Written and directed by Garth Jennings
Produced by Chris Meledandri & Janet Healy
The animation was created entirely in France by Illumination Mac Guff.[
Starring
Matthew McConaughey
Reese Witherspoon
Seth MacFarlane
Scarlett Johansson
John C. Reilly
Taron Egerton
Tori Kelly
Cinematography Guylo Homsy
Edited by Gregory Perler
Music by Joby Talbot
Production companies Universal Pictures & Illumination Entertainment
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Running time 108 minutes
Country United States Language English
Budget $75 million[5]
Box office $634 million[5]
No matter what you might think of the late Michael Jackson, his video Thriller (co-directed and produced by John Landis) is indisputably one of the greatest music videos ever made. The choreography, combined with the (relatively) complex plotline, and the fact that “Thriller” is an absolutely great pop song, arguably Jackson’s best, make watching this an unforgettable experience. (I watched it on YouTube the other day, and yes, it holds up remarkably well).
So when I was cruising Netflix in the gawdawful aftermath of the Presidential election, I definitely wanted escapist fare. I spotted an animated version of “Thriller.” Given the sophistication of the movements in the original, this struck me as a truly ambitious task. I fired it up, and was instantly enchanted. It isn’t just a blind copy of the original, but instead has a separate story line (although quite literally eerily similar) and the choreography, while different, felt exactly RIGHT. I think Jackson would have approved.
So I watched the original. Yes, different. And yet wholly true to it. Part of it, I’m sure, is because the characters in the animation were anthropomorphic animals, and it’s kinda hard to make a giraffe and a porcupine move in the same manner. Also, in the original, the fingers of the zombies were a big part of the dance, and these characters didn’t have fingers. Or often, hands. Nonetheless, a brilliant recreation.
The characters were based on the Sing movies. I’d heard of them, (the 2016 original and a 2019 sequel) and they were on my to-watch list.
Well, now I had plenty of reasons to watch. There was genuine talent behind this.
Both are “jukebox movies” relying on hits by established artists to create a musical. There’s a pretty good assortment of songs (fully a quarter of the movie’s $75 million budget went to royalties). The voice actors include a fairy good assortment of “A-listers” including Matthew McConaughey in a surprise turn as a humorous character. Character design and ambient settings are both excellent. Both movies feature our plucky hero and his devoted followers overcoming adversity in a number of entertaining ways. The big closing numbers live up to show-stopping status.
None of that is particularly extraordinary. What does make the two movies stand out is the animation. These days, it’s reasonable to expect quality unattainable twenty years ago, but what makes this stand out amongst those already high standards were the thousands of little nuances—facial expressions, body language and just the elements of imagination that went into each individual character.
All the animation was done in France, and the French, for decades, have excelled at story-telling through animated imagery. They bring a human subtlety to their characters that American studios just can’t quite match. It has all the goofy sight gags and over-the-top action sequences on might expect, but you find yourself relating to, and caring about a motley assortment of koalas, pigs, bears, porcupines and storks. The French added the magic ingredient, not just to the movies but to the re-do of “Thriller” that utterly captivates.
These are all fun, and manage to be touching without being cloying.
Take the kids.