Pollonejo y el hámster de la oscuridad

Fun & humorous ride that's filled with of homages to Indiana Jones, Angry Bird, Lion King, Empire Strikes Back. Look closely and you'll also catch some Easter eggs.

What's good about it is that, despite borrowing 'ideas' from above movies, it does create original characters that get you invested. Especially Abe, the perpetually pessimistic turtle who views circumstances through the empty half section of the glass. But boy oh boy, does his wise cracks provide a big chunk of the laughs!

My gripe is the central, but ever recurring theme among animations, of self - discovery, i.e. The journey of chickenhare who discovers that he's, 'different' from others. Why do animations keep using this theme? It's has become annoying. For all of its ingenuity and smartness at weaving a story with the homages, chickenhare doesn't hesitate to use this plot device. And that to me, keeps it from at least an 8.

IN A NUTSHELL: This colorful animation is based on a comic book series by Chris Grine. The story is about a brave young animal explorer who teams up with two trusty friends to find a powerful artifact before his greedy uncle can get his paws on it. Eager to fit in and feel loved in spite of his differences, he is obsessed with adventuring in spite of his clumsiness. The film is directed by Ben Stassen and Benjamin Mousquet. The screenplay was written by David Collard.

I have 4 sons. One of them was obsessed with hamsters so, of course, we had plenty of hamsters over the years. He would have really enjoyed this movie when he was a little kid.

THINGS I LIKED: The animation is delightfully detailed and colorful. And the textures of things like wood and water are so impressive.

The voice talents include Jordan Tartakow (Chickenhare), Joe Ochman (Abe), Danny Fehsenfeld (Lapin), Mark Irons (Piggies), and Donte Paris.

The design of Abe the turtle, the royal servant, is totally adorable. I loved the entertaining touch of his constantly-changing hats. I had pet turtles for 25 years, so I guess I'm a little biased, but Abe had most of the funny lines too.

Inspired heavily by Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, there are many scenes that are almost duplicated with a respectful nod to the classic. At one point, the turtle servant quips, "Darn tropes!" ha ha Adults will recognize some of the music inspired by other movies too. The Easter eggs come from movies like Moana, Angry Bird, Lion King, and even Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back!

Plenty of humor, both spoken and visual.

The animation design of the pig soldiers was ridiculously cute and original.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Not all of the voices seemed to match the characters.

A lot of the humor is geared towards adults. Many of the jokes, references, and vocabulary will go way over the heads of young kids.

I was hoping the hamsters were going to be cuter and more epic.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Bullying Animated violence in a bar scene and other locations Characters in perilous situations It's a kid's movie so, yeah, there is farting (from a skunk) No profanity. Instead, we hear words like "darn".

This movie is family-friendly for all ages.

THEMES: Self-identity and finding out what makes you special Confidence in one's self Courage Family Friendship Working together Using one's unique talents.

The movie never takes itself too serious on its premise, and it knows its not a pixar or ghibli film, but it brings an adventure packed story with stellar animation that keeps you engaged from start to end.

The characters are lovable the acting is phenomenal and the story is very solid.

It does rely on many of the ussual tropes and while I DESPISE fart jokes , in this case they managed to bring it in at a level I can withstand and even take as vital part of one of the characters back stories and an essential part of their character.

Overall this is not going to move you like Disney or Pixar but it is an extremely fun adventure story that will leave you wanting for more.

Heres to hoping for Chicken Hare II.

The movie in English is fine and quite funny but don't watch the German version. Keep out of it skunk"ö becomes I don't give a sh** in German. Any many other inappropriate lines in this movie. No idea who supervised this. Watch original version only and your kids will enjoy it.

The animation is very well done, it's funny, the characters are charming and the plot is very interesting. It's a fun movie for the whole family to watch.