Monster High: Freaky Fusion Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

Monster High: Freaky Fusion Blu-ray Movie Review

What's really scary is this film's CGI.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 4, 2014

Every little girl wants some cool, glamorous high school-aged role models in her life, girls who are at the forefront of style, popular trends, and who look just right in the latest fashions and always seem to have their hair and makeup done just so. They're always part of a clique, and a friendly one at that. Barbie comes to mind as the quintessential little girl's heroine, but what about teenage girls who are, uh, a little less than perfect on the outside? Welcome to Monster High, home of the freakishly fashionable, where adventure is always just a fang or claw away, where looking evil is considered looking good, where life lessons are always just an episode away. These monsters -- they range from old Egyptian goddesses to Frankenstein-like trendsetters -- do their best to look the part, but they always seem to learn that it's what's on the inside that counts, and that's exactly where Freaky Fusion goes. The students' latest movie adventure sees them jumbled on the outside and forced to rely on inward and outward teamwork if they're to solve a problem and set things right in the lead-up to their school's 200 year anniversary.

So is it rude to call these girls "hideous?"

Time is ticking away towards Monster High's quickly approaching 200th Anniversary, or in school terms, its bite-centennial. The girls are putting on a play to commemorate the event, but before they can rehearse they have to attend class. Frankie (voiced by Kate Higgins) fails a class project in which she was to speak about her family history. It's not that she's lazy (or that she just doesn't care) but that she really doesn't know anything about her past. When she's told to have the presentation down pat for the next session, her classmates agree to help her out. While they're studying some of the mustier old corners of Monster High for clues, they accidentally set into motion a time machine that sends them back 200 years to their school's first days. Frankie also meets her grandfather, Sparky (voiced by Josey Montana McCoy), who is a student attempting to reanimate the dead. When the girls finally figure out a way back home, they return in half numbers, with pairs of girls fused together into one body. Sparky also returns. As the girls attempt to sort out their new identities, they must battle one of Sparky's creations.

It's all about the message, that last little bit of wrap up, that, "I learned something today" or "knowing is half the battle" moment when the girls suddenly realize how their struggles have made them into a tighter, more accepting, more open-minded group than they already were, and more confident in their own skin on the individual level. In this film, it can all be seen coming a mile away. The school has a sudden influx of "hybrid" students who are likely on the verge of rejection from the greater student body unless the girls rally to their cause by learning more about what it means to be different, which is exactly what happens when they have to look into Frankie's past (she's a Frankenstein creation, made of many parts) and when they become fused together and must learn to control the clashes inside of them to work both individually and as a unit to solve the problem du jour. In summation: togetherness, acceptance, love, and understanding good, all of the antitheses, bad.

But the film does shine, in its own way, within its structure. It offers an interesting dynamic for fans through the middle stretch as the formula is decidedly altered in two ways. One, viewers are taken way back in time -- by two centuries -- for a look at a more prim and proper Monster High. While the changes are really only skin deep, taking away the cell phones and trendy clothes in favor of stuffier costumes and more reserved behavior, it's still a nice change of pace and the glimpses of different characters, even if they're just passers-by, is at least something of note. Two, it allows the animators to exercise a little more creativity, to liven things up with a new dynamic that at least gives the show a superficial makeover for a little while. Both of these also factor into the girls' respective fusions. It's interesting to see them as combinations of two characters and experiencing their inner struggles while coming to terms with their outward transformations. Of course, it's all going to be lost on newcomers or maybe even casual viewers, but hardcore fans will want to try and find some of the nuances that come together when two bodies and minds form one character.

Monster High: Freaky Fusion Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Monster High: Freaky Fusion sometimes takes on a more classic, bolder, cleaner animation style (see Fright On!) and sometimes a cruddy, lifeless, smeary, digital style (see Escape From Skull Shores). Unfortunately, Freaky Fusion falls in line with the latter. It's ugly, to be honest, a bland, uninteresting, dreary, smeary, weary, and all kinds of boring image that has "cheap" written all over it. Details are soft and lacking in precision texture. There's a fuzziness about the image that almost never goes away. Colors are flat decidedly lacking in vibrancy and brilliance. Light banding is evident in spots, particularly noticeable on Frankie's face as she lays on the floor near the end. What's sad is that there's a much better, brighter, more cheerful, more enjoyable example of what Monster High can be right on this disc. Compare this visual drivel to the excellent supplemental shorts and bemoan every last inch of this hideous presentation.

Monster High: Freaky Fusion Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Monster High: Freaky Fusion does at least impress with a fairly big and energetic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is aggressive and effortlessly spaced, enjoying a wide front end presence and an enveloping, evenly balanced surround structure. The opening title music is particularly bold and exciting, with potent guitar riffs, a pulsating low end, and clear vocals, a good workout for the speakers even if it's overloaded with sweet bubble gum Pop/Rock elements. There's some nice hallway din in the school, but ambient, immersive sound effects aren't frequently all that engaging. Big action effects present with solid spacing, good imaging, and healthy surround support. Dialogue delivery is clear and center-focused. This is a strong all-around track from Universal.

Monster High: Freaky Fusion Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Monster High: Freaky Fusion contains three animated shorts.

• Animated Short (1080p, 2:32): Inner Monster 1.0: Ghoulia makes her own digital personal assistant that becomes a hit around Monster High.
• Animated Short (1080p, 2:32): Inner Monster 2.0: Iris turns to an app to help her understand the boy of her dreams.
• Animated Short (1080p, 2:32): Boys Fright Out: The boys are "geeing out" over a tabletop game. As the girls attempt to figure out what they see in it, the guys suddenly have a change in strategy and play style.
• Previews (1080p): Assorted Universal titles.

Monster High: Freaky Fusion Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Monster High: Freaky Fusion is for fans only. It's not a good introduction to the series, but this far into the game that's to be expected. While the core messaging largely remains the same -- treat others well, basically, no matter what -- fans will enjoy the mix-and-match fusions and the brief but exciting look back at Monster High as it was when its doors first opened two centuries ago. Universal's Blu-ray release of Monster High: Freaky Fusion delivers video that's not pretty but appears reflective of the source. Audio is aggressive and fans will enjoy the few shorts included as bonuses (and why can't all of these be animated in the same style? They look so much better). Recommended to franchise fans only.