Epic
Voice Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Beyonce, Christoph Waltz
Director: Chris Wedge
Rating: 3.5/5
Blue Sky have brought us the likes of Ice Age and Rio over the years and now they are back with their latest offering in the form of Epic.
We have already been treated to some wonderful animation movies so far this year and that trend is set to continue with this movie.
Epic tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it.
When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world...and ours.
First and foremost Epic is a visual and aesthetic triumph as they really have brought the forest and the characters to life.
The way the movie looks will not only take your breath away but it will also capture you imagination and transport you to another world.
This is the best visual work that we have seen from Blue Sky Studios and they really must be congratulated for what they have achieved here.
There are some great voice performances in the movie; the likes of Colin Farrell, Christoph Waltz and Steven Tyler particularly spring to mind.
The main characters of MK, Ronin and Nod are easy to get behind while Christoph Waltz makes a terrific villain in the form of Mandrake.
But there the characters fall short is that they are not characters that you can truly fall in love with - and that is a major shame.
It's great to see another female character leading an animation movie but there is something very under-developed about MK.
She is struggling with the death of her mother while having a strained relationship with her father and yet you feel that this is glossed over somewhat.
In fact all of the relationships in this film suffer from this; Queen Tara and Ronin, MK and Nod, Ronin and Nod, and that just means that the film falls emotionally short.
Epic is a straightforward good vs evil movie that sees the forest battling to stay alive and it delivers a very important message about the importance of the environment.
I wouldn't quite go as far as to call this an animation classic but there is enough heart and magic here for audiences of all ages to enjoy.
It is a fast paced movie that will captivate and entertain from start to finish and you can't help but get swept along with the story.
Epic is another fine animation movie that really is a lot of fun and is not to be missed.
Epic is out now.