It's a commendable effort, although the result never quite achieves the sense of discovery or deeper emotional resonance to which it aspires. Rather than warming your heart, the film winds up leaving a chill.
Smallfoot has its heart in the right place, and mostly works -- managing to convey a pretty thoughtful lesson about tolerance, division and learning to see from the perspective of others within the loud, colorful, computer-rendered trappings of the genre.
Let's just say I was glad my 9-year-old wasn't able to attend the movie with me and my 4-year-old was so bored by the heavy-handed messaging that she spent most of the movie whining for more candy.
"Smallfoot" surprises. Co-directors Karey Kirkpatrick and Jason Reisig create a movie with a ton heart, blanketed with confidence and honesty that stands out in a year of seemingly sub-standard animation.
