Yetis are a tribe of gigantic white-haired anthropoid creatures who lived on the peak of a high mountain hidden above the clouds. Migo is a young yeti who was training to be the new Gong-banger, which they believed activated the sunrise everyday. One day during training, Migo overshot the gong and hurtled beyond their village just in time to witness a plane crash and the human being (the legendary "Smallfoot") who had safely ejected out of it.
When Migo told his fellow villagers, the stern Stonekeeper accused him of being a liar and banished him. With the help of the S.E.S. (Smallfoot Evidentiary Society), led by the Stonekeeper's daughter and Migo's big crush Meechee, Migo agreed to go below the clouds in order to find conclusive evidence of the existence of the Smallfoot in order to clear his name. Migo's initial Smallfoot encounter was with Percy Patterson, a TV host whose wildlife show desperately needed a boost in his ratings.
At first, I thought the trailers of this animated film seemed to already tell the whole story. However upon watching, they really did not. I liked how the story was developed by writer-director Karey Kirkpatrick, that there was so much more than met the eye than just the cute funny characters and the kiddie slapstick comedy scenes. It was fascinating how the filmmakers were able to create a whole interesting history and culture for the Yetis. They challenge the viewers with the question: Is ignorance really bliss? Were the Yetis better off not knowing anything about the Smallfoot, and vice versa?
Like most animated films, the voices in this film are all very child-friendly and familiar. No voice was really very distinct that is why I am always surprised to discover who was voicing which character when the closing credits roll. Channing Tatum gave Migo a cheerful lilt in his voice. James Corden played the conflicted human character Percy so he had to balance between being the bad guy and the good guy. Zendaya had such a calming voice quality as Meechee. Common had that deep authoritative voice as Stonekeeper. Danny de Vito played Migo's wise father Dorgle. Lebron James played the huge purple eccentric yeti Gwangi.
In the trailer, I only heard "Finally Free" by Niall Horan, but did not know that there would be other song numbers to perk up the energy of the storytelling, all delightfully sung by the voice actors themselves. "Perfection," the opening song sung by Migo (Tatum), had a jaunty cheerful "Moana"-like vibe. "Wonderful Life" sung by Meechee (Zendaya) sounded like an anthemic song from "The Greatest Showman." "Percy's Pressure," which used the baseline of Queen's "Under Pressure," was sung by a stressed-out Percy (Corden). "Let It Lie" by the Stonekeeper (Common) had a "Hamilton"-like rap-hiphop beat as he told Migo about the history between Yeti and Smallfeet.
This was by the Warner Animation Group, makers of the "Lego" films. It was a nice little entertaining film for kids, with deep messages about curiosity, discovery and mutual understanding which may need parental guidance. The generically sweet trailers may not have been that compelling, but I am glad I gave this a try. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. 7/10.
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