stuff and generally do think he’s a good actor, his voicework is quite forgettable. I’ve also grown quite tired of James Corden being everywhere, but he does provide a bit of eccentricity to Tatum’s dullness. That being said, these aren’t issues that kids are going to even care about. What matters is if it’s an entertaining film with heart and good themes, and Smallfoot delivers.

Video

The video is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.4:1. The animation looks great, with the transfer looking very crisp and clear. Color balance looks incredible, with the majority of the film having a white snowy backdrop, those colors are very vibrant.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Everything on the audio track sounds great. Levels are well balanced, with some great atmospheric effects coming from the surrounds, including some impressive echo-effects when in caves and mountainous areas. The soundtrack is powerful, taking full advantage of the surrounds but never drowning out the center channel dialogue.

Special Features

There are two versions of the film, the regular and the Yeti Set Go Sing-Along version, which has the words of the songs at the bottom for everyone to follow and sing along with. You’re also going to see:

• “Super Soozie” Mini Movie
• Migo in The Secret of the Yeti Stones
• Yeti or Not, Here They Come! Imagining Smallfoot
• Music Videos
• Promotional Materials

Although some of the themes in Smallfoot may be aimed at kids a bit older, it still provides some great entertainment, with humor geared toward all ages, good songs, and most importantly, good heart.