Brian's Review - A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures

Green turtles with a green message.

Released: 2010
Genre(s): Animation, Adventure, Family

Ever since the release of the brilliant "Finding Nemo" in 2003, I've been itching for another animated movie capable of doing justice to the gorgeous, sweeping ocean landscape and its various, bewitchingly beautiful denizens. "A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures" has the animation chops and family-friendly vibe necessary to stand out as something a bit more appealing than a simple imitation of the Disney/Pixar masterpiece. The CGI here is more than competent enough - in fact, it's downright impressive, especially in regards to the underwater environments full of lush, oceanic wildlife. The character models used for Sammy and his friends are fun and childishly charming and these appearances match their genial (and happily oblivious) personalities. The adventure itself unfortunately suffers from some bad pacing issues: never before have I seen such a linear film manage to remain so completely unfocused throughout its entirety. The movie manages to be equal parts whimsical, exciting, and disappointingly bland, inconsistently delivering entertainment value. In fact, the only theme that seems to hold the whole thing together is the eco-friendly, anti-polluting message that the viewer is constantly beaten over the head with. While I'm all about teaching our youth about important environmental issues, this sort of direct, unrelenting approach might turn off some older viewers simply trying to enjoy a silly family film with their children. Fortunately, the cuteness quotient here is substantial enough to make this journey worth taking, offering up plenty of enjoyably goofy situations and mildly perilous ones to captivate the attention of tykes for its duration, and enough commendably feel-good moments to keep everyone else at least moderately entertained. This may feel like a poor man's "Finding Nemo," but if you're looking for an undersea, family-friendly adventure, it may be worth it to take the plunge.

Rating (out of 5): 3