Chatterbox: Pudding's Place

Epic!!!!!!!

SomeonePlusFour mentioned this movie on my Disney thread and I almost squealed because I loved IT SO MUCH!!!! Okay, I never usually like animated films that aren't Disney, but I love the plot and the characters and just the whole idea of it. And I usually don't like fantasy films that have a real world tie either, but the relationship between MK and her dad was realistic enough and yet clever enough to keep it interesting.

I actually really liked MK as a heroine, especially since she didn't exactly have to be heroic, more just like the nature girl who has a responsibilty but doesn't have to go all Valkyrie on everyone. I also liked how they didn't make her too obnoxiously a teenager and there was a little gravity and pathos to her relationship with her dad (who was pretty funny too, by the way).

Obviously, Josh Hutcherson's character (I can't even remember his name) was a little useless, entirely unheroic, and kind of like a weak version of Flynn Rider. Especially since there was no chance of MK actually ending up with him, so he seemed a little superfluous. But I guess there needed to be a third character, as there always is.

I really liked Ronin, though. He reminded me of Aragorn (anyone who reminds me of Aragorn I'm going to like *eyeroll*) and his whole thing with the Queen seemed pretty tragic. I kind of wished he had died in the end, though. It seemed like it was going to happen, but, sadly, no. The ending was a little too cheerful for my taste.

My favorite part about it was how realistic the whole "world in miniature" thing was, with the trees and the bird racing and the "root rot" as the villain. It felt like a book with all the creativity and imagination and I wanted to be a Leafman for about 24 hours after I watched it. I mean, come on. They ride hummingbirds and queens grow from a flower. How cool is that?