I'm a big fan of Kaufman and a casual fan of Dreamworks so I was looking forward to this one and did my best to avoid all trailers, spoilers, etc so I could go in without any preconceived notions. Have to say I was largely disappointed by the writing and story as it just felt riddled with a lack of continuity. I found the premise itself engaging but felt like it was very poorly executed and that the writing painted itself into multiple corners which it just explained away with a deus ex machina style reliance on the fact that it was a fantastical story.
I get that anything can happen in a fantasy but I really felt like Kaufman phoned it in on this one for the paycheque, and all the incoherent jumping around in plot and story just seemed like a gimmicky contrivance more than an engagingly layered and nuanced story. It felt embarrassingly like a blatant attempt to copy recent Pixar stand-outs in this style like Inside Out and Soul.
The animation was about what I'd expect from Dreamworks and unfortunately that was about the best part of this for me as the films from this studio that stand out in my memory do so far more for good story than exceptional animation. There was some pretty interesting eye-candy to enjoy though, I just wish it was part of a more cohesive and engaging story with a more satisfying ending.
Overall I wouldn't say I hated it but I doubt I'll watch it again. Many people seemed to really enjoy it though so maybe I just missed something. I'd say give it a go if you're curious. At the very least it's an enjoyable watch visually and some of the ideas within the overall story are interesting to think about.
I get that anything can happen in a fantasy but I really felt like Kaufman phoned it in on this one for the paycheque, and all the incoherent jumping around in plot and story just seemed like a gimmicky contrivance more than an engagingly layered and nuanced story. It felt embarrassingly like a blatant attempt to copy recent Pixar stand-outs in this style like Inside Out and Soul.
The animation was about what I'd expect from Dreamworks and unfortunately that was about the best part of this for me as the films from this studio that stand out in my memory do so far more for good story than exceptional animation. There was some pretty interesting eye-candy to enjoy though, I just wish it was part of a more cohesive and engaging story with a more satisfying ending.
Overall I wouldn't say I hated it but I doubt I'll watch it again. Many people seemed to really enjoy it though so maybe I just missed something. I'd say give it a go if you're curious. At the very least it's an enjoyable watch visually and some of the ideas within the overall story are interesting to think about.