The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

  • Albert TsaiChloe Bennet...
  • Action & AdventureAnimation...
  • Jill CultonTodd Wilderman
reviewed by
Yasmeen Mamdouh
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Abominable: A Standout Among the Crowd?

Animation films have proven to be hits with not just children, but also adults. And that is why many more animation films are being made. However, that makes it harder for new movies to compete in such a crowded field. Can DreamWorks and Pearl Studio’s first co-production, Abominable, stand out from the crowd?

Abominable follows young girl Yi (Chloe Bennet), who, struggling with the recent loss of her beloved father, discovers a Yeti (that she names Everest) on the roof of her house. With a wealthy rare-animal collector and a zoologist after the Yeti, Yi decides she has to take Everest back to the safety of its home in the Himalayas. With the help of her friends Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai), the journey becomes integral to each of them, especially as their lives are in grave danger.

The plot’s central premise is very straightforward yet very safe; protagonist finds magical creature and then has to protect it from bad guys. Abominable sticks to the formulaic structure of the plot and draws from several movies, including How to Train Your Dragon, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Beauty and the Beast, and even King Kong. Abominable draws more from some of these films than from others, but most adults will be able to notice the similarities.

With several bumps and pivots along the ride, the flow of the plot is not the best; mainly due to mistimed reveals and ill-placed emotional scenes.

Despite these flaws, Abominable is a sweet film that will have you laughing on several occasions, feeling for its characters – especially Yi and Everest – and enjoying the journey, especially if you are a young child or a dreamy adult.

The animation of the film is outstanding with very distinct characters, beautiful backgrounds, intricate detail, and colourful palette.

The voice acting is also a plus for the feature, with Chloe Bennet giving a strong performance for her character, factoring in a lot of emotion. The real standout was young Albert Tsai, whose performance started out a little dull,but then became the highlight of every scene as the main comedic factor in the feature. Tsai’s character came second only to Everest who did not have to say a word to become the cutest version of a huge but adorable puppy.

Abominable is definitely flawed and maybe even barely novel, but, thanks to some of its lovable characters, its outstanding animation, and its heartfelt core, it is a feature you will probably enjoy.

 

Like This? Try

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Beauty and the Beast (2017), How to Train Your Dragon (2019).

360 Tip

Originally entitled Everest.

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