Smallfoot

Beneath the colorful animation and catchy pop songs, Karey Kirkpatrick and Jason Reisig’s family-friendly adventure serves up a contemporary allegory about a manipulative leader whose followers are willing to accept any “truth” as long as it validates their beliefs. Migo (voiced by Channing Tatum) is a happy young Yeti—aka Abominable Snowman—living in an isolated Himalayan village. His father (Danny DeVito) is the gong ringer, responsible for signaling the great glowing snail to light up the sky every morning. Belief in the snail and other traditions are etched into a robe worn by the Stonekeeper (Common), who maintains order. The tranquility of Migo’s existence is shattered when he spies a Smallfoot (human) who survived a plane crash, but when he tells others about his discovery, no one believes him and he is banished by the Stonekeeper as a heretic. Exiled Migo joins a small group of outcasts known as the Smallfoot Expeditionary Society, who are led by the Stonekeeper’s daughter Meechee (Zendaya), and include Gwangi (LeBron James), Kolka (Gina Rodriguez) and Flean (Ely Henry). Meanwhile, underneath the impenetrable cloud cover, obnoxious TV host Percy Patterson (James Corden) is desperate to increase his nature show ratings. When Migo brings Percy back to the village, it throws Yeti society into turmoil. Is Migo part of a conspiracy to threaten all of Yeti-dom? Slyly subversive, Smallfoot is a timely film that encourages children to question authority and think for themselves. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the “Yeti or Not, Here They Come!” making-of featurette (6 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a sing-along version of the film, the character featurette “Migo in The Secret of the Yeti Stones” (4 min.), a “Super Snoozie” companion mini-movie (3 min.), music videos for “Finally Free” by Niall Horan, “Moment of Truth” by Cyn, and Zendaya’s “Wonderful Life” in 28 languages, brief promos, and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning family film.] (S. Granger)