Pixar
deviates from its own tradition, opting for a more simplistic
narrative with few artistic risks and a more calculated payoff, but
that doesn't make the story any less beautiful or touching, rendered
here by their most stunning animation to date.
Not
since Edward Scissorhands
has Burton made a film as personal as this, serving up an even blend
of horror pastiche, macabre humour, and ultimately pathos. It avoids
needless dialogue, often allowing Burton's black-and-white
compositions to tell the story.
Kid-friendly horror flicks of acceptable quality are hard to come by, let alone ones with important messages about tolerance and looking past prejudice. While it leans mostly towards appeasing children, adults can't help but gape in awe, for it is a marvel of technique.
Patient,
contemplative, quiet, and gentle; this artistically visualized
adaptation of Mary Norton's The
Borrowers flies in the
face of American animation's typically manic style. Even when it
borders on putting its viewers to sleep, it's a lovely movie.
While
it starts out merely as a clever homage to the arcade culture of the
eighties, it transitions into a beautifully spun tale about seeking
acceptance and discovering self-worth. Quite frankly the best movie
Walt Disney Studios has given us since the 1990s.
