Families might enjoy the discussion points in ‘Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken’ more than the film itself

What you liked:

The soundtrack was pretty good. ‘This Moment’ by Mimi Webb, particularly stood out as a toe-tapping, feel-good song.

The voice work was good, even if the script didn’t always allow it to be.

What you didn’t like:

DreamWorks started their animation success with the brilliant Shrek films that beautifully parodied the Disney empire and produced slick, well-observed humour as a result.

I feel as though DreamWorks could have done more with this Little Mermaid knock-off (especially with the live-action remake releasing only a few weeks ago). Instead, it feels as though they are trying to copy PIXAR’s success, only failing to match the genius and inventiveness of those films (well, maybe not the more recent PIXAR movies but I have high hopes for Elemental).

The family dynamic felt unoriginal and uninspiring - especially when compared to the brilliant family portrayal of the Morales’ in Sony Animations Spider-Verse movies.

There weren’t any laugh out loud moments for me, nor were there any jokes that made me think of laughing…

I was surprised to learn that this movie was only an hour and half long as it felt much longer… I definitely got restless but a child might have found this more entertaining than myself.

It was a generic kids movie, which is disappointing as DreamWork’s previous film - Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - was great for all-ages.

Thoughts for parents: