Hey guys and welcome back to an all new 2020 review! Now back in December I did a review on the movie, Klaus, and in there I mentioned a little bit about how Netflix has a lot of potential to be an animation powerhouse as not only was Klaus pretty great but also they had/have a lot of very promising projects on the horizon with The Willoughbys being one of them. So I was really looking forward to it for the fact that it was Netflix’s next animated feature after Klaus and I liked what I saw from the trailer as it looked to be a very enjoyable family film with a neat visual style. Fortunately it turned out to be just as fun as promised and there were even some things about it that actually surprised me a little bit. Now let’s join up with this wacky family and see what makes this movie so enjoyable!
The story is narrated by a stray cat and it tells the story of a family known as the Willoughbys who have been known their grand adventures, and love for one another for many generations… that is until we get to the present where Mr., and Mrs. Willoughby are madly in love with each other yet unfortunately don’t share that love with their four children as they never treat them with any love, and kindness, cruelly punish them, and sometimes even forgetting they exist. So the four children which consist of the oldest, and most responsible of the bunch, Tim, the middle child, Jane, who has an beautiful singing voice, and youngest twin boys, Barnaby, and Barnaby, mostly take care of each other with Tim constantly trying to keep his siblings out of trouble and try to live up to their family name. Getting tired of being neglected by their parents all the time the siblings come up with a plan to send them off on a dangerous vacation one in which they could not come back alive from, leaving them to be orphans. It ends up working out for them as they do head off but they are then left in the care of a nanny whom Tim doesn’t trust at first, but with the help of her, and more characters they meet along the way the Willoughby family will get to learn what the true meaning of family really is.
While watching this movie one of things that stood out for me was how much it reminded me of the stories of Roald Dahl like Willy Wonka, or Matilda in terms of the whimsical yet also humorously dark tone that it has. The premise of kids trying to send their parents to their deaths in and of itself is inherently very dark in nature yet the movie is still able to successfully handle this difficult tone very well. It strikes a nice balance of very funny, wacky comedy, and witty dialogue that can often be very dark, and bleak while also still succeeding as a fun, and heartfelt family movie that’s briskly paced is very clever. It almost feels like something Dahl himself would’ve written (funny enough this is based off a book by Louis Lowery) with how it’s able to be so much fun yet still have some morbid subject matter, and ideas as well. Yet it still manages to be it’s own thing and it tackles themes, and messages that I don’t see often now concerning family and how it can come from the most unexpected places, and come in the most surprising forms but also how it doesn’t have to be those of your blood that can be true family and that’s those that care for you that will always be what family means. It’s something that I can see a lot of children relate to and I love how this movie handles it especially when it comes to the ending which no spoilers I thought was not only surprising but also given what was established made sense and was a very satisfying conclusion. That being said there are some apparent issues the biggest being that the movie is pretty messy when it comes to it’s story structures. As the movie goes along it feels more like a book where it’s split up into individual chapters (Spoilers: Th kids find a baby, they meet the nanny, and they want to get their parents back near the climax) or a pilot for a TV show where three episodes are put together. This is also something that I’ve noticed with other recent animated films like The Secret Life of Pets 2, and the 2019 Addams Family, but unlike those movies this is one where it felt like the writers knew what they wanted to do and in doing so this was a constructed a little better in my eyes. I think it works better mainly because each of these stories played out one by one and not cobbled together with each subplot fighting each other for screen time so while it is messy it’s a weirdly well constructed mess oddly enough. While the sense of humor may not be everyone’s cup of tea I still found a lot to like in terms of tone, and message that it makes up for some of the aforementioned story problems (I’m honestly surprised Netflix hasn’t considered making a show out of this as I think that format would suit it greatly).
Also adding to the movie’s charm is it’s very unique look, and animation style which is one of the highlights of the entire thing. It sort of reminds me of the Trolls movies in some ways as it feels like one big, colorful arts, and crafts project come to life but still being able to have it’s own distinct style at the same time. For one the movements have this sort of stop motion esque feel to them which only adds to the style, and charm of the movie providing the needed energy that comes in handy during a lot of zany action sequences that come about. Speaking of which there are a number of those throughout the movie and director, Kris Pearn, does a great job handling them as he shots these sequences from some cool perspectives and of course has a very energetic direction much like his other animated film, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 with the stand out sequence being when the kids have to try and catch the baby in the Candy Factory. The designs of the characters were also a stand out element as they each all have unique, cartoony looks with different shapes, and colors that do a splendid job of capturing each ones personality (like the contrast between the seemingly scary Orphan Services agents), and there are so many little details that I greatly admired as well like how the hair of the children look like yarn, or Captain Melanoff’s entire candy filled costume. Also bringing back the Trolls comparison this can also apply to the backgrounds which almost like they came straight out of a pop up book with how everything looks like it’s made of some kind of material like paper mache which makes them very pretty to look at. Like Klaus it’s exactly the type of stylized animated feature that I hope to see from more mainstream animated features in the future as it’s highly inventive, and pleasing to look at.
Of course if a movie like this is going to work then it needs to have some fun, and likable kid characters who don’t grate on the nerves and this movie accomplishes that for the most part as I liked the sibling dynamic here. Out of the four Tim is the one who gets the most development and while it may seem he might be pretty annoying I actually found him to be the most relatable as he really wants to achieve his goal of becoming a true Willoughby and he can be very stubborn at times but deep down he just wants what’s best for his siblings and to do all he can to protect them and he made for a very well developed lead with Will Forte giving a very good performance as the character and while yes it is a bit jarring sometimes seeing a child voiced by an adult celebrity in animation here it works more than others as Forte did try to sound like a kid would at his age. Same goes for pop star, Alessia Cara, who voices Jane (and puts those vocals to goo use for the original song, “I Choose”, which is pretty, and plays into the movie nicely) who is also cute, and has a lot of optimism even if there were some points where she would act mean or doubtful to her brother which did stop the movie in it’s tracks at points (even if some of those times were understandable). As for the Twins (both voiced by Sean Cullen) they serve as excellent comic relief providing a lot of laughs with their wacky demeanor, and how they constantly say things at the exact same time and they round out the siblings nicely. There are plenty of other talented folks lending their voices to the rest of the characters with the always delightful Maya Rudolph getting the most to do as the Nanny who is among my favorites of the characters offering a fun, and cool personality providing some sass when needed, and serving as a very sweet, and caring nanny who just wants to help, and care for these kids as much as she can and she also gets a lot of development as the movie goes on. Meanwhile Ricky Gervais brings a lot of dead pan humor to the narrator cat, while Terry Crews doesn’t get quite as much to do as Commander Melanoff, the candy maker whose doorsteps the Willoughby’s leave the (very cute, and adorable I may add) baby they find at which is a shame as it seemed he would have more screen time and I thought the character had a lot of potential especially with the relationship he grows with the Nanny. Finally there are the Parents who love each other to the extreme and are very one dimensional in their disdain for their children, and general rudeness. Strangely enough though it works for this movie and what it’s going for and Jane Krakowski, and Martin Short seem to be having a blast hamming it up as these cartoonishly rude parents. While some get more focus the characters, especially the main family unit, do make for some fun company to be around!
I know I’ve said this a lot throughout this review but I found the Willoughbys to be a delightful feature that kept me smiling, and laughing throughout. Messy yes, and there are certain characters, and aspects that I wish got more screen time and it’s not going to be for everyone with it’s macabre humor. Yet the movie is able to nail that tone, while also being a very heartfelt movie, with an important message that is handled extremely well, plenty of hilarious moments, creative animation, an energetic direction, and some well developed, and enjoyable characters especially the siblings, and the nanny. It’s yet another winning animated film from Netflix and will likely gain something of an audience (particularly those who like Roald Dahl type stories) over time. I feel it has gotten a little bit lost in the shuffle as it hasn’t gotten as much buzz on the awards circuit as either Klaus or last year’s, Over the Moon (which I will also review eventually) which is a shame since I really enjoyed it a lot and I’m excited to see what other creative animated movies the studio has up it’s sleeve and who knows maybe they’ll even consider doing something with these characters in the future as I can see this being a strong franchise going forward if they so choose to make it happen.
Rating: B+
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