Abominable review – One the kids will enjoy

The legend of the Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, has been with us ever since Sir Edmund Hillary brought back news of its possible existence after his epic Mt Everest climb in 1953.

He claimed at the time to have spotted Yeti footprints and hair in the snow. He returned seven years later to prove his claim – but saw nothing.

Abominable, from Dreamworks Animation, is a serviceable animated feature, conceived and directed by Jill Culton, of what might happen should a hairy Yeti encounter civilisation and how people would react to it.

Abominable. Photo: Universal Pictures

The baby Yeti (named Everest) and looking like a silly, white, furry Muppet, encounters a young girl, Yi (Chloe Bennet), on the roof of the apartment building she shares with her mom (Michelle Wong) and grandmother (Tsai Chin), who is so short she startles people by popping up behind a plate of dumplings.

Yi has a childhood friend, Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor), a vain medical student who is part of China’s upper middle class, and his silly cousin Peng (Albert Tsai) who lives one floor below.

Since the death of her musician father, Yi has disengaged from her family and friends, working odd jobs to get money to visit the landmarks he wanted her to see.

Her life changes on meeting the frightened creature and she is determined to get it back to where it belongs.

Abominable. Photo: Universal Pictures

However, two major obstacles in her path are Burnish (Eddie Izzard), an explorer who is determined to catch and display the mythical creature to prove it exists, and his evil zoologist assistant, Dr Zara (Sarah Paulson), who sees the Yeti in terms of dollar signs.

The production is basically an Asian travelogue that sees the two sides pitted against each other.

The narrative moves along a map that includes a trip down the Yangtze River, across the Gobi Desert and a detour to visit a Buddha carved into the mountain during the Tang dynasty.

It’s an adventure primarily aimed at the younger brigade, with one scene depicting giant exploding blueberries, an idea that may have been borrowed from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

The animated figures are somewhat distorted and go against the trend towards natural-looking individuals. Yi has eyes like teacups and ankles like a Clydesdale horse.

Abominable. Photo: Universal Pictures

An interesting facet of the story is that this abominable snowman has the power to control nature, which helps save them in a tight spot.

As with most animated features, there are lessons to be learnt during the journey dealing with self-respect, family love and confidence and a defining factor here is the music.

Abominable is no classic, but an entertaining addition to the growing animation family and its Asian roots give the enterprise a slightly different perspective.

Info

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Cast: Voices of Chloe Bennet, Sarah Paulson, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Albert Tsai, Eddie Izzard, Tsai Chin, Michelle Wong.
Director: Jill Culton
Classification: 1PGV

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