It’s always an exciting moment when a new animation studio releases its first feature film. It can tell us what the studio is capable of and what to expect from it in the future. Disney, for example, has continued to build on its legacy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Pixar brings us computer-generated animation with Toy Story; and Illumination created a legitimate cultural change by liberating Small yellow Minions In I am despicable.
Lucky, available on Apple TV+, is the first film from Skydance Animation. Skydance is keen to make a big impact in the world of animation, thanks to the inclusion of eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken and The Incredibles and vegetable soup Director Brad Bird to work on future projects. There’s some serious pedigree here, and when it comes to marketing for Lucky tell us, the film comes “from the creative vision behind Toy Story and Car. ” (One of these is not the same as the other, but I digress.)
In specific terms, that means Lucky produced by John Lasseter — the man often credited with being the man behind some of the most beloved animated films ever while he was the Creative Director of Disney and Pixar.
Why did you leave the world’s largest animation studio to become Head of Animation at a completely unknown entity, you can ask? That’s a good question and an important one. Lasseter did not turn to such a new and exciting opportunity that his reprehensible actions at the previous company forced him to leave. In 2017, he was on leave from Disney, in June 2018, became an eternal departure. Both he and the company point out his “missteps,” cutely (and rather crudely) in the face of his legacy fraught with sexual harassment. , as the reason for his departure.
Defenders are quick to cite Lasseter’s legacy of incredible films when explaining their continued support of him. But those movies don’t make working for him any less a toxic and harrowing experience, according to some of his former colleagues. Lasseter’s reputation as a genius had clearly been eroded, and he is known for “Grab, kiss, [and] commenting on physical features” to her female colleague. Animation on a scale like that of Disney and Pixar is an extremely collaborative experience, and when the head of the chain is malicious, it spreads through the rest of the system like a virus.
People have argued for and against separating art from artist since what felt like it in the first place, and those to blame for creating great work are nothing new. It becomes especially hard to ignore when those same people, after being exposed for their actions, are offered powerful new jobs. Lasseter isn’t the first — and probably won’t be the last — powerful white man to receive a comeback, retaining his position of power thanks to his talent.
Strangely, these alleged gifts are nowhere to be found Lucky. Although Lasseter is not credited for directing or writing the film, he is a producer and everything prior to its release shows that he played a big part in the making of the film. Lucky. Rest assured that even if you’ve never heard of John Lasseter before and follow along without a prejudice, Lucky not an unsolvable disaster. It’s a pale imitation of better movies, and a paper-thin, non-boring slate turns its moderate runtime into a test of endurance.
The film follows Sam (voiced by Eva Noblezada), who may be the unluckiest person there. Sam is like the flip side of Midas, where everything she touches seems destined to fail. She spent her childhood longing for a family of her own, as she gave up her orphanage days, only to have her dream never come true. Now that she’s old enough to live on her own, Sam is desperate to help others – especially her young friend Hazel (Adelynn Spoon), who is hoping to have a forever family of her own. After a chance encounter with a black cat, it seems Sam’s luck may be about to change.
After following the cat through the streets of the city, Sam was shocked to find it spoke English. Not only can the cat talk, but the cat is also opening a mysterious portal. With nothing left to lose, Sam jumps over it, taking her to the Land of Luck, a mystical place responsible for creating all the fortunes in the world. You see, it turns out the cat is actually named Bob (Simon Pegg), and he might be able to help turn Sam’s fortunes around—not just for her but for Hazel as well.
To do this, Bob and Sam will have to work together, navigating through the Land of Fortune. Such a wonderful place is sure to be filled with endless creativity, fun characters, and vibrant colors. The Land of Luck is full of lush greenery (because, you know, Irish luck), the outside is a joy to take in, and the unnecessarily complicated mechanics devoted to tourism are delightful. . But images rarely impress, instead often feeling like better designs. Heck, take a look at Lucky Land, and it will remind you of Riley’s brain in Contradictory—Reduce any Pixar movie sickness or creativity. Worse still, the interiors, where much of the movie takes place, are corporate, unimaginative spaces that reflect the story itself.
Lucky ‘Its biggest failure lies in its storytelling. There’s just so little going on in this petty adventure. Sam and Bob travel from location to location in search of a lucky coin, causing some trouble along the way (because remember, Sam is unlucky), and eventually work together to stabilize everything and restore balance to the Land of Luck. It’s incredibly familiar territory for kids and adults alike, and the scenario doesn’t offer any kind of unexpected surprises at all. Without any appeal or novelty, the film ends up being an utterly impossible undertaking.
When the plot lacks a large, family-friendly animation, innovative character designs and zany hijinks are often used to solve the problem. Nothing of this kind is found here. The best kind of set Lucky The offer is an out-of-the-ordinary, out-of-the-ordinary pop song that’s boring at the beginning of the film and downright aggravating when the same song returns later. No stakes and no real motivation, other than the incredibly generic story of the beat Lucky rewind several times. I doubt that the movie can even capture children’s attention, like Lucky appear as two-bit impersonations of better animated movies.
The characters, the beating heart of any classic cartoon, are generic and lifeless. Like the visuals, they often feel like a disappointing imitation of characters from other, better movies. Rabbits are ugly, lifeless Minions; Bob’s fur looks painted over, like he’s the victim of the eerie valley; and the Dragon (Jane freaking Fonda) resembles a less memorable version of the dragon from Shrek.
There is something hollow deep in the core of Lucky. It feels like an autopilot movie, hopefully some of the nice colors and serious voices will be enough to distract from a hopeless script, muddy pacing, engaging characters and a directing. Virtue is infinite and each is better than this one.
If Skydance tries to alleviate bad publicity by letting Lasseter bring his supposed “creative vision” to Lucky and hit a hit, that’s a terrible bet. If this movie is any indication, Lasseter has absolutely no idea. Instead, he contributed to the worst movie of his career — and favorite to the worst animated movie of 2022.
