Ferdinand (2017) — PICK
Lady and the Tramp (1955) — PICK
Blue Sky Studios makes some good choices and some less good ones in their animated take on Ferdinand, the classic picture book about a huge but gentle bull who prefers smelling flowers to butting heads and doesn’t share his peers’ dreams of bullfighting in Madrid.
As they did with Horton Hears a Who!, the filmmakers add plenty of new plot complications and characters, notably a manic goat voiced by Kate McKinnon, all while trying to be faithful to the spirit of the famous climax and the gentle hero, earnestly voiced by John Cena.
A story of bulls aspiring to bullfighting is an ethical minefield, but Blue Sky resolves it well, thereby making Ferdinand a darker, more subversive tale — in a good way.
Less good: the prolonged chase sequences, a trio of smugly superior Teutonic horses and a couple of silly nun jokes. Unexpectedly great: the cleverly beefed-up showdown in the arena and a literal bull-in-a-china-shop sequence.
Back in a new Blu-ray/DVD/digital edition, Disney’s Lady and the Tramp also isn’t a masterpiece, but has one truly great sequence: the Bella Notte musical segment with the iconic spaghetti kiss.
Caveat Spectator: Ferdinand: Some animated bull-ying; very mild rude humor language. Lady and the Tramp: Mild scenes of peril; racial stereotyping (the siamese cats). Both fine family viewing.