Abominable (2019) Universal/Comedy-Adventure RT: 97 minutes Rated PG (some action, mild rude humor) Director: Jill Culton Screenplay: Jill Culton Music: Rupert Gregson-Williams Cinematography: Robert Edward Crawford Release date: September 27, 2019 (US) Cast: Chloe Bennet, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Albert Tsai, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, Tsai Chin, Joseph Izzo, Michelle Wong. Box Office: $60.8M (US)/$188.7M (World)
Rating: ***
“Yeti phone home.”
I kept waiting for somebody to utter the preceding phrase as I watched Abominable, an enjoyable if derivative computer-animated comedy-adventure in which three teens from Shanghai help a magical creature return home to his family. It’s hardly surprising that the storyline is nothing new. It’s like somebody took the script for E.T., set it to computer-animation and sprinkled it with elements of Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and Smallfoot. The result is an entertaining little family movie that the kids will like a wee bit more than the adults that brought them.
Yi (Bennet, Agents of SHIELD) keeps herself very busy doing odd jobs- e.g. walking dogs, babysitting, dumping stinky trash, etc.- around her neighborhood. Always in a rush, she barely has time for her family, Mom (Wong) and Nai Nai (Chin, The Joy Luck Club). She’s trying to raise enough money to take the cross-country trip her recently deceased father always planned on taking them. One night, she makes an amazing discovery on the roof of her building. There’s a Yeti hiding there. He made his way there after breaking out of a facility where bad people were going to bad things to him. Realizing the danger her new friend is in, Yi vows to help him get back to his home, Mt. Everest (hence his name “Everest”). She’s joined on her quest by hyperactive, basketball-loving Peng (Tsai, Coop and Cami Ask the World) and popular classmate Jin (Trainor, Liv and Maddie). Hot on their trail are the villains, rare animal collector Burnish (Izzard, Mystery Men) and his assistant, zoologist Dr. Zara (Paulson, Glass).
The kids’ odyssey takes them across China to beautiful places. Anytime they get in a jam, Everest uses his magical powers to help. He can communicate with nature simply by humming deep and low. When he does, cool things happen. Giant blueberries suddenly grow. The kids ride on a big yellow wave of flowers. They also fly around on a giant dandelion. While not as awe-inspiring as other CA images I’ve seen, some of the visuals in Abominable are very nice to look at.
You may be wondering why I’m not coming down hard on a kid’s movie as disposable as Abominable. It doesn’t really have any distinguishing characteristics. Although humorous at times, it’s not as funny and clever as other CA titles. There aren’t any BIG talents in it. It’s forgettable really. At the same time, it’s so sweet and simple that criticizing it too harshly seems unnecessarily mean. It’s a movie as innocent as its titular creature. Sure, it takes a few shots at our consumerist, social media-obsessed teen culture with Jin’s character, but it’s never mean-spirited or cynical. Yes, there are a few scenes with the villains that might upset smaller viewers, but the cuteness factor trumps all of it. You can’t help but like Everest, a kid looking to reunite with his parents.
The CGI animation in Abominable is particularly good. Colorful and vibrant, it really shines when Everest performs his magic. There’s a scene of the nightly “light show” in Shanghai (at “The Bund”) that looks especially cool. The voice talents, especially Izzard and Paulson, do a fine job. The thing that really stands out about Abominable for me is the story arc about Yi coping with her father’s death. They bonded over music. She carries his old violin with her everywhere and will only play in private. This aspect of the movie never feels maudlin or extraneous. It’s half of its emotional heart, the other part being Yi’s bond with Everest.
I really don’t know what else to say about Abominable. It’s as good a CA movie as you can expect in September. It’s also quite harmless. It’s cute, amusing and engaging. Is it worth full admission price? No, it’s not. It is, however, ideal for a matinee showing. It’s good but not epic. It should tide the kiddies over until Frozen II opens in November.
