Abominable Movie Review
Abominable is a beautiful movie which we think is a must-see these holidays. If you’re a How To Train Your Dragon fan like us, this is a wonderful story with some familiarity. Think Toothless with fur.
It’s a fab family film with great values of friendship, family and adventure. We love the female teenage protagonist Yi (played by Chloe Bennet, who is half Chinese) – she’s a little bit scrappy, complicated, sad, brave and talented. She’s no Disney princess and is not afraid to get her hands (and her whole self dirty) doing odd jobs to save up money for her dream. Going along on the adventure is Peng (Albert Tsai) who has a wonderfully playful connection with Everest the Yeti (Joseph Izzo). Their third companion is the Instagram loving, phone obsessed stud Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor, who happens to be the grandson of Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa mountaineer who was one of the first men to reach the summit of Everest).
It’s great to see diversity on the big screen with Chinese characters, culture and scenery in the spotlight. From the streets of Shanghai to epic destinations across China, including the Giant Buddha of Sichuan, on the way to Mount Everest – the visuals are stunning. There are some cultural aspects which may be lost on Western audiences – for example, Yi lives with her Mum (Michelle Wong) and Nai Nai (Tsai Chin). In Chinese, a Nai Nai is a paternal grandmother so this is her Dad’s mother. It is traditional for women to move in and live in her husband’s family home after getting married. Many Chinese families live together with grandparents in the family home.
(from left) Everest and Yi (Chloe Bennet) in DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio’s “Abominable,” written and directed by Jill Culton. © 2019 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Some kids’ animated movies lately seem to make up for their lack of a plot by pummelling us with action and too many bells-and-whistles.
We like that Abominable goes at a (slightly) slower pace, and more like real-life, yet still manages to keep the kids and adults engaged for the whole time. Having said that you do need to suspend real life to travel great distances in a short time in this adventure. It’s cute and funny as well, and kids will relate to all the fun antics. We won’t give away any spoilers but also take tissues so you don’t look like a mess like I was.
The film is really family friendly with no swearing and nothing particularly scary for little ones. The villains are more slapstick baddies and the kids may ask if they can get a Whooping Snake for a pet. Everest is really adorable and looks more like a huge soft Beanie Boo toy than a real life animal.
This is such a feel-good, uplifting story, with a good theme about chasing your dreams – no matter your gender. There’s also a message there to be kind to animals (even mythical ones) and it highlights the beauty and power of nature. Everest, the adorable Yeti, not the mountain, happens to have a magical connection to nature and music. His abilities create some of the most memorable and stunning scenes during the movie.
Abominable has breathtaking moments that ignites the imagination. Its imagery fills young minds with wonder and is a joy to watch no matter what age you are.
Just a little note to stay and watch all the credits. There are lots of postcard pics which give you an insight into what happens to the characters beyond the end of the film and is really heartwarming. We love it when a movie has some extra bits during the credits.
For more info about Abominable see our post here which shows the trailer.
For more information please visit the Universal Pictures Australia website.
SEE ALL THE BEST IDEAS FOR THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS IN OUR GUIDE:
What: Abominable Movie Review
When: In Cinemas 19 September 2019
Where: Participating Cinemas
Who: Rated PG – great for the whole family
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: Universal Studios
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