Kids find that it is an entertaining movie which features fun characters and a positive message. That checks the major boxes when it comes to children’s movies so bottom line I would say this is a movie worth watching with your kids or younger siblings.
Disclaimer: I would like to preface by saying the final rating was determined by an 8-year-old.
The Ladybug is the story of a young ambitious ladybug named Ruby who meets a dragonfly who claims to have seen the world. After meeting him she is determined to find her dream home called the Golden Canyon. Along the way, Ruby runs into different quirky characters who all could use a little help now and then and Ruby is just the bug to help out.
The visuals for this movie really aren’t bad at all. There isn’t much done with textures but the lighting is pretty solid. The landscapes all look very good and the character designs are mostly good. There is a definite style to the overall film, you can tell that each bug is from the same movie.
The two main characters are Ruby and Master Dan. Ruby is an endlessly resilient, can-do, and caring character. Throughout the film, she runs into various other bugs who need help and she always does what she can to help. This character creates a good role model for children with a message encouraging children to help others. Master Dan was a wannabe Kung-Fu master who kicked off Ruby’s whole journey and acted as the comic relief of the film. The main villain was a lizard who eats insects named Rex. He attempts to eat Ruby multiple times, but through the power of teamwork Ruby and the other insects are able to defeat the lizard.
As for the voice actors the highest build goes as follows: Haylie Duff, Jon Heder, Norm MacDonald, and Lisa Schwartz. Lisa played as Ruby and definitely had the most emotion throughout the movie. I didn’t feel any of the other performances were really notable though by no means were they bad, they were just perfectly average. Which is really how I feel about the movie as a whole, I didn’t think it was bad but there are many better children’s films.
With this being a movie for younger children, I don’t believe that my judgment matters all that much. I watched this movie with my 8-year-old sister Lexie and asked her questions about it afterward. First I would like to say she was invested and entertained throughout the whole duration so that itself is a plus. The following is the conversation between her and me:
Lexie’s Thoughts:
Zac: What did you think of the ladybug?
Lexie: I thought it was interesting, happy, and like, it shows you not to be afraid of anything. And it also kind of shows you that I guess everyone is on your side?
Z: What did you think of Ruby?
L: Well, she is sweet, she is fearless, and she is kind to others. She likes helping others. She kinda feels bad for everyone, like the frog when he got his tongue stuck on the thing. She is adventurous.
[at one point there was a frog that attempted to eat Master Dan and Ruby saved him, but then the frog got its tongue stuck around a plant. Feeling bad for the frog, Ruby decided to help the frog get unstuck regardless of what it had done to her friend]
Z: What did you think of Master Dan?
L: Master Dan was a liar, a funny character, he seems to make every other character mad by telling others about the golden canyon.
[Master Dan had told an entire colony of insects that there was an insect utopia at Golden Canyon, though once they arrived they found that it had been turned into a city. Dan claimed that he didn’t know that this had happened but the other insects hated him and called him a liar]
Z: What did you think of Rex, was he a good villain?
L: He was mean. Yes he was a good villain.
Z: Why was he a good villain?
L: Cause he wanted to eat all the insects and he thought he was powerful against all of the insects.
Z: Did the voice actors do a good job?
L: Yes, they did. Because their voices made it a lot excitinger to watch.
Z: What did you think of the animation? The slow motion?
L: The animation was great although Rex looked like a big cat… at first. The slow motion parts wanted you to see the actual part that happened because if the movie went fast it wouldn’t look cool. [There is a shocking amount of slow motion in this film, especially considering it isn’t an action movie]
Z: What do you think the meaning of the movie was, or what did you take away from it?
L: The meaning of the movie was never give up or work together as a team. I learned not to be a bully. I learned to treat others the way that you would want to be treated.
Z: Any final thoughts or anything you would like to address about the movie?
L: Well, the movie… was… happy but sad but exciting at the exact same time!
Z: Is it a movie you would want to watch again?
L: Yes.
Z: What would you give it out of ten?
L: 10.
Z: So its one of the best movies you’ve ever seen?
L: No… I give it a 9.
Z: Okay, that is all thank you.
L: Thank you for listening, have a happy Thanksgiving.
So there you have it, Kids find that it is an entertaining movie which features fun characters and a positive message. That checks the major boxes when it comes to children’s movies so bottom line I would say this is a movie worth watching with your kids or younger siblings.