MUSTASCH-FETISH, QUIRKY CHARACTERS
AND ORPHANS

With a cat, voiced by Ricky Gervais, that meta-narrates the story, it’s not better than Klaus. A story that resembles the concepts of  A Series of Unfortunate Events and  Charlie and the Chocolate factory for an ensemble of characters that could actually have been included in a Wes Anderson film. Quirky traits that these characters have, is not unwanted per se but the animation is not that good. It is decent but does not serve that much for the story itself.

Netflix has sent out their second computer-animated film, named The Willoughbys, a proud family of generations with a deep-headed and sickly fetish of moustaches. Ricky Gervais is the whole thing that this work. This insulting, meta-cat is the best thing in the whole film. The character itself does not have a real name or personality, where most are nameless. Tim, voiced by Will Forte, is somewhat good in his voice acting. The Nanny is dreadful, Jane is abysmal, and the animation of Baby Ruth is just horrible.

The jokes throughout the film are not funny, just the cat at some point. The core of the story is supposed to, supposedly, feel the voids that orphans have. But because of these hopeless and selfish parents who hate their children, they are just plot point for the film itself, they do not serve any purpose at all? They appear to die at the end as well.

It is entertaining to some point, but it struggles really hard to set a narrative that is compromising and promising. It has a character designed unproportioned. As this is a family animated film with comedy and quirky character and an eccentric animation style, it tries to do it, even in this fast-paced story. The conflict, the emotional conflict, does not really affect the character. It does not affect them.

Klaus, Netflix last film in the animation-department, provided with more feeling, depth and emotion than this. This film, on the other hand, doesn’t give that. It raves the story in a cynical approach and not appropriate for all children to watch. There is no need for high hopes, it does not take long to watch the 90 min film.

Grade 2 of 5