Director: Lino DiSalvo
Voice cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Daniel Radcliffe, Kenan Thompson, Gabriel Bateman, Jim Gaffigan, Adam LambertÂ
Rating: U
Running time: 99 mins
Release date: 09/08/2019
Created in 1974 by Hans Beck, Playmobil is one of the most recognisable toy brands across the world, enabling children to create a mix of imagination and practical experience using forty different play worlds and incorporating a total of about three billion figures that have been produced since its inception.
Given the popularity of the brand, it was inevitable that the big-screen would beckon – in the form of a brand-new CGI feature, PLAYMOBIL THE MOVIE.
Directed by Lino DiSalvo, who was part of the Animation team behind the original FROZEN, PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE is the tale of New York-based siblings Marla (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Charlie (Gabriel Bateman) are pretty close, but Marla has ambitions to see the world, having just acquired a passport. Charlie is determined to have an adventure or two in time, but the sudden death of their parents in a car crash forces Marla to reassess her priorities. The world of Playmobil provides some escape for Charlie.
Related: Hobbs & Shaw Review – Demolition Men
Escaping to a toy exhibition in the centre of Manhattan, Charlie is stopped by Marla and ordered to return home, but the incredible toy display prompts him to remain behind. Putting his favourite toy on one particular area causes a reaction from a lighthouse – and bingo!
Suddenly, the two are transported to the virtual world of Playmobil, where Charlie becomes a Viking warrior with immeasurable strength, whilst Marla remains a relatively normal version of her real self.
Before long, they have to deal with the evil Emperor Maximus (Adam Lambert), but they find useful allies in the likes of food truck owner Del (Jim Gaffigan) and Bond wannabe Rex Dasher (Danielle Radcliffe). Del is in pretty bad shape, given that his product of pink hay has turned a group of male stud horses into wimpy Dressagers and Dasher offers the principle that ‘nothing is what it seems here’….
PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE is going to arrive on cinema screens with a built-in audience expectation, with no trouble for parents looking for a choice to see at the cinema this August. It’s a passable entertainment for children and will stimulate young minds who have been taking advantage of the toys and products that Playmobil offer.
It’s flawed plot-wise, with the age-old side plot sentiment that has defined some of the classic fantasy and sci-fi films of the 1980s that Spielberg was so renowned for doing before his more serious work in the 1990s. The CGI is competent and consistent, but with TOY STORY 4 still showing audiences and film-makers how it’s done, there is little danger of PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE making a serious claim to the title of ‘Best CGI film of 2019’.
It has its moments throughout and Radcliffe brings some zest in his voice role as Dasher (and quite apt, considering that at one point, he was being touted as a potential future James Bond!).
Older fans will be pleasantly surprised to see the name of veteran Timothy Burrill in the credits as one of the co-Producers. Burrill was a producer on the likes of SUPERMAN – THE MOVIE (1978).
The overwhelming feeling that one gets, however, is that the imaginations of the target audience can create all manner of situations and scenarios that could be a lot more imaginative than what the film-makers have done here. It will certainly play well for a bit on screens during the important Summer release schedule, but may end up being forgotten after the first viewing.
[…] Playmobil: The Movie Review (JOHN) […]
Comments are closed.