Movie Title: Ferdinand
Directed by: Carlos Saldanha
Movie Company: Blue Sky
Notable Stars: John Cena, Payton Manning, Gabriel Iglesias
Get your movie here!
Or the book it's based off of here!
In all honesty, I wasn't overly excited for this movie. I didn't love the book it's based on (by Munro Leaf) and I'm not a wrestling fan so John Cena was no draw for me but my husband rented it for our weekly family movie night with my mother in law and I was curious so I accepted it with an open mind. In full disclosure, I've only seen it once, at family movie night, but I was happily surprised by what I found and am excited to share my thoughts with you!
What's it about?
Frerdinand is a bull unlike any bull you've met. Even from a young age, he rejects the ideas so easily adopted by the others around him and decides to escape his world and find a place where he can be happy by being himself. Happily, he succeeds but, as often happens in these kinds of stories, things go awry and he finds himself back where he started, in a world where he is not understood and what is expected from him does not match who he is and what he believes he should be.
What did I think about it?
I love stories and I am a huge fan of stories in which it is okay and even celebrated to be different but, let's face it, there's a million of them. Sometimes they can kind of run together in your mind, they can be so similar, but I don't think this one is among them!
I was really happy to see that each character was distinct. It would have been really easy for some of them to run into each other, forming a group but with bland or less defined characteristics. But not this time! Each character had their own personality, their own quirks and their on distinct qualities from hair that was too long, an obsession with being in bull fighting, loving flowers to being stuck up, loving to snag items just laying around to eating everything in sight. Even their appearance was such that each character was distinct, even if they had similar appearances as others of their kind.
I was also a fan of the story, which was really surprising to me as, like I've mentioned before, I wasn't a big fan of the book. However, I really liked the story. While it was predictable in some ways, I was surprised by how settle the lessons were. It was more of a "do what I do, not what I say" kind of story, never really coming out and flat out saying in a big way what the lessons were, which was a nice change in the realm of animated children's movies.
However, my favorite part may just have been the fact that, while Ferdinand is different then the other bulls, he never tries to change them. He respects the ways in which they are different and respects their choices and beliefs, stepping in only when he sees a danger in their behavior and, even then, does not attempt to truly change them, just step back and rethink their choices in the situation. Never in the story did it become about which way was better, Ferdinand or the other bulls. Never was it a battle to alter others, but an understanding of differences.
While some may say that the story of Ferdinand is obviously about being different and embracing who you are, I would argue that the lesson was about embracing all the differences we all have and respecting different ways of life. Just as we want to live in a way that makes us happy, others should have the freedom to do the same without pressure to change for someone else. I think this was really hit home for me in (what was probably my favorite part of the movie) when Ferdinand was talking with someone else. His friends says something like (I'm totally paraphrasing here) "Oh, so you expect me to live like you, likeing what you like?" and Ferdinand says, "No. That's my thing. You do your own thing, like what you want to like, just be happy and free."
I also really liked that every character had strengths and weaknesses, even those that you may have perceived as the weakest link but, at the end of the day, none of them were any less strong or useful then the others, they just shined in different situations and by using different skills, just like we all do!
Over all, it was a fun movie that left me with little to no complaints. It was fun, humorous, and heartwarming. It was filled with unexpected enjoyment, so much so that I can't even name my favorite character (Ferdinand, Lupe and the hedgehogs) but, instead, have a tie! Maybe it's because they are all quirky and I do like quirky characters, but for whatever the reason, I couldn't pick just one!
What would I rate this movie?
I would rate this movie
a
3 out of 5 flowers
Now that you've heard my thoughts, tell us what your thoughts are! Did you like it?Is it worth a buy? Who did you love the most? Let us know in the comments!
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