Smallfoot 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Smallfoot 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 18, 2019

As animated films go, Smallfoot is neither here nor there, neither a particularly great example of what the style has to offer but certainly in no way a digital disaster. The film, which turns the legend of "Bigfoot" on its head and toys with the idea that, to Yetis, humans are as much of a myth to them as they are to man, makes for an agreeable little laugher with high yield digital animations and plenty of toe-tapping music to go along with it. As these films go, there are a few positive messages about acceptance of social norms, of interspecies friendship and understanding, of not being afraid of changing realities and new ways of thinking. It's a good all-around film, just one with no qualities that allow it to stand apart from the crowd. "Middling," one might label it, and there's nothing wrong with that comfort zone middle ground. The film will entertain without offending the sensibilities. Just don't go into it expecting the next great thing on the animation landscape.

For the Yetis who live high in the sky above the clouds, where everything is cold and everyone is content, various laws are written in stone. Migo’s (voiced by Channing Tatum) favorite law is the one that says the gong must be rung in order to bring about the new day. It’s a job his father, Dorgle (Danny DeVito), currently holds, and it will one day be Migo’s. While on a practice gong run, Migo overshoots the target and finds himself well beyond the town’s borders. And he is witness to something spectacular, albeit frightening: a plane crash. And out of the plane he sees a “Smallfoot,” a human being who seems just as startled to see Migo as Migo is to see it. Migo rushes back to tell everyone what he has seen, but the town’s sacred stones say man does not exist. As a result, Migo is banished from the village, at least until he is wiling to stand before the town and admit that he is wrong. Soon, he finds himself in the hideaway headquarters of the S.E.S., a secretive organization that deals in exposing the truth about the so-called “Smallfoots.” Meanwhile, the human Migo met, a TV journalist named Percy (James Corden) who is on the hunt for a rare spider, shifts his focus to uncovering evidence that yetis actually do exist.

Smallfoot dual-purposes its plot. On one hand is a humorous story about how Yetis see humans and humans see Yetis, each believing the other to be some fictional character that is nevertheless part of longstanding mythology. On the other hand is a story of Yeti culture, which is isolated form the rest of the world and exists high above the clouds on top of large, ever-moving creatures they believe need to be watered to keep their land balanced on their backs. Their society is built around a strict set of codes, laws, and truths (literally written in stone) that they believe to be immutable, even in the face of contrary evidence. Denying or disobeying means banishment, which is how this film's story is set into motion. The film plays with some sly, and overt, comments on human culture and tradition through its depiction of Yeti culture and tradition, but for the most part the film plays it straight and funny, folding in commentary without allowing it to overwhelm the story or drown out the humor. The movie does work best in its first act, in introducing characters, Yeti culture, and tradition and how and why Migo is banished and quickly finds himself mixed up with a group of X-Files types out to prove that humans do exist. Once the story expands and shifts focus to silliness and human-yeti interaction in the second act, it loses some steam. The third act is a hybrid of the first two and plays to modest entertainment and thematic success.

The film is well assembled in terms of its technical presentation. The animation is first-rate, critical considering the furry, fluffy character models where the small details of hair and fur movement are vital in creating a convincing world. Characters are built with great variety. The animators have given each a physical personality that is reinforced by the well-rounded collection of voice actors who find a consistent cadence of their characters and also play into the movie's larger narrative tone, that balance between world building and humor. The nature of the movie allows both the digital artists and the human voice actors plenty of leeway to do with the characters and the world as they wish. They are bringing life to a fictional species, and there's no end of fun little details both hiding in the backgrounds and obviously revealed for all to enjoy. Smallfoot doesn't rise to Pixar levels of excellence, either physically or narratively, but most viewers should find it a satisfying, if to ultimately forgettable, little escape worth a 90-minute investment.

Smallfoot 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Smallfoot doesn't make a big impression in 3-D. Warner Brothers' 1080p Blu-ray 3-D presentation exhibits modest depth, a slight feel for character and world shapes, and a few enjoyable pop-out effects. It could be labeled a "jack of all trades" sort of 3-D release, one that is capable in all areas but which cannot excel in any of them. General 3-D effects are left wanting. For all the space and opportunity to open up the Yeti world, there's very little feel for true environmental stretch and definition in the opening sequence. The 3-D presentation cannot draw the viewer in, seeming to instead leave the viewer at a distance, seeing the world -- even its smaller and more confined spaces -- from afar where shape and depth flatten out by the laws of physics and geometry, even in a three dimensional world. There are some good moments, though, where locations cannot help but to find more shape and space. Take a scene in a cave with large, thick icicles in chapter three around the 21-minute mark. The combination of a relatively small space with all of the icicles of varying lengths and circumferences, the seemingly random spacing of one to another, and the intimate camera positioning together allow the viewer to feel as a part of this particular place, to be standing there with the characters and get a true sense of its geography. Unfortunately it's a short-lived scene, though it is followed by an expansive look down a river in a fairly deep canyon and, a moment later, up a steep cave, two locations where a couple of the best examples of the 3-D image at the top of its abilities appear. Other moments like these exist -- perhaps not "wow" moments but certainly moments of general satisfaction with the format's and the transfer's abilities -- but they are generally the exception to the fairly routine rule that follows the movie for its duration.

There are a few impressive pop-out effects. Snow appears to drift out in front of the screen over the studio logo at film's start (and during chapter 10 as well). A human boot -- one of the key pieces of evidence in S.E.S.'s possession proving the existence of humans -- appears to extend out of the screen right at the 20-minute mark. A few popping, zipping fireworks seem to shoot out of the screen in chapter 10. Once again, it's a case of the transfer seizing what few opportunities it has to shine but never really offering a consistently compelling viewing experience in terms of its 3-D output. The image is a little darker overall than the 2-D counterpart, but essential color and detail parameters do not lag very far behind. There's still a tremendous level of digital detail and a well-rounded color palette to enjoy, notably in town at night in chapter 10. This is a good 3-D presentation. It in no way stands out from the pack, but content-hungry fans still hanging with the format should find it a worthwhile watch, just not a centerpiece of the collection.

Smallfoot 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is appropriately lively, with music filling the stage with energetic beats that stretch wide along the front and wrap into the rears for a seamlessly immersive experience that sounds larger than that configuration suggests. The track produces several enjoyably deep guttural growls when the humans hear the yetis speaking, while humans in turns sound like squeak toys. Cold blustery winds plow through the stage in chapter five and there are a number of impressively discrete stage encirclements relating to both music and effects alike. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized from a natural front-center location. This one never misses a beat.

Smallfoot 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Smallfoot contains a couple of shorts, a brief making-of, music videos, and more on the included 2-D Blu-ray disc. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with a slipcover.

• Yeti Set Go Sing-Along: An introduction (1080p, 1:43) informs viewers of what to expect from this feature, which prompts users to react and respond in certain ways to certain scenes. It also includes karaoke-style presentations for the film's music. Users can flip immediately to the next song, when prompted, by pressing the blue button on the remote control.
• "Super Soozie" Mini Movie (1080p, DD 2.0, 2:22): "Superhero" Soozie is ridiculed by her peers for pretending to be something she is not until circumstances demand she save the day in true hero fashion.
• Migo in The Secret of the Yeti Stones (1080p, 3:43): Migo introduces viewers to the way his world works and some of the "artifacts" in the yetis possession.
• Yeti or Not, Here They Come! Imagining Smallfoot (1080p, 5:58): Creating an original story, exploring the Bigfoot legend in reverse, the film's visuals, voice cast and work, production design, the film's music, Karey Kirkpatrick, and more.
• Music Videos (1080p): Included are "Finally Free" by Niall Horan (3:26), "Moment of Truth" by Cyn (3:58), and "Wonderful Life" In 28 Languages, Sung Around the World (3:11).
• Promotional Materials (1080p): Several fun little shorts. Included are Turn Off Your Cellphone (0:36), Artifact #17: The Scroll of Wisdom (0:25), Artifact #31: The Smallfoot Cocoon (0:30), Artifact #54: The Singing Stone (0:30), and Migonda (0:54).

Smallfoot 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Smallfoot is one of those films that just exists, giving no reason to give it grief and giving no reason to heap upon it praise. It finds solid footing, so to speak, as a firmly middle-of-the-road sort that will please younger viewers with its characters, music, and digital muscle, and it's good enough to not turn off the adults in the audience, either. Warner Brothers' Blu-ray 3-D release of Smallfoot is nothing special, visually, a somewhat unassuming presentation with a few good moments but not real consistency of depth and stretch. Audio is quite good. Supplements are not particularly noteworthy and are aimed at the kids. Recommended.