Diplo’s Mighty Adventure Critique – Family Dino Animated Film Turns Self-Aware Revolting Versus ‘Sweet’
We begin in well-trodden ground for kids’ movies: a small sincere dinosaur, a mildly annoying protagonist, a snarky partner, and an assortment of supporting creatures. Yet this Eastern European feature takes a startling turn.
Unexpectedly, the plot shifts into a physical scene. We see a human artist creating in a dim studio, producing the very same cartoon the audience just viewed.
The draftsman is confronted by a very annoying character – evocative of a wildly eccentric cinematic trope. She demands that he remove his current creations and create something mainstream and “charming”.
What happens next is a devastating erasure of the insufficiently cute. The dinosaur is separated from family and, though he is slightly tiresome, it’s heartbreaking that he feels the destruction was caused by him.
The self-referential story continues as kookier characters are eliminated to make way for something more palatable. It provides the feature conceptual weight – especially since animation is the category most shaped by the lure of adorableness.
That said, while the themes are more engaging than typical kids’ fodder, the characters aren’t very compelling. It’s not that cartoon characters needing to be cute, but rather you do have to be engaged enough with them. With this film, that isn’t completely true.
The Mighty Dinosaur releases in British and Irish theaters on the 19th of September.
