Back to the Outback

I think most kids will like this and parents should not find it too tedious. It plays out like an Aussie flavored Escape to Madagascar. The vocal work is pretty good too. But I couldn't get past a sweeping design choice.

The story is centered on "ugly" critters learning they are not monsters. This is the key point for the plot, characters and theme. The film is even smart enough to point out that beauty is sometimes just skin deep. I.e. The cute koala is a jerk when the film begins and his arch is about learning to look past surface appearances. Pretty much everything in the film is aimed at examining internal vs. External monsterhood. Unfortunately-probably for commercial reasons-*all* of the characters are designed to be cute.

All the critters are designed with big eyes and other basic features to subtly remind people of children/infants. The snake's fangs are *tiny*. The spider is literally and figuratively a goofball. Sure the koala is the cutest of them all but there's not enough of a difference between the koala and the rest. I want to cuddle the scorpion pretty much the same as the koala. I don't necessarily think more realistic designs needed to be used. Ditto for frightening designs. But the animators needed to pull back and make the deadly creatures less cute.