In this Canadian animated nod to the works of cult horror author H. P. Lovecraft, young Howard Lovecraft, on his institutionalised father's orders, tries to destroy the Necronomicon (a fictional spell book the real Lovecraft created). Upon merely discovering it, however, it whisks him off to the frozen parallel world of R'yleh, which he discovers is home to numerous dangerous magical creatures and imprisoned children. Beyond that, of course, Howard also uncovers numerous secrets about his ancestry as he tries to find his way back home.
Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom begins promisingly, with a premise befitting the real Lovecraft's work, which I haven't read but is famously bizarre and Gothic, and the animation design matches this to the letter. However, it soon becomes very thematically thin and hackneyed, with writer-director Sean O'Reilly insistently invoking a barrage of family film cliches (believing in oneself, parent-child conflict et cetera) which have all been explored more potently and subtly just in Pixar movies alone, and of course, it also has a happy ending. These aren't just unoriginal but, I suspect, incongruous with Lovecraft's style, and it's also worth nothing that several of the voice actors, including that of Howard himself, must be related to him because they share his surname. The film also, I think, lacks humour and a few musical numbers that could have added more energy and charm; if those elements worked in The Nightmare Before Christmas they could've also worked here.
Instead, the result is a loving but increasingly safe and unimaginative cartoon concoction. I managed no love for or chills from Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom.
Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom begins promisingly, with a premise befitting the real Lovecraft's work, which I haven't read but is famously bizarre and Gothic, and the animation design matches this to the letter. However, it soon becomes very thematically thin and hackneyed, with writer-director Sean O'Reilly insistently invoking a barrage of family film cliches (believing in oneself, parent-child conflict et cetera) which have all been explored more potently and subtly just in Pixar movies alone, and of course, it also has a happy ending. These aren't just unoriginal but, I suspect, incongruous with Lovecraft's style, and it's also worth nothing that several of the voice actors, including that of Howard himself, must be related to him because they share his surname. The film also, I think, lacks humour and a few musical numbers that could have added more energy and charm; if those elements worked in The Nightmare Before Christmas they could've also worked here.
Instead, the result is a loving but increasingly safe and unimaginative cartoon concoction. I managed no love for or chills from Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment