Abominable
My updated thoughts on this 2019 film.
With the recent release of How To Train Your Dragon, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about other DreamWorks projects. And, in doing so, I took the time to revisit a little gem from 2019; a beautiful animated film called Abominable.
After discovering a Yeti on the roof of her apartment building, Yi and her two friends embark on an epic quest to reunite the magical creature with its family at Mount Everest. But to do so, they must stay one step ahead of a wealthy financier and a determined zoologist who want to capture the beast for their own personal gain.
If that synopsis sounds a little familiar, that's probably because Abominable is basically the story of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. It just happens to be set in China and features a Yeti instead of an alien. And, while a lot of movies have tried to recapture the magic of E.T. over the years, Abominable is different enough to make it stand out above the rest.
The film also borrows elements from Hot To Train Your Dragon, which is smart, since that is DreamWork's best film after all. I mean, Everest - which is the name Yi and her friends give the Yeti - is basically just Toothless in Yeti form. He even acts like a dog and everything! And all of these familiar elements make for a touching and heartwarming experience that is filled with such pathos.
I mean, How To Train Your Dragon mixed with a bit of E.T. doesn't sound so bad, does it? So, I’m genuinely surprised that this film has largely been forgotten about in just the past few years. Especially since I personally like it better than DreamWorks’ latest animated feature, The Wild Robot.
My biggest issue with the movie - and I know I'm gonna get a lot of hate for saying this - is that it's kiddish. Abominable feels like a movie that should have been rated G instead of PG. Everything is overly simplistic and the kiddy humor can be unbearable at times. Which isn't to say that I didn't enjoy everything; I did like the simplistic nature of the narrative, and when the humor did land, I was holding my stomach, surprised by how much I was actually laughing.
I'm just saying I don't like how overly childlike some of the stuff felt, if that makes sense. I don't know. There's a difference between Inside Out 2 and Cars 2, right? It's a palpable difference that you can just feel. One that separates the two movies from being a kid's movie, and a movie that everyone - including kids - can enjoy. And it seems like Abominable can often fall into the former category.
I believe I said something similar about How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World when that film first came out too. Thankfully, I was able to appreciate both The Hidden World and Abominable much better upon a rewatch. Maybe I’m getting softer as I get older, but I can’t deny that the childish elements in both films don’t annoy me as much as they used to.
That being said, if Abominable were to ever get an actual sequel, I would hope that the characters - and the subject matter - would mature a bit more. I like when franchises age with their audience. But since Abominable is the first installment of a franchise, I can forgive it for being a bit light in nature.
Plus, I really enjoy the animation in this film. The character movements are incredibly fluid, the landscapes are absolutely beautiful, and the use of color is utterly gorgeous. Every detail causes the movie to feel unbelievably vivid and lively.
The voice acting is pretty solid as well. Chloe Bennet is good as the main character, Yi. Eddie Izard and Sarah Paulson are good as the main antagonists. And, even if it sounds like some digital alterations were done to his voice, Albert Tsai is good as a fun side character named Peng. All of the voice work aided in making the characters feel endearing.
So, while I’m usually not a big fan of kids films, I can’t deny that I really do love this movie. Abominable is a nice, simplistic, and heartwarming story with a lot to say about family, culture, the riches of traveling, and how keeping yourself busy just to distract yourself from the pain of your problems can have a negative impact on your mental health. Which is actually a profoundly mature message for a kids film. Meaning that, I do I appreciate this sweet and adorable little movie about a Yeti way more than I ever expected to.
I still think it's one of the best original animations that I've seen in a long time. And it’s for that exact reason that Abominable would still get a recommendation from me.