Strange Magic

The best Lucas film in 25 years: funny, idiosyncratic, hippy-dippy, packed with creatures and visions worth beholding.

It instantly rates as one of the most dismal animations ever released under the Disney umbrella.

Strange Magic isn't very magical, but it sure is strange.

If you're a hardcore animation person with not-very-demanding children you might take a chance.

I know we're talking about fairy tales here. But why does the king, who resembles a cockroach and talks like a Scot, have a mother who seems to be a slug and talks like a Jewish-mother joke?

Said to be inspired by "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the film plays more like "Avatar" scored to a karaoke competition.

A perfectly serviceable animated movie that doesn't reinvent the wheel, but manages to entertain thanks to its amazing CGI, fun renditions of classic -and modern- pop songs, and good voice acting. [Full review in Spanish]

This movie is loathsome, that's what it is. I don't know why it exists. Don't see it.

It doesn't make a lick of sense, and if kids are the target audience, they won't get much out of the only-sort-of-appropriate playlist, which tries to build a jukebox musical out of ELO, Bob Marley, Elvis, the Four Tops, Queen and such.

How ironic that a movie proclaiming to be all about love ends up having no heart.

The musical numbers eventually blur in to one another resembling more droning white noise than characters expressing their feelings.

While there are fun moments, the whole is an odd mix of grotesquerie and cutesiness.