By Rodrigo Valverde/reporter
When it comes to animated films geared toward young children, an important factor in its potential success is making it appeal to the adults who have to take those children to watch it.
Unfortunately, adults are going to be looking at their clocks frequently while watching Home.
Photo courtesy DreamWorks Animation
Home is DreamWorks Animation’s latest film directed by Tim Johnson, who has worked with the company on previous animated films.
In this film, an alien race called the Boov invades Earth to hide from its mortal enemy and begins to relocate the humans to Australia convinced it is doing them a service.
When lead character Oh, an outcast Boov, accidentally attracts the enemy to Earth, he becomes a wanted criminal by the entire Boov race and has to figure out a way to clear his name.
Meanwhile, Oh befriends a young human girl named Tip, who has avoided capture by the Boov since the invasion and is on a mission to reunite with her mother who was taken away.
Jim Parsons and Rihanna provide the voices for the lead characters with Steve Martin and Jennifer Lopez voicing supporting characters. The performances worked well with the tone that was set, and the message it tries to get across is well-intended, but what the movie fails to do is make it engaging all the way through.
Most of the humor in the film falls flat as well. There are a few laughs to be had, but many jokes will fly completely over kids’ heads. That being said, the film is cute, colorful and silly enough to keep some children invested, but many will tune out after the first half-hour.
In the end, Home won’t make much of an impact as far as animated films go. The movie ultimately tries to display to children the meaning of friendship and being true to oneself, but it’s nothing they haven’t already seen.
The film is in theaters everywhere, but its uninspired and poorly executed nature makes it passable and not worth paying to see.
