fandomuser Gets three stars more on the attempt. On the paper, it sounds like a hit: Midsummer Night's Dream where people fall in love with the wrong person ("wrong" for a reason or another where there isn't necessarily magic involved) plus Beauty and the Beast (with the twist, "Where the Beast doesn't change".) with one message, "Everybody deserves love"... sounds awesome, am I right?Yeah...Disregarding Lucas' interview where he states that 'Star Wars is for 12 year old boys... this is for 12 year old girs' because I really hope that what I understood wasn't what he meant, "Strange Magic" as many have commented it... is just strange and not so magic.The beginning was 'ok'...The development of the girly and literal Princess of the Fairies into this strong and skilled warrior was because her very handsome suitor cheated on her, and we have that via a musical and a "dramatic makeover", the whole thing was superficial and the opposite of what I think the movie was aiming for, "I will no longer be this girl whose whole world revolves around the perfect man... so I will change everything, my looks, my personality, my interests... because of a man." I would have a lot more respect (for the concept) if she just refused to marry the guy (as she did... with another song, mind you) and the change was gradual, bit by bit through the movie. A single scene (read: song) with the personality change just screams teen angst ("a phase").Then we are introduced to the king of Goblins... who, by the way, doesn't look like the other Goblins, who are mostly fast, too big or too small and with no human features on sight (horns, fins, so on), instead, he is tall, with lean muscles, with a very much human face... and with wings, but they look more like an insect's than a butterfly's like the Princess' people so that counts as an "ugly" feature, I guess?From the very same second he is introduced, we can already predict where the movie is going: the scorned, heartbroken princess will fall in love "despite the ugly exterior" of the king and the rude and cruel king will fall in love with her and become gentle and kind.Predictable to the extreme.Another kick: when they meet, the princess insults the guy's looks, asking how can her sister (at the time under the effects of a love potion) fall in love with someone so ugly... not cruel nor arrogant nor rude... someone so UGLY... so much for the determination of not letting looks dicate her feelings anymore.The king's reason to be the way he is? You guess it... heartbreak.And after the climax (a fight between the king and her cheater suitor... of course), everybody lives happily ever after.If anything, it was the sidekicks (the sister and her very short and not very attractive admirer) that should get the praise for "Everybody deserves love" and etc, if that because the elf is sweet and loyal, if easy to manipulate);

goebs-71450 My wife and I watched this movie with our 3.5 year old and we all really enjoyed it. I enjoyed all of the music and the story and my son enjoyed the small character pool and the action. He may not have fully understood the story but he sat through the whole movie (which for him rarely ever happens). I feel like it was the perfect mix of great for the kids as well as the parents type of movie. It probably all really depends on the age, but for my family this movie was excellent and I wish there were more movies like it!

idontneedhave I have seen quite a lot of hate towards this movie, but I can't quite see where it comes from. It seems to be a either you hate it or love it movie. The animation was dark yet beautiful. The music was well timed and perfect for where it was placed in the story. I particularly liked how it truly stuck to the theme of looking past looks and not judging a book by it's cover, unlike a certain Disney movie with the same premise. Bog isn't cruel because of his looks in the beginning, he is cruel due to the pain he feels, which is a realistic way to depict it. He doesn't magically become handsome when Marriane falls for him, but stays the way he is and they fall in love due to similar personality traits and experiences rather than because of either of their looks. It also show that beauty is in the eye of the beholder from both standpoints. We as the audience might find Marriane to be the attractive one due to her being conventionally attractive, but the movie makes it clear that she doesn't fit what Bog finds to be physically attractive initially. Sometimes who we perceive to be unattractive can become attractive if you get to know them. I think that this movie portrays that very well.

imeckard I watched this on the recommendation of a friend, and then the very next day got my mom, younger sister, and sister-in-law to come over and watch it with me. General consensus? Pretty dang adorable. We all really enjoyed it, and even my brother who came in about a quarter of the way through and then sat hostage to it had to admit it's a good movie. I'm not sure where all the critic hate is coming from. Great vocals, fun soundtrack, beautiful visuals, and a love story that isn't cut- and- paste from every other princess movie you've ever seen... what's not to like? There were parts that genuinely made me laugh out loud. About the only bad thing I can say about it is that it was fairly predictable - you could see the plot twists coming a mile away - but it was still delightful to watch. Bog King is definitely my favorite character. I think he had all the best songs.I think it may have gotten poor reviews because it wasn't what people expected it to be, but it feels like the filmmakers had a clear vision of what they wanted to do and they accomplished it beautifully. Give it a chance, you may like it too!