Ferdinand

If adults are going to review this film they should first ask what the children thought. Why some try to analyse these type of films is beyond me. It's old style fun and happy ending we all enjoyed as kids. If you don't have any, borrow one or two, because you'd have an excuse to enjoy a bit of fun. Don't want to bring up any religious connotations but I did fall in love with a goat.

First let me say my physically 37 year old but mentally 4 year old son (umbilical cord around neck cut off air at birth/brain damage) thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was a bit slow in the middle at one spot I thought, but generally entertaining for me as well.

There is a reason this is PG, namely that it is about bulls that are raised for fighting in the ring - If you know the story of Ferdinand you know the basics, and the movie included some elements from the book so those were nice to see.

There are some of the usual innuendos these cartoon movies only adults will understand, but the characters are varied enough it keeps the movie hopping along. Towards the end the young bulls realize the bull never wins in the ring, thus bringing the subject of death into the movie, the momentum quickly shifts to the comedic as the characters break out from their confines, and in the end they all live happily ever after...Entertaining, likable, not a classic but good little movie.

Surprisingly a good movie! I would be honest with you. From the trailers, I didn't expect much from Ferdinand Movie. But I was wonderstruck when I actually saw it. Watching it become a powerhouse of emotions as the movie progressed, I knew I had been dead wrong. That a movie should not be judged by its trailer, just as no book should be judged by its cover. Ferdinand movie didn't pack in as many jests as you find in animated movies nowadays, but it was a great entertainer nevertheless. It was successful in walking a tightrope of emotions. That's where its true strength lurked. When you focus on other parts critically you realize there were tons of issues strewn around the movie as well. But all of that can be overlooked once you become the bull the movie cashes in on, and try to empathize with that creature who doesn't share his dream based on his appearance, rather stands by his decision to see what others fail to. Story and Characters Not everyone is same. We have been wired differently. Whilst a father wishes to be something, his son might not share his dream. He might have a dream of his own. Everyone has a choice. That very fact forms the basis of Ferdinand movie. You can't decide or judge someone by their size or appearance. What you can't see, their brain, in fact, holds the key to their vision. Place that impactful storyline into animation and you have got an enjoyable hoot to savour. That's what Ferdinand does with its bull, the protagonist voiced by John Cena. He is an out of place animal who doesn't share other's dreams. Bullfighting in Ferdinand Movie Either you are a fighter, or you are meat. What you might call as someone's dream is a brilliant mockery of materialism. In the movie, the dream of fellow bulls is to fight the matador. Whilst the bulls in the flick fail to see the pointlessness of it, (like all the people who consider bullfighting a sport) Ferdinand in his blatant sense of indifference towards the game, digs up the real truth behind it. They are all ending up getting slaughtered! Just as we had seen in Sausage Party, the blind followers are all prepping up to die. Sure, you get to fight in a magnificent stage, but it's just another chop shop! Ferdinand movie uncovers the ugliness that surrounds the sport in a way that will leave you teary-eyed. Ferdinand is all about saving the meek, helping others. He is finding it hard to explain it to others why he is the way he is. Doesn't that chime in with life? I don't know, like your very own? How many times have you felt that way? As if you are in someone's else body, forced to live someone else's dream. Are you fighting for it? It's good to see someone is. Ferdinand is willing to leave no stones unturned to make the world understand he is not like the others. He is different. Violence his not his place even though he has been bedecked with a body that leaves the onlookers marveling. Look at your pecs! They are like two tiny bulls inside a bull. But the world, being the world, judges Ferdinand by the way he looks and brands him as destructive. A Glance at Life Ferdinand is given a shot at identifying his life the way he wishes to live it. He finds it in a place right next to Nina voiced by Lily Day. That's where he wishes to be - In a patch of land where a bull is chosen over a dog, Nina teaches Ferd the Nerd what love is all about. Is this love? I love love. It's that taste of life that helps the bull in registering home - not where you are born but where you are supposed to be. Deprived of the life he desires to lead, Ferdinand is picked up and dropped at Ground zero once again. He ends up in Casa del Toro, the place that he had escaped from, to be prepped up for bullfighting, something he is not cut out for. Unable to understand what the fuss is all about Ferd tries to escape a bull's fate, but ends up drawing himself closer to the inescapable sport. Lupe voiced by Kate McKinnon is one of those weird funny characters, who brings in most of the punches and stays close by. El Primero (Miguel Angel Silvestre) is in search of a bull to fight his final fight. Marking Ferdinand as a perfect contender he awaits him in the center of all applause. Even though the main villain brings that heightened sense of befitting contrast to Ferdinand's character, you realize it is a typical cliched build-up that you have often seen in countless movies in the past. El Primero might have reminded you of Anton Ego from Ratatouille if only he had better words to say. The screenplay of the flick, unfortunately, isn't impressive and hence framing him as a villain to remember is something you might want to reconsider. The Final Showdown What tears you apart is the final face-off that puts the bull against El Primero. While there's an imminent death written in the frames, the demeanor of the bull is enough to shatter you into pieces. The multitude is busy cheering the one with the sword, but they easily forget that the one fighting without is a true champion

It may be a bit generic with a predictable plot and some cliché characters. Some of the voice acting may be a bit jarring and the animation is simply OK. Still Ferdinand delivered humor and warmth in spades. I could not stop laughing! Even when the jokes were corny, the corniness fits right in with a soft-hearted, flower loving bull that wouldn't hurt a fly.

A pretty good, feel-good family movie for when you just want some light watching.

It seems that some people think the jokes in this movie fall flat and there is too much unnecessary clutter, but I honestly really really loved this movie. It was a reluctant choice after not finding anything else playing that we wanted to see, but man am I glad we saw it!

Ferdinand is the cutest bull I've ever seen, and I have to say I'm not familiar with this studio's other films but I thought the animation style was wonderful. I especially liked the wide range of expressions on Ferdinand's face throughout the movie, with a few close-ups that really captured the perfection of those expressions well.

The story itself was inspirational and heartwarming, full of examples and discussions on being yourself and breaking the mold and not letting anyone else define who you are. There were some heavy-handed moments that I'm not sure a younger viewer would understand, or possibly that may be too bleak for a very young viewer. Some of the humor was a little more adult-oriented, but most of it was clean, although sometimes rather stupid. The ending is pretty much exactly what you'd expect of a feel-good kid's movie, and I liked it very much.