The humor is broad and obvious (yes, Ferdinand winds up in a china shop, with predictable results), but there are a number of scenes that hit the mark. Rating: 2.5 stars out of 4.
Ferdinand is a sweetie and “Ferdinand” is sweet. Not as teeth-meltingly sweet as a sugar tsunami (though a scene where a little girl plants a loving smooch on the bull of the title momentarily strays into that territory), but agreeably toothsome.
As to that titular bull, a “ginormous” specimen, he’s a real dear. He’s legendary in song and story, the story being the 1936 Munro Leaf children’s book from whence he sprang, and the song being the delightful ditty celebrating him as “the bull with the delicate ego.” His lineage traces back to a 1938 Disney cartoon that marked his first appearance on the big screen.
This new “Ferdinand” is a vast expansion on its seven-plus-minute ancestor and is not a Disney production. This one comes from Blue Sky Studios, the people behind the “Ice Age” toons. It’s noisy and often frantic — there’s a car chase (sigh) — but it preserves the original’s key elements. Which is to say Ferdinand (voiced by John Cena) loves to spend his days sniffing flowers on a tranquil Spanish hillside and frolicking with butterflies, and no way wants to fuss or fight with anybody. He especially isn’t onboard with being carted off to Madrid to appear as the featured attraction in the Plaza de Toros. He’s unclear on the concept of what goes on there, but does know that all who go never return.
Movie Review ★★½
‘Ferdinand,’ with the voices of John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Cannavale, Gina Rodriguez, Lily Day, Daveed Diggs, Gabriel Iglesias. Directed by Carlos Saldanha, from a screenplay by Robert L. Baird, Tim Federle and Brad Copeland, based on a book by Munro Leaf. 107 minutes. Rated PG for rude humor, action and some thematic elements. Several theaters.
His gentle nature gravels his fellow bulls, especially a super-aggressive, flower-stomping, er, bully, named Valiente (Bobby Cannavale). Befriended by a garrulous, snaggletoothed girl goat named Lucia (Kate McKinnon) and a trio of hyperactive hedgehogs, he plots his escape from the ranch where he’s held captive.
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The humor is broad and obvious (yes, Ferdinand winds up in a china shop, with predictable results), but there are a number of scenes that hit the mark. A dance-off between the bulls and a trio of haughty Teutonic horses, which ends with the horses tumbling into a tangle and one squawking, “I’ve fallen and I can’t giddyup!,” is a stitch. And a scene near the end, when tables are turned and it’s Ferdinand waving a red cape at a matador, is close to sublime.
The quality isn’t up to Pixar standards, but “Ferdinand” does hit the sweet spot as far as its target audience is concerned. You know: for kids.