I actually have two long-form articles I want to publish, but they are in varying states of disrepair, and today is going to be a really really busy day, so I know I won’t get to finish either of them before midnight. And yes, I realise it’s only 8 AM London time.
So, instead, it’s time for another film review!
As always, spoilers ahead! This is actually a surprisingly deep film. If you have any interest in animated films, a coming-of-age story, and a very helpful Dalmatian, please watch it before reading this review!
Georgia is actually really well written. It’s difficult to write characters that age without either flanderising them with traits that are too young, or making them a little too mature. As a writer myself, I appreciate the care that went into making her truly believable. Her changing into “Joe” was a bit unbelievable (her dad should have easily recognised her), but I’ll give that a pass.
Ember is, of course, adorable. And she saves the day in the final act! I love seeing Dalmatians in media and she is a lovely ambassador for our breed. I also thoroughly enjoyed the scene where Georgia is training and using Ember as dead weight on her back:
Something that stuck out to me about her design is that Main Character Dalmatians frequently seem to have their right ears black. I have sketches dating back to 2011-2012 for Dave, and his right ear has always been black. See also: Patch in 101 Dalmatians, Dylan and Delilah in 101 Dalmatian Street, and now Ember adds to the list! (Interestingly, Radar from Fireman Sam has the obverse – his left ear is black.)
Another surprise was Jinn (the “Cheetah”) having a semi-realistic depiction of narcolepsy. This unfortunately can happen just like it is depicted, even while driving. Though, please, do not invent a punching machine to wake narcoleptic people in real life! Haha.
I had thought maybe it was Pauline behind it when she mentioned she had been around Broadway for 20 years, but she just seemed too timid. She’s obviously a good actress since she is anything but timid, so it’s disappointing Broadway rejected her. I suppose that’s just how it was then.
Finally, I thought the father character (Shawn) was properly dimensional as well. His reasons for protecting her were completely valid, but I’m still quite glad he finally came around.
Other minor notes:
- Laura Devine is apparently the one who came up with the lyrics to Fame! (I can’t be the only one who caught that, right?)
- I really thought Pauline was going to be dropped to the streets of NYC at that final scene atop the Chrysler Building. This is the scene I complained about from Balto done right – Georgia had every reason to not save her, but her good nature and pure heart made her save Pauline anyway. True heroes save everyone, even the villains. (Immediate death is not in any way restorative justice, and that’s one reason I’m against the death penalty. But that’s a whole separate article.)
- Random Amerie song in the ending credits! I haven’t heard that song in almost 20 years. Very fitting song with a great message and energy, though I have no idea how a random then-15-year-old song that didn’t even chart in the US or Canada (though it did in the UK) ends up in an animated film’s soundtrack.
Was it life-changing? The best animation I’ve ever seen? Nah. But I am still glad our watch group saw it, and I enjoyed it a lot. 4/5.
Pauline from the animated film Fireheart strongly reminds me of Rumpelstiltskin from Shrek Forever After.
When the movie showed that Georgia was about to let go (her fingers were slipping to the very end of the cable), I thought there were two ways it could go:
1 – Pauline would say, “Let me go, we won’t be able to hold on together.”
2 – Georgia says, «….. Oh Pauline, I’m so sorry, please forgive me».
In either case, Pauline would have fallen, but maybe because of the age rating, they didn’t go for it. But even then, they didn’t show what happened to Pauline in the end. I think she ended up in prison (or maybe in an asylum).
Looks like Ember’s had a few too many treats—she’s built like a little bun! 😀