13/14
The film is dedicated to him because he passed away in 2021
Chronology
Two Irish orphans travel by train across America, meeting villains and heroes. They make a wonderful friend and search for a new home, facing adventures and dangers along the way. Main character “Nick”; he is based on the director’s son Nico, who suffered from the same disease.
That said, it falls short in the first half
It’s something a little different from all the animated films. It has a more developed plot and story and it’s quite serious, navigating through some pretty difficult things for young audiences, like kidnappings, murders, and that’s the kind of language used. It’s not about being Minions where everyone is made of rubber and can fly through walls, but it tries to immerse you in a real story of heroism, life and death.
The cinematography in these scenes felt the same way, as did the characters’ expressions
The pacing felt underwhelming in the first half, parts that should catch you off guard seem rushed or inconsistent in the editing. It all falls apart a bit early on and the indifference to the cinema when I saw it was palpable at first. I suspect a lot of the footage was cut or edited quickly to cut down on the running time and it felt like they picked the wrong things to cut.
The pacing, cinematography and characters come to life
It’s a shame because the film really pays off in the second half. Once you get to the scenes set in the mine, things change. Everything improves.
All in all, a good family film to watch
Don’t give up on it in the first half, things start to flow much better as it progresses.