Set in the Himalayas, Smallfoot is an animated musical adventure film directed by Karey Kirkpatrick. The film follows a Yeti named Migo, who become friends with a wildlife documentary filmmaker. The rest of the village do not believe in the existence of humans, known as ‘smallfoots’, thus the protagonist is banned from the village until he confesses to lying. As a result, Migo and a group of friends decide to climb down the mountain, which has been inhabited by Yetis for thousands of years, to prove there is human life. At the same time, the wildlife documentary filmmaker, Percy Patterson, attempts to boost his TV ratings by exposing Yetis to the human world. The film is based on a book by Sergio Pablos, the man behind the Despicable Me franchise, and like with this franchise, the audience can expect a mixture of laughter and a feel-good atmosphere.

A lot should be said about the animation itself – the artists have done a great job, which can be observed just by looking at the amount of detail that has gone into drawing the Yetis’ furs. In addition to this, the blue-purple aesthetic that has been kept throughout the whole film adds a mountainesque feel, giving the allusion of a skiing resort.

Heitor Pereira, the composer, has managed to incorporate 6 songs into the script, which fit ideally within the film’s 96 minute running time. The main characters are voiced by Channing Tatum, James Corden, and Zendaya, all of whom perform well, however, what the stand out performance of the film was Common’s ‘Let It Lie’ – a song about the history of the relationship between Yetis and humans – as you don’t often get to hear rapping in films aimed at children. Also, Corden’s performance of ‘Percy’s Pressure’ was probably one of the funniest scenes in the whole film.

Even though it is not a Christmas film, the Himalayan setting makes it a great watch during the festive period. Smallfoot is a tale about friendship and the ability to communicate without speaking the same language, perfect for both kids and adults.

Kinga Glasek

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures