So, I just finished the film based on a personal recommendation. I knew going into this that it'd be the standard 'follow your dreams' story I've grown to roll my eyes at. And it was: I'd seen most all the beats before. But being cliche doesn't mean a story is bad. It just means that the execution needs to be strong and...
...well, it has an uphill battle. The script is cliche, as I mentioned, so that's not doing it many favors. The villain is shallow, the comedy can be pretty grating and immature sometimes, we have a wacky sidekick with plot threads that feel tacked on by the executives to sell it. A lot of things go against this movie.
But what works actually works pretty well. Some of the jokes land solidly and the rival has some depth to her that was there all along. The main characters in the A-plot are pleasant and fleshed out. In addition, the story makes Felicie work for her plot. Her natural talent doesn't translate to skill, which she has to earn. By far, though, the best point is the animation. It looks gorgeous and the dancing really shows off how fluid it is.
We could've had something like The Karate Kid with ballet. Sadly, someone threw in a bunch of things the story didn't need without making them fit. As a result, the end result isn't unwatchable, but it's pretty uneven. I give it a five out of ten: it's got some good things in it, but also a few questionable things that don't really add to it and can detract from it pretty badly.
WesternAnimation A good story married to bad elements
So, I just finished the film based on a personal recommendation. I knew going into this that it'd be the standard 'follow your dreams' story I've grown to roll my eyes at. And it was: I'd seen most all the beats before. But being cliche doesn't mean a story is bad. It just means that the execution needs to be strong and...
...well, it has an uphill battle. The script is cliche, as I mentioned, so that's not doing it many favors. The villain is shallow, the comedy can be pretty grating and immature sometimes, we have a wacky sidekick with plot threads that feel tacked on by the executives to sell it. A lot of things go against this movie.
But what works actually works pretty well. Some of the jokes land solidly and the rival has some depth to her that was there all along. The main characters in the A-plot are pleasant and fleshed out. In addition, the story makes Felicie work for her plot. Her natural talent doesn't translate to skill, which she has to earn. By far, though, the best point is the animation. It looks gorgeous and the dancing really shows off how fluid it is.
We could've had something like The Karate Kid with ballet. Sadly, someone threw in a bunch of things the story didn't need without making them fit. As a result, the end result isn't unwatchable, but it's pretty uneven. I give it a five out of ten: it's got some good things in it, but also a few questionable things that don't really add to it and can detract from it pretty badly.