'The Willoughbys' Review
PG: Rude humor and some thematic elementsRuntime: 1 Hr and 32 MinutesProduction Companies: Bron AnimationDistributor: NetflixDirector: Kris PearnWriters: Kris Pearn, Mark StanleighCast: Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski, Ricky GervaisRelease Date: April 22, 2020
Convinced they’d be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family.
Ever since 2018’s Next Gen, Netflix has caught my eye as a new competitor in feature animation. Then last year, they took that to the next level with the French film I Lost My Body – but for me personally, it was Sergio Pablos’ magnum opus, Klaus. It took the animation industry by storm last year even going on to win Best Animated Feature at the Annie Awards. It was undoubtedly the best-animated feature of 2019 and Netflix’s final marker to express that they are a new formidable foe to all of the other animation studios. Part of what I love about Netflix Animation’s model is that it allows filmmakers to tell their stories and in their own stylized form that no other major production studio would tackle. Now their streak of stylized animated features continues with The Willoughbys, another feature that proves that Netflix Animation isn’t here to play – they’re here to stay.
It’s remarkable witnessing this new trend in the animation industry; where filmmakers are taking daring risks and chances in both stylization and story in order for their features to stand out in the very oversaturated market, and Kris Pearn’s The Willoughbys succeeds at both. For starters, one of the film’s most inviting strengths is its aesthetic where it breathes similarly to a stop motion feature. I assure you it’s 100% computer-animated, but every single motion from the characters and environments moves at a slower frame rate that it sort of mimics the atmosphere of a stop motion movie. Even when comedic moments move at a fast pace, it never hits the standard 24fps. It gives the movie it’s own unique flair that perfectly works in its favor. Similar to how Into the Spider-Verse was made to capture the essence of how a comic book would come to life, The Willoughbys does just that but instead to capture the atmosphere of a storybook.Then you have character designs by Craig Kellman, who I think already has the Annie for Best Character Design in the bag. Best known for his designs in Hotel Transylvania, Samurai Jack, Madagascar, and The Powerpuff Girls, to name a few, the design of these characters is really stylish. I love how detailed they are and how different features of their face have different art textures; the character’s hair would resemble something like yarn, their pupils would have 2D features, etc. Every single character, even the background ones, look so distinguished. By the time Kellman’s name popped up in the credits it all made sense alongside production designer Kyle McQueen, who also just recently worked with Kellman on last year’s animated The Addams Family movie. The two under the visceral direction of Pearn really makes the film shine, making something visually mesmerizing to witness throughout. Although I’m unfamiliar with the novel of the same name, I read one of the signature aspects to why it’s so beloved is its oddball, off-color tone which is completely retained. While the book features black and white illustrations to match the tone, I love how the filmmakers just made this colorful as hell as a contrast to the tone. In the age we live in, where family films are devoid of edge and are way too cookie cluttered, it reminded me of the similar tonal vibrancy of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events or classic ‘80s movies where kids do come from a place of neglect, a subject not many family films tackle anymore. You feel for the Willoughby kids immediately once you see how hard they get it. You despise the parents right off the bat and yet they kept cracking me up because they’re just so inept to the world and their narcissism is only focused on each other. So, of course, it’s easy to sympathize with the kids, most especially the eldest, Tim (voiced by Will Forte), who experienced this neglect since birth. The writers really keep the dark elements balanced, especially when it’s drowned out by a sweet eccentric burst of charm as it progresses and Maya Rudolph’s Nanny enters.
As much as I adore the animation, its sweet yet subversive nature, and to an extent the story, I couldn’t help but feel that the film’s pace was a bit too fast for me to get completely emotionally invested. Don’t get me wrong, the movie is incredibly charming, but moments that were supposed to make my heart skip a beat just never came. Maybe because I was enjoying the look of it so much that it took a while for my emotional investment to kick in or maybe it’s on me and the state of my lack of emotions during this quarantine. But after a while, the movie just kept going through the same three locations that it felt as if it was padding out time other than really progressing. Aside from that, the story is very predictable but the emotional beats it takes to get to its rather heartwarming conclusion are effective and got me smiling more so than I expected. As far as animated features go, The Willoughbys are going to be hard to beat during next year’s awards season, considering if: 1) We still have an awards season next year2) Pixar’s Soul isn’t a masterpiece 3) Netflix’s secret weapon – Glen Keane – doesn’t give in the goods with Over the Moon. Other than that, I highly recommend this. Especially for families experiencing this quarantine and don’t want to drop the $20 for Trolls World Tour. Rating: 3.5/5 | 78%
