Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito, Gina Rodriguez, Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry, Jimmy Tatro, Patricia Heaton, Justin Roiland, Jack Quaid, Sarah Baker, Kenneth Holden Bashar, Peter Ettinger, Jonathan Kite, Jonathan Mangum, Joel McCrary, Vanessa Ragland, Clara Sera, Luke Smith, Jessica Tuck.

It is regarded as bad form to not enjoy and fall in love with an animated film, whether by the masters of the art in Disney or Pixar, or through to the dominant Japanese Studio Ghibli, or even timeless shorts created by the Warner Brothers, it is considered almost reverential to praise the genre from the highest peek when viewing a film in which thousands of hours of work have been painstakingly thought out and applied.

There is appreciation but there doesn’t have to be fawning, there can be gratitude without falling over one’s feet in the rush to pay absolute tribute, and in a silent smile of wonder, that action can speak volumes and with more finesse than the overbearing applause.

It is in the silent wonder of how Illumination brought together such a story, of the mix of good songs performed by Zendaya and Common for example, with the often-saluted weirdness that made the Warner Brothers cartoons such a hit, but without treading on the toes of mushy attitudes. Small Foot perhaps shouldn’t be a success in terms of ratings, the plot often relies too much on the visual rather than the aesthetic and yet with James Corden at the helm as the British wildlife expert, Percy, and Common in such a commanding role as the Yeti Stonekeeper, the film does tug at the heartstrings, it doesn’t make you love it completely, not in the same sense that Toy Story or Minions makes an audience want to have their own toy to hold or merchandise in which to add to an economic nightmare at Christmas but it does hold the attention and leave a smile on the face of those around you.

A film about language and how faith and the stories that build upon a society’s psyche, about how despite not being able to communicate with words, we can still find ways in which to hear the pain and joy in another’s actions. Small Foot shows how petty we can be when we revel in ignorance, how magnificent we are when we seek to understand. Small Foot won’t arguably be your favourite ever animated film, it possibly won’t be regarded as a classic, but it drives home the message of acceptance and humour home with merit.

Ian D. Hall