Abominable

Abominable

Starring Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Eddie Izzard

Directed by Jill Culton

The Story:
A young Yeti escapes the confinement of Mr. Burnish (Eddie Izzard) and Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) and takes refuge atop an apartment complex roof.  Meanwhile, young Yi (Chloe Bennet) lives at that complex with her mother and grandmother, and spends all her time working odd jobs in order to get money to take a trip around China that she planned on taking with her father before his untimely death.  While on the roof one night Yi discovers the Yeti, and bandages his wounds.  She befriends the Yeti (whom she calls Everest after seeing him looking at a billboard advertising it) and believes that Everest is his home, and sets out to take him there.  Together with her friend Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and his young cousin Peng (Albert Tsai), Yi embarks on the adventure of a lifetime in hopes of returning Everest to his home before Burnish captures him again.

The Synopsis:
There are three uniquely different films that came out in 2019 that have one thing in common.  "Us," "Good Boys," and "Abominable" are the only three original films (not based off another source material) that debuted at number one, and each one proves that there's still some desire for originality in cinema.  While "Abominable" did provide some visually stunning animations, an emotionally-fueled story, and three-dimensional characters, it also didn't really tread new ground and provided a very by-the-books pattern that didn't leave open to the imagination anything new except for one unique aspect, but still it's a film that young and old can enjoy together.

The film follows young Yi, a girl who recently lost her father and spends all her free time working in order to save up enough money to go on a trip that she planned with her father before his death.  She's alienating herself from her family, and spends solitary time on the roof playing her father's violin.  It's during one of these nights that she finds a Yeti on the roof, and befriends it after finding out it's injured.  She names him Everest and believes that is also his home, so she determines herself to get him there before a group of scientists can re-capture it.  Along for the ride are her friend Jin, and his cousin Peng, and the three learn more about themselves, each other, and the vast world around them in their adventure.

What sets this Yeti tale apart from the others that've sprung up lately (in a year's time we've gotten this, "Missing Link," and "Smallfoot") is the fact that this Yeti has magical powers - it can manipulate the nature around him by using tonal harmony.  This is useful in their quest to get away from the bad guys, and also provides some light-hearted moments as well, and really sets it apart from the other Yeti films.  It also provides some of the film's best animated moments.

"Abominable" also deals with heavy-handed issues such as dealing with loss, as we see Yi struggling with the loss of her father and keeping busy in order to really feel that emotional hit.  She carries around his violin but doesn't play it in front of others, and eventually learns to let go and allow herself to feel the loss, as well as the joys that come with the most unexpected moments (especially in a tear-shedding moment when she realizes something that she didn't notice before, and something the audience didn't notice either).  Her friends are more stereotypical and don't really offer any depth, as Jin is your typical teenage boy who has countless girlfriends, takes numerous selfies, and is typically vain and self-centered who learns the value of friendship, while Peng is just around for comedic relief and offers a youthful innocence to everything, and is the one Everest is drawn most to due to their shared young age and life enjoyment.

The weirdest thing I noticed while watching the film is probably the most detrimental thing to it: it's wholly Americanized.  The film is supposed to take place in China, but everyone speaks perfect American English, the billboards and other writings are in English, and even some of the voice actors (especially Chloe Bennet, who played Yi) are American.  That really took away from the international feel of the film, but I can understand why they did it - I doubt you'd find any kid who'd be willing to watch a movie with subtitles, and unlike the great works of those like Miyazaki, "Abominable" is designed specifically for the little ones, but still offers a story that adults can enjoy as well.

The Summary:
While it doesn't tread any new ground in the world of children's animated storytelling, "Abominable" provides an emotional tale told through likeable characters and gives some visually stunning animated moments.

The Score: A-