Michael's Movie Grade: B-
Review: Don't let the movie poster fool you. This is a very sweet and nice little film. It is nothing that will blow many people away, but for a nice trip to the movies it is good film to see.
What makes this movie work is pure charm. The story is nice simple and sweet. There are no huge plot turns featured here and definitely nothing that would shock anybody. However sometimes this simplicity is enough and even creates a charm of its own and I believe that is the case here. The main characters are very likable. They are not anything complex or groundbreaking, but they are good hearted characters and that good heartedness translates well to us and as such we enjoy seeing them and want things to turn out well for them. Despite how extremely sweet this movie is, the villain is actually really threatening. We believe him as a serious threat to our friends. While he is not what I would call scary, he is definitely darker than anything else in this movie and that gives him a strong presence that makes him work very well as a villain. This film also has an excellent animated opening that relates Hans Christian Anderson's classic tale. This opening is worth the price of admission alone.
This movie is not without its faults though and chief among these is the extremely cliché an pointless framing story and quite a bit of awkward and forced dialogue.
This movie is in many ways like a Hallmark Channel film. When we put on those movies, we know what is on is not going to be anything that will blow our minds. However what we know we will get is a nice pleasant (and family friendly) way to spend some time. This movie has that same quality. It will never be put as one of the greatest family films, but for what it is it is a pleasant and worthwhile trip to the movies and it will put a smile on many faces.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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