Danielle Holland

A film that takes itself too seriously. Underwhelming execution, flat and uninspiring characters and story unworthy of investment. Humorless. Forgettable. The heavy use of texting on phones makes this film feel empty and detached. Achingly slow pacing that does nothing for the impact. This film could have easily been half its length. There doesn't seem to be a coherent message, and where there is an attempt at one, it feels slightly forceful and heavy-handed. On the other hand, where there is nuance and symbolism, it comes across too subtly and is lost on viewers who aren't watching and analyzing with eagle eyes. Giving it 2 stars because it was not a *total* slog, but I spent more than half the movie thinking there are other things much more worthy of my time. The most redeeming thing about this movie is getting to see Alexxis Lemire's pleasing face on screen, but I can watch plenty of movies with pleasing faces and better plots and actually likeable characters. I'm not certain why this film has gotten such good reviews, but I'm guessing it's because of the lesbian and immigrant representation which is a seriously sloppy low bar. Representation doesn't make up for bad production. !! SPOILERS BELOW !! . . . I was also confused why Paul didn't realize Ellie was gay for Aster when Ellie was talking about her laugh and ocean of thoughts. I thought it was heavily implied and was confused at Paul's a-ha moment later in the film. This moment came completely out of left field and the "You're going to hell" was extremely upsetting to me even as a straight woman. I can only imagine how a gay person watching this would feel. This topic could have been handled in a much clearer tone.

Unoriginal, slow-paced, and the characters are not likeable. It had some funny and creative moments, but ultimately it had me checking the clock wondering when it would be over. I finally checked out an hour in; I was tired of the grumpy, irredeemable dragon, cartoonishly flat villains, and especially tired of the mom who frequently beats her child and how the film completely glosses over this. Create likeable characters if you want to make a good story. I enjoyed the friendship arc with the two main characters, but again, the pacing felt way too slow. Not worth watching as a childfree adult.

Hands down the best film I've seen in my life. Excellent songs with a stellar cast, beautiful hand-drawn animation, wacky characters that are loveable in their campy realness and heartfelt relationships all around. I sobbed like a baby. Every time I see Arlo I just want to give him a big hug! The characters are incredibly well designed both aesthetically and narratively. The way the energy of the film changes beats completely from moment to moment is utterly thrilling! And the animators made some bigger choices with the visuals than I've seen in a movie in a long time.

Excellent animation, and just FULL of songs, like oh my gosh, I didn't know a cartoon could be so full of songs. With a stellar cast, including at least two women who starred in Waitress the musical, it's super fun to listen to. Be ready to laugh and cry. The thing I really like about this series is that the silliness of it is grounded by the seriousness of the protagonist and her world. The writers made some weird choices which still have me scratching my head but it is pretty balanced.