MovieChat Forums > Arthur's Missing Pal (2006) Discussion > My Short Movie Review 07/01/06

My Short Movie Review 07/01/06


I just came back from watching the movie (the UltraStar theater near me had problems with their ticketing, so I was able to see it for free!) and I pretty much liked it. The animation wasn't the best, but it was interesting to them all the characters not handdrawn. It reminded me a little of those children's shows on Nick Jr or early Disney Channel mornings. But yeah, in terms of the movie.

The story kept me watching, and it did keep a lot of the show/book's central trademarks (Arthur having fun with his friends, DW's obsession over Mary Moo Cow, Buster's aliens fascination, Franchine and her competitiveness). The basic plot is that Arthur neglects Pal for one day and during that day, Pal manages to get out of the house and sets off on an adventure eating whatever comes his way, and exploring the town of Elwood City. However, once Arthur notices Pal's gone missing, it's up to him and his friends (Buster, Brain, Franchine, Binky, & Prunella) to search the town and find him. With many moments where Arthur & Pal's paths cross (but they end up missing out on each other), it takes Buster, Arthur and DW to connect clues and follow the path Pal's traveled.

All right, I ended up talking about the plot instead of the film. Like I said earlier, the computer animation isn't as great as say, Pixar's films, or even the Veggietales films, but it's serviceable. The voicework is done well, with the exception of DW and Franchine's voices being noticeably different than the PBS' show. However, with the movie being just over an hour (about an hour and 10 mins), it's a good film for fans of the "Arthur" series. It isn't too long, nor is it too short.

Plus, there's two songs in the film (I wasn't able to write down the first because the credits were rolling quick at the end of the film, but the second one, which is repeated at the end is David Pettigrew's "Stars") along with a few instrumental compositions that help elevate the film from the "TV show" to the "movie theater".

Overall, I enjoyed the film. Probably because I'm still a big "Arthur" fan (read the books as a little child, and yet at the age of 21, I still watch the animated series every now and then), but it was worth my time.

Would I watch it again? Sure. I'm not sure if there'll be plans for a wider release than this "Saturday/Sunday" mornings at 10am programming for the month of July at selected theaters, but it wouldn't hurt. Children would enjoy it's comedic moments (along with a few dramatic moments), let alone the cuteness factor of the film's main focus: Pal.

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Nice movie review. Hope it meets up with the DVD release next month.

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