Abominable is a 2019 animated film about a teenage girl named Yi who goes on an adventure to bring a Yeti back to his family.
It’s hard not to be too harsh on animated movies that are just made to entertain kids. Disney Pixar has been doing it right lately with the majority of their films that they have released in theatres, because they can appeal to both kids and adults. However, that’s not always the case with DreamWorks Animation. While Shrek and the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy are admittedly some outstanding flicks, the rest of them tend to be hit-or-miss. The studio’s latest feature titled Abominable will now determine whether or not they still have the magic. Written and directed by Jill Culton, this is another animated film about a Yeti after we have had Smallfoot last year, but it’s unfortunately a forgettable movie with a premise that’s been told lots of times before.
Abominable revolves around a teenage girl named Yi (Chloe Bennet) who wishes to travel all over China and has been saving up money in order to go on her big trip. But, she then comes across a mysterious Yeti on the rooftop of her apartment and decides to befriend the mysterious creature. Her two friends Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai) eventually discover about the Yeti as well. They now go on an adventure to bring him back to his family in Mount Everest, while they’re being chased down by a rich explorer named Burnish (Eddie Izzard) and a zoologist named Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) who wish to capture the creature dead or alive.
At this point, there’s no denying the fact that Abominable looks absolutely gorgeous. It’s no surprise that DreamWorks Animation has been recognized for bringing some top-notch animation and cinematography in their films. Some of the scenery is quite extraordinary, and you’ll love seeing that on the big screen. While the animation is the best part of entire movie, the rest of it is a mixed bag. All the characters except Yi and the Yeti lack depth, and they’re not that intriguing. Even the main villains are so clichéd that it makes you roll your eyes every time they’re on screen. Some of the dialogue, especially coming from Jin and Peng, is written in a way that seems to appeal to kids only, which can be exhausting at times.
The first half of the movie is incredibly uninteresting, while the second half is actually not that bad. But as a whole, it doesn’t quite work cohesively. Sometimes it feels very rushed. The pacing drags sometimes, and it’s not ideal for kids to feel bored during some scenes. While watching the film, you immediately start to notice that it’s predictable from start to finish, because there’s no surprising moment whatsoever. Since this story has been told so many times before in a much better way, you can’t help but criticize its unimpressive simplicity in terms of its narrative structure.
Abominable could have been a charming and fun flick for the whole family, but it doesn’t even succeed in that crucial aspect. Kids might enjoy it, but adults will probably want to see something else. While the animation is fantastic throughout and there are some adorable scenes, the generic execution of its premise won’t help the film stand out as a great animated feature. It’s not an abomination or anything, it’s just the premise has been done better in other movies.