Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

American Girl: Lea to the Rescue Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 8, 2016

The American Girl series leaves behind the kitchen and dance studio for a bigger international flair, flavor, adventure, and danger in Lea to the Rescue, the 2016 version of the annual series that follows a ten-year-old in search of her missing brother in Brazil. It's not a particularly exciting film, watching from the perspective of a thirty-something male rather than an adolescent or tween female, but it's a serviceable spectacle with positive lessons on courage, determination, friendship, and family. Though its scope is a bit broader and the film is a little more action-oriented than its predecessors, it still captures the essence of the American Girl franchise spirit and should please fans eagerly awaiting this next installment.

This year's AG: Lea.

Lea (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) can't stop talking about her family adventure in Brazil. Her older brother Zac (Connor Dowds) surprises her with a return trip home, and with a new girlfriend, Paula (Laysla De Oliveira), at his side. Lea's happy to see him, but she doesn't much care for Paula. Before he returns to Brazil, he confides in Lea that he's hot on the trail of dangerous poachers. It's not long afterwards that Paula calls with news that Zac is missing. Lea's mother Carol (Hallie Todd) panics and, with Lea, travels to Brazil to find her son. The local police are of little help, so Lea, with Paula, takes it upon herself to find her brother. She finds help from, and makes a friend in, a native Brazilian girl named Aki (Storm Reid) in her adventures.

Though highly improbable and carefully scripted to maximize adventure in a family-friendly way while maneuvering through a hostile environment, Lea to the Rescue nevertheless soars beyond the disingenuous Grace film from last year that suffered from a serious case of manufactured-itis that portrayed its lead as just peachy, thank you very much, a perfect little thing who lived the perfect fairy tale life. Lea certainly isn't the opposite, but she's a little more believably rough-and-tumble. Sure she's always right, or so it seams, and she'll be darned if she's going to let her age get in the way of saving the day, but the character is more grounded, approachable, and a nice blend of smart and determined beyond her years while still a little girl at heart. She's a much more positive role model for this year, then, and while the film is about as structurally nuts-and-bolts as they come, it makes for a mostly satisfying little escapist sojourn through Brazil and, by-and-large, the best the series has to offer.

The movie never really stretches the material or the characters. Each individual is rather one dimensional, disappointingly so but not unsurprising in the least. The movie's mantra of simplicity, not to mention the target audience expectations, demands, and need for age-appropriate content, doesn't allow for much more than simple peril amidst burgeoning friendships. The jungle provides a few little scares -- spiders and scorpions frighten the girls on a couple of occasions -- that are necessary to offset the relatively docile nature of the rest of the movie's pitfalls and perils. Performances range from adequate to stilted, with all of the performers careful to accentuate themes and story and less their characters, who, even considering title girl Lea, lack any sort of identifiable shape beyond a few basic characteristics.

American Girl: Lea to the Rescue Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

American Girl: Lea to the Rescue features a very good, albeit very basic, 1080p transfer. The movie was digitally photographed, and the yield is a very clean and smooth, but at the same time very well detailed and brightly colored, presentation. Details are excellent throughout, with the image's top-end clarity always allowing for the most durable and highly textured elements to come out. Clothes are particularly impressive in close-up, but even more so are various urban and jungle textures throughout Brazil, which are often very rough-around-the-edges and with plenty of finer tactile surfaces in play. Colors are spirited and spunky. Yellows, oranges, natural greens, and all variety of hues splash across the screen with dominating pop and punch. Black levels hold deep enough and flesh tones appear accurate. No major interfering artifacts are present.

American Girl: Lea to the Rescue Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

American Girl: Lea to the Rescue arrives on Blu-ray with a well-rounded DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music delivery satisfies. Front end space and detail impress, while wrapping surround detail and a palpable, but never overpowered, low end supports. The track offers a few potent and aggressive moments, such as when a helicopter rumbles through the stage with a tangible weight about it. Various atmospherics, particularly deep in the jungle, never fully immerse the listener. Stage saturation is a little stagnant and volume isn't overpowering by any stretch of the imagination, but the basic sound elements are implemented well enough. Dialogue delivery is clear and detailed, focused in the center and always well prioritized.

American Girl: Lea to the Rescue Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

American Girl: Lea to the Rescue contains several brief features. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Born For Adventure: Meet Lea Clark (1080p, 2:17): Actress Maggie Elizabeth Jones talks about the film, her character Lea, and the fun she had playing the role.
• Star Power: Meet the Cast (1080p, 2:31): Director Nadia Tass and Actresses Laysla De Oliveira, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, and Storm Reid discuss the film and its girl-power message as an adventure film with a female lead.
• Welcome to the Rainforest: A Day on Set (1080p, 1:32): Actress Maggie Elizabeth Jones takes viewers on a behind the scenes look at filming a scene from the film.
• The Adventure Collection: Creating Lea's Style (1080p, 1:36): Actress Maggie Elizabeth Jones and Costume Designer Danielle Knox showcase how the clothes created for the American Girl doll are duplicated for use in the film and the problems they had incorporating some of them.
• How We Did It: Animatronics in the Amazon (1080p, 1:20): Actress Maggie Elizabeth Jones and CFX Productions' Sloth Puppeteer Rob Carlisle show viewers a behind the scenes look at the animatronic sloth used in the film.

American Girl: Lea to the Rescue Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

American Girl: Lea to the Rescue lacks imagination and is risk-averse, but it's more or less a best-case-scenario outcome for a lower budget and kid-centric Adventure film. Characters aren't interesting and performances suffer as a result. But the movie is comfortable and cheerful at its heart. The target audience should be pleased, and the film is a nice little bit of recovery from the largely dreadful Grace entry from last year. Universal's Blu-ray release of American Girl: Lea to the Rescue delivers high grade video, good audio, and a handful of brief extras. Recommended to series fans.