When I was a young boy, I always loved watching Treehouse TV. One of my all-time favorite shows on the channel was Toopy and Binoo, which is all about a happy-go-lucky playful mouse named Toopy and his best friend who is a small cat that joins in his games but never speaks named Binoo as they use their imaginations to go on wild adventures. Love it or hate it, it never let me stopped loving from watching Toopy and Binoo and all the episodes it has to offer, like that one episode where Toopy and Binoo are playing a board game, Toopy's nose detracts, the nose runs away from Toopy and the duo go inside the game to catch and get his nose back. I always thought Toopy and Binoo would stay with me forever. Then it got revived as a live-action puppet spin-off show named "Vroom Vroom Zoom" in 2013 that thankfully was only short-lived because it didn't capture the same spirit of the original and not to mention, the puppets like that Toopy puppet were creeping me out. I will always prefer the original to be better than that spin-off. Anyway when I heard that a Toopy and Binoo movie is coming out 2 years ago, I was excited at first seeing my 2 childhood buddies return but this time on the big screen. Now 2 years later, the movie just got released and after seeing TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, I decided that this was the next movie I'm going into. 2023 has been a big year for film animation so far and most movies so far has exceeded our expectations for this year including Mario, Spider-Verse, Elemental and like I said earlier, TMNT. (Ruby Gillman was OK too when I saw it so I could see the reason why it didn't do well but that's another review for another day.) The trailers I saw before the movie came out (including the teaser) looked promising and it got me hoping that it would be a big fun feature-length Toopy and Binoo adventure that not only kids can enjoy, but us adults who enjoyed the show in their pastimes too. So I just went and saw it at my local Landmark Cinema yesterday which was last Sunday and... how do I say this? It... was... unfortunately... just not good. Yeah, I know you're gonna say it's just a toddlers/little kids' film but this film was also made for adults who enjoyed the original series back then in mind and we adults who have common sense in movies are expecting much more from this but instead, we're just left feeling disappointed, betrayed and uh... how do I say this... insulted by the end of the film! I'll tell you why Toopy and Binoo's big screen comeback ended up being a big letdown so that way, you can think twice before going or bringing your kids to this film.
==SPOILER ALERT==
The plot begins with Toopy and Binoo (along with Patchy-Patch) playing Toothbrush Chase as they try to catch the 2 toothbrushes in a pink space world where candies appear and disappear. While Toopy tries and fails, Binoo has a better idea and uses his wits to catch both toothbrushes. He gives them to Toopy who claims he found them even though Binoo did find them. I actually liked that first part because it captures the fast-paced fun and joy of a Toopy and Binoo episode at first and I thought that was a great start so far. Then they go home and brush their teeth when suddenly, Toopy accidentally gives Patchy-Patch a stain so he tries to find something to clean it off when he finds some bubble soap solution. He takes off the cap and accidentally unleashes Dorothy the genie who is then forced out of the bottle who then gets upset when her phone disconnects from her charger while charging. Not wanting to have a dead phone, she grants Toopy 3 wishes. He makes the first 2 wishes which is becoming a little bigger, talking Binoo and then turning back to normal. With only one wish left, he points at the stain on Patchy-Patch and wishes it to be gone. Unfortunately, Dorothy unintentionally wishes Patchy-Patch out of Binoo's hands, which makes the latter break into tears. Unable to go back into the bottle until Toopy and Binoo are satisfied, they decided to go look for Patchy-Patch together. Dorothy uses her phone to make a call for help that tells her to go to the Lost and Found to find the toy. At this point, I was pumped as the story was about to get more exciting. Toopy, Binoo and Dorothy find a secret passageway through their couch that leads them to the Big City where there is a train station that takes them to the Lost and Found. They meet 2 seagulls who are identical twins looking for their missing father and a princess horse who is looking for her prince who is a great dancer. They take the train that leads them to the Lost and Found. Unfortunately, the cart falls off track, crashes and lands the group in a jungle. Unfortunately, this is where the movie goes downhill from here and I'm not going to stay what happens next so you figure it out for yourself.
==SPOILERS END HERE==
With that being said, there were a lot of cons and little pros in this movie. First off, let me start with the animation! In the original series, it looks smooth and fast-paced as it captures the feeling of having fun. Here, the animation instead looks stilted, lazy and uninspiring! I like a lot of lighting and shading filters added to the characters and backgrounds but this does not save the animation from looking like an abomination! This is not the fun-filled Toopy and Binoo I know and it's sad to see them like this. Next is the pacing of the film. In the original series, the pacing was just right as it put in all the fun it could in a 5-minute Toopy and Binoo episode. Here for the most part, the pacing is sluggishly slow and that disappoints me because I was expecting an fast-paced Indiana Jones-style Toopy and Binoo adventure, but instead we get more padding in scenes like in the jungle and the black void just to fill in the runtime! Especially the scene where the characters waste their time trying to climb a one-eyed cyclops tree before it wakes up and opens a magical door inside it! It instead makes it more boring and restless to watch! Come on, it's not that hard to produce a fun entertaining movie for the whole family that doesn't sound boring and slow to watch, especially when it's based on a TV show we all loved as kids! When I am seeing a movie in the theater, I expect fast-paced action and adventure. Less talk, more action. Toopy and Binoo The Movie didn't just do it for me this time. Now the characters! Toopy was likable in the original series even thought he has it's flaws. Here in the movie, he's unlikable because he's now more dumber than a dumb dog who was the main reason for causing Patchy-Patch to disappear! He also acts happy at times where the group is in trouble! Binoo was the only likable character here because she is, well, Binoo. She also is smarter when it comes to solving problems because she whistled a lullaby to help the crying Rock Monster get to sleep. The other characters were either unlikable or just reduced to background characters. The princess horse is unlikable throughout most of the film! Not only is she rude but she also said mean words that older kids would say like when she said "nimcompoop" and "SHUT UP"! This could set an bad example for the kids as they could say "SHUT UP!" to their parents when they tell them to do their homework or eat their greens! She also does not learn from her actions by the end of the film, making her get away with it and becoming a Karma Houdini! As for the seagulls, they're scaredy-cats who do nothing to help Toopy and Binoo find Patchy-Patch in the film all because they lost their father. That's it, really. However, they change by learning to overcome their fears by themselves such as learning to swim and fly but they still don't help much in this film other than to find their father. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention Dorothy because she has a phone addiction like most stereotypical teen girls do! And whenever her phone dies, she cries just because it died! She treats the phone like it's her friend and uses it all the time! She thinks she can't go one day without it! However later on in the film, it looks like she is supposedly changing because she didn't need her phone anymore but it later undoes that change by the end of the film, reversing her character development! The elephant gangster is a fun character I wish they did more with but he had missed potential and only appeared in two scenes which is in the big city and near the end of the film where he finds his pink handbag in a speaking cameo. The other characters are just there for show and don't do much to help in this film just because! Some of the characters like the princess horse and Dorothy have no character development at all! Plus, it feels like the other characters get the spotlight for half of the film with Toopy only there to serve bad jokes! Speaking of jokes, most of the jokes didn't land and I didn't laugh most of the time! I laughed at that one part but I forgot what it was but it doesn't matter. And finally, is it enjoyable for kids and families to watch overall? Unless you don't mind taking your toddlers to it and enjoying a sluggishly slow adventure, absolutely not!
In conclusion, Toopy and Binoo the Movie may be fun at first on the outside but it is actually boring and underwhelming to watch when you're inside. It has lots of potential to be not only one of the great animated films of the 2020s, but one of the best Canadian animated films of all time. Unfortunately, it missed that potential and it disappoints me to see such my favorite childhood characters comeback in a disappointing way like this. It's not bad but it's not good either. There are other better films than this! Go take your kids to see TMNT: Mutant Mayhem or Barbie instead! Wait for this one to come out on streaming or on Treehouse instead. You will have a better family movie experience with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Barbie and Ken instead of this poor insulting excuse of a kids' movie like this!
Thanks for reading.
==SPOILER ALERT==
The plot begins with Toopy and Binoo (along with Patchy-Patch) playing Toothbrush Chase as they try to catch the 2 toothbrushes in a pink space world where candies appear and disappear. While Toopy tries and fails, Binoo has a better idea and uses his wits to catch both toothbrushes. He gives them to Toopy who claims he found them even though Binoo did find them. I actually liked that first part because it captures the fast-paced fun and joy of a Toopy and Binoo episode at first and I thought that was a great start so far. Then they go home and brush their teeth when suddenly, Toopy accidentally gives Patchy-Patch a stain so he tries to find something to clean it off when he finds some bubble soap solution. He takes off the cap and accidentally unleashes Dorothy the genie who is then forced out of the bottle who then gets upset when her phone disconnects from her charger while charging. Not wanting to have a dead phone, she grants Toopy 3 wishes. He makes the first 2 wishes which is becoming a little bigger, talking Binoo and then turning back to normal. With only one wish left, he points at the stain on Patchy-Patch and wishes it to be gone. Unfortunately, Dorothy unintentionally wishes Patchy-Patch out of Binoo's hands, which makes the latter break into tears. Unable to go back into the bottle until Toopy and Binoo are satisfied, they decided to go look for Patchy-Patch together. Dorothy uses her phone to make a call for help that tells her to go to the Lost and Found to find the toy. At this point, I was pumped as the story was about to get more exciting. Toopy, Binoo and Dorothy find a secret passageway through their couch that leads them to the Big City where there is a train station that takes them to the Lost and Found. They meet 2 seagulls who are identical twins looking for their missing father and a princess horse who is looking for her prince who is a great dancer. They take the train that leads them to the Lost and Found. Unfortunately, the cart falls off track, crashes and lands the group in a jungle. Unfortunately, this is where the movie goes downhill from here and I'm not going to stay what happens next so you figure it out for yourself.
==SPOILERS END HERE==
With that being said, there were a lot of cons and little pros in this movie. First off, let me start with the animation! In the original series, it looks smooth and fast-paced as it captures the feeling of having fun. Here, the animation instead looks stilted, lazy and uninspiring! I like a lot of lighting and shading filters added to the characters and backgrounds but this does not save the animation from looking like an abomination! This is not the fun-filled Toopy and Binoo I know and it's sad to see them like this. Next is the pacing of the film. In the original series, the pacing was just right as it put in all the fun it could in a 5-minute Toopy and Binoo episode. Here for the most part, the pacing is sluggishly slow and that disappoints me because I was expecting an fast-paced Indiana Jones-style Toopy and Binoo adventure, but instead we get more padding in scenes like in the jungle and the black void just to fill in the runtime! Especially the scene where the characters waste their time trying to climb a one-eyed cyclops tree before it wakes up and opens a magical door inside it! It instead makes it more boring and restless to watch! Come on, it's not that hard to produce a fun entertaining movie for the whole family that doesn't sound boring and slow to watch, especially when it's based on a TV show we all loved as kids! When I am seeing a movie in the theater, I expect fast-paced action and adventure. Less talk, more action. Toopy and Binoo The Movie didn't just do it for me this time. Now the characters! Toopy was likable in the original series even thought he has it's flaws. Here in the movie, he's unlikable because he's now more dumber than a dumb dog who was the main reason for causing Patchy-Patch to disappear! He also acts happy at times where the group is in trouble! Binoo was the only likable character here because she is, well, Binoo. She also is smarter when it comes to solving problems because she whistled a lullaby to help the crying Rock Monster get to sleep. The other characters were either unlikable or just reduced to background characters. The princess horse is unlikable throughout most of the film! Not only is she rude but she also said mean words that older kids would say like when she said "nimcompoop" and "SHUT UP"! This could set an bad example for the kids as they could say "SHUT UP!" to their parents when they tell them to do their homework or eat their greens! She also does not learn from her actions by the end of the film, making her get away with it and becoming a Karma Houdini! As for the seagulls, they're scaredy-cats who do nothing to help Toopy and Binoo find Patchy-Patch in the film all because they lost their father. That's it, really. However, they change by learning to overcome their fears by themselves such as learning to swim and fly but they still don't help much in this film other than to find their father. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention Dorothy because she has a phone addiction like most stereotypical teen girls do! And whenever her phone dies, she cries just because it died! She treats the phone like it's her friend and uses it all the time! She thinks she can't go one day without it! However later on in the film, it looks like she is supposedly changing because she didn't need her phone anymore but it later undoes that change by the end of the film, reversing her character development! The elephant gangster is a fun character I wish they did more with but he had missed potential and only appeared in two scenes which is in the big city and near the end of the film where he finds his pink handbag in a speaking cameo. The other characters are just there for show and don't do much to help in this film just because! Some of the characters like the princess horse and Dorothy have no character development at all! Plus, it feels like the other characters get the spotlight for half of the film with Toopy only there to serve bad jokes! Speaking of jokes, most of the jokes didn't land and I didn't laugh most of the time! I laughed at that one part but I forgot what it was but it doesn't matter. And finally, is it enjoyable for kids and families to watch overall? Unless you don't mind taking your toddlers to it and enjoying a sluggishly slow adventure, absolutely not!
In conclusion, Toopy and Binoo the Movie may be fun at first on the outside but it is actually boring and underwhelming to watch when you're inside. It has lots of potential to be not only one of the great animated films of the 2020s, but one of the best Canadian animated films of all time. Unfortunately, it missed that potential and it disappoints me to see such my favorite childhood characters comeback in a disappointing way like this. It's not bad but it's not good either. There are other better films than this! Go take your kids to see TMNT: Mutant Mayhem or Barbie instead! Wait for this one to come out on streaming or on Treehouse instead. You will have a better family movie experience with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Barbie and Ken instead of this poor insulting excuse of a kids' movie like this!
Thanks for reading.