Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas

An improvement on its predecessor Tad the Lost Explorer (2012), this imaginative, animated sequel thankfully veers away from the Indiana Jones legacy that made the original film feel so derivative. The new story still finds ungainly hero Tad Jones (voiced by Trevor White in the English-language version of this Spanish production) ready to bolt from his job as a construction worker to head for Indy-like adventures. But this time he’s a bit more chastened, having returned to boring old reality following his heroic debut, and depressingly separated from beautiful archaeologist Sara (Alex Kelly). That changes when Sara sends Tad an invitation to join her at the unveiling of a papyrus document concerning the whereabouts of King Midas’s tomb. But when Tad arrives, a heist is underway, leading to the theft of the document and of Sara. Tad finds himself in a race to find Sara and stop the bad guys from acquiring the power to turn everything into gold. For the most part, the action set pieces look and feel fresh, while the supporting characters offer comic relief without going overboard. A pleasant family film, this is recommended. (T. Keogh)