Diplo’s Mighty Adventure Film Analysis – Children’s Dino Animated Film Turns Self-Aware Pushing Back Versus ‘Cute’
The story starts in typical space for family films: a small sincere dinosaur, a somewhat irritating protagonist, a snarky companion, and a mix of supporting creatures. But then this co-produced film executes an unexpected turn.
Suddenly, the story transitions into a live-action setting. We see a cartoonist creating in a secluded workspace, producing the very same animation that was just on screen.
The draftsman is confronted by a highly irritating figure – similar to an over-the-top movie archetype. She demands that he remove his existing creations and produce something commercially viable and “charming”.
The result is a devastating removal of non-compliant elements. The main character becomes orphaned and, despite being a bit annoying, it’s emotional that he thinks the disappearance was caused by him.
The self-referential story develops as less conventional personalities are eliminated to make way for mainstream-friendly material. This gives the feature thematic resonance – considering animation remains the medium most affected by the lure of adorableness.
However, although the ideas are more interesting than typical kids’ fodder, the characters lack charisma. The issue isn’t animated critters having to be cute, but rather you do have to want to spend time watching them. Here, it’s not fully accurate.
Diplo arrives in UK & Ireland cinemas on September 19.
