Smallfoot

Smallfoot – In his community of fellow Yetis, Migo wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and take on the prestigious role of banging the gong every morning to ensure the sun comes up. However, when his first practice launch sends him hurtling off course and outside the village, he witnesses a plane crash and its pilot emerge from the wreckage. Realising that the ‘Smallfoot’ exists, Migo and a few co-conspirators go in search for more but going against the beliefs of their fellow yetis is a dangerous thing and may not be the wonderful discovery that they think it is.

Smallfoot (2018) – Director: Karey Kirkpatrick, Jason Reisig

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55853742

Rating: U

Running Length: 96 mins

Starring: Channing Tatum, Zendaya, James Corden

Genre: Animated, Musical, Comedy

REVIEW: ‘SMALLFOOT’

In a fun move, ‘Smallfoot, takes the legend of the abominable snowman and flips it on its head; setting the story in a fully functioning civilisation of yetis who themselves believe humans (or ‘smallfeet’) to be merely a legend. Our protagonist, Migo (Channing Tatum) lives a simple life and wants to follow in his father’s footsteps of banging the village’s huge gong every morning which, as per their beliefs, is what causes the sun to rise each day. But an ill-fated first attempt throws his life thrown upside down although, typically for anyone claiming the seemingly impossible, his discovery requires proof that suddenly disappears.

The subjects of conspiracy theorists and that which is sometimes difficult to accept truths that go against everything held dear are handled with both sensitivity and purpose, something that is often attempted but rarely done satisfactorily. The few musical numbers are pleasant but a little forgettable although the rap performed by the Stonekeeper (Common) who uses this medium to explain the entire history of the yeti race is likely to be too fast and wordy for kids to keep up with and, as this is a pivotal part of the plot, its a shame more thought wasn’t put into this scene. It is nice to see the antagonist not being evil in any way but his agenda is entirely focused on protecting his people from a very real danger. His change of heart, however, does come all too suddenly and without any real reason other than we’ve hit that arbitrary part of the script, which makes it a little jarring.

‘Smallfoot’ has plenty to say and packs a lot into its hour and a half run time but it never feels rushed or too heavy going making it enjoyable for the adults and the comedy (especially the slapstick) will keep the kids giggling throughout.

CONTENT: IS ‘SMALLFOOT’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The Yetis have a strange belief system which involves their habitat being an island which is held up by mammoths and below the clouds there is just nothing. Some of the children question this and are told in a friendly way to take their questions and push them down until they go away.

One of the characters is the elder of the village and wears a coat made of stones, each one depicting a belief or rule and these are never allowed to be questioned. When one member of the community says publicly that they don’t believe in one of the stones, they are banished and forced out into the cold, all alone.

When wandering through the cold due to the banishment, this character is a little spooked by hearing his name whispered eerily on the wind. After a few seconds, this turns out to be a friendly character who, with some friends, have gone out looking for him.

A human character, Percy, is taken to a cave by Migo and attempts to escape by going further into the cave. Unfortunately this causes him to come face-to-face with a huge bear that roars aggressively in his face. He is soon saved by Migo but this could be quite scary for some younger kids.

When trying to escape again, Percy realises that Migo has been hurt and is crying out in pain. After a few seconds of deliberation, he goes back to help and sees that Migo’s foot is caught in a bear trap. Although Migo does suffer here, it is treated in a humorous way and doesn’t get overly distressing.

When going out into the cold, Migo puts two rocks that he picks up straight from a fire inside Percy’s sleeping bag. Percy is tries to make him stop but once they are put in, he relaxes and says that it is ‘actually quite nice’. We mention this in case this kind of behaviour around fire and scolding hot objects is imitable for kids.

In one of the movie’s songs, it is explained that yetis once lived among humans but they were forced to flee into the mountains after they were attacked, hunted and killed. There are numerous cave painting depicting humans throwing spears and shooting at the yetis as well as forcing them off cliffs. Several are drawn with ‘X’s’ instead of eyes to show that they are dead and the word ‘genocide’ is used to describe what happened.

After spending some time with the yetis, Percy begins to suffer from lack of oxygen. He becomes woozy and starts to lose consciousness. Migo understands what is going on but, due to realising that taking Percy back to his own kind could mean danger for his community, he deliberately keeps Percy where he is, lying to someone else who is concerned. Although Migo soon has a change of heart, Percy is taken away from him so he is unable to help his friend.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘SMALLFOOT’ FOR KIDS?

‘Smallfoot’ has good characters, enjoyable songs, a well-paced and well-thought out plot and great animation and although it doesn’t stand out, it’s a delightful kids movie that’s got plenty to offer the older members of the audience. We feel this movie is appropriate for all ages however some of the content may be imitable so we recommend supervision for little ones.

• Violence: 1/5 (some slapstick moments and the yeti history is filled with killings although nothing graphic is shown)
• Emotional Distress: 1/5 (Migo’s banishment is a little sad but brief and his difficulty in handling the truth and willingness to allow Percy to suffer and potentially die may be confusing for kids)
• Fear Factor: 1/5 (when the yeti’s try to communicate with humans, they appear to be growling and roaring aggressively at them, however it is made clear that they are just trying to be friendly)
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 2/5 (one of the yetis who is a conspiracy theorist is frequently called ‘crazy’ despite the fact that each time he is hurt by it and asks not to be called it)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of conspiracy theories, belief systems, seeking the truth, protecting those you care about, risking danger for answers, listening to others, honesty, greed and allowing actions of the past to form opinions of the present.

Words by Laura Record

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