Based on the beloved
1936 children’s picture book by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, the new animated
film “Ferdinand” tells the heartwarming tale of a gentle bull who wants nothing
more than to spend his days on the farm sitting peacefully and smelling the
flowers — a pastime that earns him the scorn of his peers, who are more likely
to spend their time fighting, butting heads, and dreaming of glory in the
bullfights of Madrid.
It’s a sweet, simple story, but this
being a modern animated kids film, of course its makers pad things out to
feature length by adding a lot of extraneous characters, goofy slapstick, and
action sequences like car chases, a race through a slaughterhouse floor (the
film is surprisingly frank about the future most bulls face, both inside and
out of the bullfighting ring), and even an extended dance-off between the bulls
and a trio of snooty German dressage horses.
With an appealing lead vocal
performance from John Cena (demonstrating what an
immensely likeable screen presence he continues to have, even when you can’t
see him), “Ferdinand” is at its best when it’s being as earnest as its source
material. The film’s pop culture-heavy humor more often than not tends to land
with a thud. The exception to this rule is pretty much anything that comes out
of the mouth of an excitable goat voiced by Kate McKinnon, but that has less to
do with the material, and everything to do with the fact that McKinnon is a
national treasure. She’s a master of comedic timing and delivery.
Whatever its missteps, it’s hard to
be too harsh on a film that — in its own kid-friendly way — attempts to tiptoe
into the subject of toxic masculinity, putting forth a message that brute power
isn’t the only kind of strength that matters, and that machismo tends to cause
more problems than it solves. With the cultural landscape looking like it
currently does, it’s an admirable and even necessary discussion, especially
when aimed at the youngest of viewers.
“Ferdinand” will keep the kiddies
entertained while imparting them with a few life lessons along the way. Most
importantly, its heart is in the right place — even if it does make viewers dig
through a few layers of extraneous silliness to find it.
This article appears in Dec 20-26, 2017.
