If you're a parent checking reviews for "Family Movie Night", and you go in to this with moderate expectations, you're family will be entertained. The animation is on par with Abominable or Madagascar so rest assured it's not a cheaply made production. Harmless plot with no agenda. My 9 year old son loved it and I wasn't glued to my phone out of boredom (my own rating system). If I reach for the phone in the first 10 minutes I'm in for a rough 90 mins of kid, cinema, torture. This one's absolutely good enough for a family movie night. No phone required, so go for it!
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bobbyd6107425 July 2020
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markthomassintek31 July 2020REVIEW - ANIMAL CRACKERS
Why do I do it?
I try to keep abreast of the latest movies so I can review them and saw the write up for this so thought I'd give it a try.
Ok I'm not the target audience for this as I'm 51 years old and not 6 but here goes.
Animated film and what attracted me to it was the sheer amount of stars doing the voice over for this include Danny Devito and Sylvester Stalone.
Actually quite good, kept me interested anyway, not really the humour for adults and there isn't really any dual humour, one joke for kids and one for adults that the kids won't understand but enjoyed it none the less.
Interesting story, set in modern times using mobile phones etc. Animation very good and a great way to waste 90 minutes with your kids who will just love this film.
Definitely a family sit around the TV movie.
Rating 7 out of 10 -
Snootz16 September 2018This is an enjoyable film. Viewers shouldn't go into this expecting Pixar, nor a lot of humor. This is a cute and fun story, albeit a somewhat cookie-cutter plot line. The performances are good, the overall story line holds together, and it offers a decent ending. It never came across as boring or juvenile (a flaw of many poor animations). It should prove entertaining for children and adults alike. I especially enjoyed the husband-wife relationship of the two main characters; they were well-developed and well-portrayed. A bit of cliche here, but fun cliche. Well worth watching.
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Kamurai2527 July 2020Really good watch, would watch again, and can recommend: probably better for younger audiences.
This is a very good example of a family movie that tries to be for the entire family without being too obvious about it. It takes the serious bits and makes them palatable for a younger audience, and takes the magical bits and makes them more complex for older audiences.
The voice casting was excellent, they managed to stack the cast with celebrity voice actors (normally a death sentence as they don't all play well together) without me noticing, which is a sign of a good voice actor: that they feel natural in the character.
The writing actually seemed to be pretty decent, if formulaic, but I would have preferred a different antagonist scenario. The movie is all about family, born or chosen, and how great it is to be together, but both Mr. Woodley and Horatio embody the opposite of that so while it makes sense from a literary standpoint, it didn't feel intuitive for this movie. A scenario where it is all about working together to overcome someone / something (like a chief investor in the circus or a rival circus) would have been preferable, but both story lines were resolved in the expected manner.
This isn't going to be a deep movie, but it was certainly fun to (mostly) turn my brain of for a bit and enjoy it. -
davidadams-0476825 July 2020Because I thoroughly enjoyed this new-old film despite, or in spite of, my advanced age of 51. Great, strong actors and a family dynamic with much heart and love. The dialogue is smart and doesn't condescend to the audience. Sure, the plot could be seem as stale as those cookies, but the fun animation, exuberance of the actors, and exciting action make an oft-used plot feel new. Finally, there is no moralizing about a topic du jour, unless, maybe, one thinks an unbreakable familial bond is preaching.
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gavin-thelordofthefu-48-46029730 July 2020Upon learning that the film came out recently on Netflix, I decided to check it out due to it's stylistic look and a recognizable cast of actors. Not to mention that Tony Bancroft, one of the people who worked for Disney and directed Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs, was co-directing this movie. After seeing it, it turned out to be an above average film. Is it a masterpiece? Not quite, but it has plenty of stuff to recommend to others.
First is the animation which looks very decent even though it isn't in the same league as say Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, and Blue Sky. It's visual aesthetic design of the circus looks very appealing and the character animation is stylistic but tolerable enough. Also, there are some characters that are very likable especially the two main characters Owen and his wife Zoe along with Chesterfield and are the only characters who brought plenty of humor and heart to the movie. The voice acting from everyone involved is top notch with John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Danny Devito, Patrick Warburton, Gilbert Gotfried and other voice actors including James Arnold Taylor and Tara Strong giving superb performances. And also, Bear McCreary, responsible for composing the music for the popular TV show The Walking Dead, does a very good job with the film's score, providing an uplifting and poignant atmosphere to the orchestral.
That being said, there are some problems I do have with the movie. First is the story. It does have it's heart in the right place, but it's narrative structure is problematic with interesting ideas not being fleshed out enough. Not to mention the apacing is very uneven with a promising beginning but suffers by some unnecessary time jumps. Some of the side characters haven't been fleshed out despite the voice acting talent involved and while Ian McKellen does a fun job in voicing Horatio, the character himself is a one-dimensional villain.
Overall, Animal Crackers does have it's share of problems and it's not a masterpiece like I said, but it does it's job as decent entertainment with a lot of worthwhile elements. This film is only worth watching for the animation and talent involved. Go check it out. -
MB-reviewer1852 August 2020Good voice actors, decent animation but terrible movie with stupid random things happening all at once.
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Wizard-89 August 2020I'm not sure why someone like me chose to sit down and watch this family movie - I'm not a child, and I'm also not a parent. Maybe I decided to watch it since it was for free on Netflix. Anyway, I am glad that I did give it a go, because the movie was often quite fun. The voice actors seem to be having a lot of fun in their roles, and that gives the movie a very amiable feeling. Contributing to that feeling is a message (not delivered too thickly) that family is very important. Indeed, the protagonists really seem to care deeply about each other. which is a nice change from the usual strident animated family entertainment we get today. While the animation isn't extremely exceptional, it's colorful, and often giving some amusing production design. There are also a number of amusing gags, as well as some fast-paced action that add some real energy.
While I did like this movie (and I am certainly recommending it), I think it could have been significantly better. With a running time of about 105 minutes, the story seems stretched out at times. Also, there are plot threads and characters that don't seem to be terribly important, and just end up making the story somewhat of a jumble at times. Though there are also some times when we don't get enough information, one example being a central character whose eventual fate is never really explained, and the "rules" of the animal cracker box don't seem to be firmly set.
I've heard that the production was troubled by studio interference, so that may explain why the story at times seems kind of messy. Because of this, I don't blame the directors or writers for these story problems. Anyway, the movie is still enjoyable whether you are a child or an adult, so I say give it a look. -
Sir_AmirSyarif31 July 2020'Animal Crackers' is an animation movie with a complete mediocre story line and boring characters design. Pretty much explains why this John Krasinski and Emily Blunt vehicle spent three years stuck in distribution hell.
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jadepietro27 July 2020GRADE: B-
THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: Fine animation is once again upstaged by a weak unfocused book.
JIM'S REVIEW: Animal Crackers, an independent animated feature by Scott Sava has been languishing on the shelves for a number of years and has slowly resurfaced with the help of Netflix and some courtroom action. But it is the Shakespearian plotting behind-the-scenes narrative that is a more interesting story than the actual plot of the movie. Set to be released in 2017, the film was plagued with financial difficulties and political intrigue after it was bought by Weinstein Studios and resold to Chinese businessmen who interfered with the filmmaker's initial vision. Court fights and personal debt plagued the animator until recently when a certain streaming service became his lifesaver.
The film itself is a mix of creative ideas, some very well done, others unfulfilled. Based on Mr. Sava's graphic novel and inspired by those edible childhood favorite cookies, the meandering and far too convoluted scenario begins its tale with a flashback involving two brothers named Horatio and Bob Huntington who own a circus. Their eventual falling-out over a gypsy girl, Talia, leads to tragic results, which brings us to the main storyline about their nephew and present-day circus owner, Owen, his wife, Zoe, and their possession of a magical box of animal treats.
Directed by Mr. Sava and Tony Bancroft who show off enough craftsmanship from their animation department, the film follows the fate of many animated features suffering from a story that is sub-par to the visuals. A visual delight throughout, the film is undernourished by its aforementioned rambling script, written by Dean Lorey and Mr. Sava. Their plot becomes such a jumble of unprocessed notions, although I am not sure where the blame goes due to the real-life background behaviors and the mishandling of the film. Nevertheless, the well-rendered animation itself is definitely worth viewing.
The major snag with the film is its scattershot screenplay. The first half hour is merely story exposition and character development before it even kicks into the plot mechanics about the box of magical animal crackers. Then the customary action and chase sequences follow with an overabundance of snappy tune montages that do little to advance the story, except to wow you with its wonderful computer-generated visuals. Yes, there is much too see, yet too little to ponder.
But behold the film's animation skills! They may be on overdrive, with rarely a quiet moment and desperate to impress the shortest of attention spans from the youngest of moviegoers. Still, the overall look of the film is superb, for viewers of any age, with its vivid primary color palette, stylized backgrounds, and the filmmaker's obsession to the simplest details. Character design is inventive and each exaggerated figure expresses its own unique personality and sense of wonder.
And what a cast they have assembled! Voiceovers are provided by a high pedigree of skilled actors: Married couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as Owen and Zoe, Sir Ian McKellan and Gilbert Gottfried are the antagonists, with fine supporting work by Danny DeVito, Sylvester Stallone, Raven-Symoné, Patrick Warburton, and Harvey Fierstein. All bring their A-game to the project.
Bear McCleary's lively score includes original songs by the likes of Michael Bublé, Huey Lewis and the News, Howard Jones, and Toad the Wet Sprocket, most of which are forgettable ditties. One can see the care and lavishness doted on this personal project by so many talented people,especially noticeable is Mr. Cava's earnest passion to his "pet" project (pun intended)
Despite all the love and heartache given to this independent project and some wonderful style and flair, the end result is ultimately lacking focus. Animal Crackers has just too many half-baked ideas to become the proper cinematic sustenance it wants to be. Still one hopes Mr. Cava has better luck on his deservingly future projects. -
crazyburn8724 July 2020And that's about it.
The art looks like a mass produced TV show for kids, and the design on most of the characters are boring and generic. The story is all over the place with a main plot that's super easy to predict.
I'm not great at guessing plots, and I guessed the ending within the first 10 minutes.
Boring subplots and cheap art, the movie is saved by the voice acting and the animation work, and if you have kids to love the cirkus and you are already paying for Netflix, then give it a watch -
panicmose30 June 2020I dug this up a little while back and now that I heard the great news that Netflix is adding it this month, I figured I'd leave my review. Despite its obscure release and generally insignificant existence, this movie was particularly impressive. The voice cast was perfect, animation nicely fluid and colorful with an entertaining story. Of course, there were the couple random scenes where you felt, 'What are they thinking?' Or 'Why didn't they just do this?' But all in all, it was a delightfully amusing film that I enjoyed watching (along with my nephews/niece ranging from 12 to 5 yrs). They thought the hamster bit was hilarious!
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Animal Crackers was a rather pleasant surprise. Despite being based on Animal Cracker cookies of all things, the movie managed to exceed my expectations with its creativity, humor, style, and voice acting. The movie follows Owen and Zoe Huntington who, along with their daughter, inherit not only Owen's uncle's Circus, but also a box of Animal Crackers that allows who ever eats them to take the form of that animal. But that's an EXTREMELY paired down synopses because there's also a long standing feud with Owen's still living uncle Horatio, animosity between Owen and his father in law, a subplot involving a dog biscuit flavor like people food, and a few other speed bumps along the way. However, while the story can sometimes feel overcluttered with too many moving parts, it does make up for it with its creativity and economically delivered style. This is not a Pixar or Dreamworks movie so it's best to set your expectations before hand. With that said, despite this being an independently produced animated film it still looks vibrant with lots of details including a very well staged scene set to Queen's Don't Stop Me Now that's filled with creative transitions, smooth animation, and vibrant colors. The movies third act falls apart at the end especially since the antagonists does an abrupt turn and changes character from an egotistical jerk to a power mad villain bent on world domination(yes, seriously), but even despite its faults I do recommend it because it is well made, the performances are well delivered with good chemistry between the actors and you can certainly do worse in terms of family films. So marginal recommendation.
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tommer2 August 2020I had some fun, i also had some questions. why does brock vanish from the story? brock is devious and fun. why does Binkley stop working / using her dog-cookies-with-human-meal-taste? we get involved with that suspenseful storyline and it switches to a different, pale storyline. why do Talia and Bob not speak for the large part of the movie? why did Talia and Bob walk around as cat and dog the evening Horatio burgled their caravan?
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kosmasp26 October 2020I hope this doesn't mean anything else to some than I intended it to mean. Just a bit of fun. And this is family fun - I'm a bit surprised I found it on Netflix, without knowing too much about it. Yes it isn't Pixar, but that doesn't make this less of a movie. This is more than decent and fun. So many strange and ridiculous ideas - I loved it.
And then you add the voice cast, which is also phenomenal ... again quite surprised this wasn't on my radar before. But never mind that, it probably wasn't on yours either. But now that it is, if you want to have a good time with some animated fun for the whole family - enjoy this weird little movie. With "magic", heroes and villains -
lizinjax25 July 2020I liked the actors, like the acrobats. I like arrow man a lot. the animals were silly and the bad guy was mean and there was a dragon but to me everything made it special. (adele 6)
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Note that some great actors are in this, Ian McKellen, Danny Devito, emily Blunt, etc. I know this movie is for kids too, but there are so many scenes semi-stolen from both Pixar and Disney. I can see Jafar rising from the black smoke in Aladdin, Scar and Simba fighting in the end (also when Mustafa falls) etc. McKellen also says 'fly you fool' in this, just like he did as Gandalf in Lord of The Rings. No kid will understand that, it didn't make any real sense in that scene either, the writers could have used something else.
There are some things in the story I didn't get. If the crackers always comes back, even if they're destroyed, why didn't the human crackers come back after the fire? The same with crackers being partly destroyed. Wouldn't it work if they just flushed the bad ones and then they come back again as whole?
Also some subtle adult jokes that I do miss from other animated movies. But I also thought some were a bit stupid. Brocks constant, obvious, O-face was weird. -
beatmaster232 August 2020The story in the first half was a bit complicated for my 5 year old twins; this made them lose interest soon and didn't care for the best 2nd-half.
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Only thing this film had going for it is the idea of humans eating animal crackers to become animals. That idea is awesome, not to mention a handful of jokes here and there that let out a chuckle, the animation is also solid in most spots for the most part. The voice acting is solid. My issue is the overlapping plot points, inconsistent story, very bland unoriginal script and dialogue between characters with almost little to zero development. Very all around the mill Below average animated film. Not that bad, but certainly not good.
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Gordon-114 August 2020This is for very young children. It has a very colourful palette. The characters are dichotomously good or evil. There is but much for adults, possibly except the star studded voice cast.
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GiraffeDoor18 August 2022This sleek but still rough round the edges adventure has a lot of heart; indeed enough to carry it over the awkward villains and its eccentric internal mechanics.
An agreeable parable of following your passions instead of accepting the stable job, I wanted to root for this nice guy with his hot wife and adorable daughter who acts sort of how you expect a small child too. I think the world is en masse trying to compensate for Stewie Griffin (love that little guy).
Any other absurdities in the plot have been mentioned by other people though I will stress that the dog biscuit subplot doesn't seem to have anything to do with anything.
In one scene, the wife wordlessly chides her husband for looking at the ex-bearded lady. It stuck with me, mostly because it would have been ten times funnier if the spouses roles were reversed. -
tomgrys27 July 2022It is surprising that this movie got made and that such talent decided to support it. The plot and timeline are convoluted and contrived. The usual fare of pratfalls and visual humor were lame. Most concerning was the portrayal of women. The love interest is repeatedly claimed as "mine" by the villain. In many scenes, the women are unnecessarily scantily clad and frequently objectified. There was nothing new here- typical circus jokes, lame plot, and problematic stereotypes typical of a movie that is 50 years older than this. After 20 or 30 minutes that offered only cringes and no smiles, we had to find something else.
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mrsdicktracy9 February 2021This movie start to finish is just the most imaginative fun. Scott Christian Sava's creation of animal crackers is the most fun I have seen in a long time. I loved every minute of this movie. I don't want to give away spoilers, but magic, magic, oh my fun magic
This is the circus that every child dreamed of and almost tantalizingly got, but never quite as brilliantly as this movie. From the opening with Horatio we see the difference between good and evil. Or in this case cruelty vs gentle loving kindness!
And that is the extent of my spoilers you will get! Watch Animal Crackers today and enjoy the imaginative ride it will take you on. The voice actors were brilliantly cast. Some of my favorites too. Patrick Warburton, Danny DeVito, Ian MacKlellan (sp?) and so many more! Honestly, what are you waiting for! Go... Go.... watch it now! -
raben-811464 June 2023Animal Crackers was moved from 2017 to 2020, and leaked online on some few streaming services in 2017. This Asian American collaboration is about a man working for a factory, and ends up becoming various animals by eating Animal Crackers in a circus. This may not be the best cartoon of 2020, but there is nice animation like the effects of the animal transformation and the old school slapstick animation too. Thanks to our modern miracle known as streaming this is a movie for the whole family with an all star cast like Tara Strong that continues her animal transformations, and Danny Devito too from the first My Little Pony movie.
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sgt_crisp31 January 2021Despite your initial reaction that this will be a fun family movie, it seriously disappoints. Laced with inappropriate tones, this movie is simply not appropriate for young children, and has no real entertainment value for anyone.
Save yourself the headache of turning it off after 20 min and choose something else for family move night.