This Korean CGI animated film has been given a western redub and is sure to please the younger members of the family.
The story follows a young tarbosaurus, Junior, who is kidnapped by a group of raptors. His overbearing father, Speckles (yep, a terrifying name we know), sets out to find his son and hopefully make up for his tough love.
It’s a simple tale – one not dissimilar to many other animated films – but as such, it works on an emotional level for children. There are elements of The Lion King, The Land Before Time, and Finding Nemo, but this familiarity will give the little ones even more to latch onto. For the grown-ups, who will no doubt have to sit through the film many times, the animation style is bearable. The CGI dinosaurs appear to be placed in a real-world surrounding (if the backgrounds are CGI, they’re bloody good). They do occasionally feel out of place, but on the whole the animation is good. The style changes for some scenes, which adds a surreal edge, like some of the early Disney masterpieces. What lets the film down is the English dub. There’s not enough character and the translated dialogue no doubt loses something. The kids won’t have a problem with it, and there’s even a little bit of lavatory humour in there when Junior attempts to seek solace in a cave the other dinos use to poop in.
While there is some violent fights between the various dinosaurs, the peril and its depiction doesn’t get into Watership Down territory, but younger tikes might have a hard time with it. This also applies when it comes to the sadder moments, so expect a few sniffles. They might have a confused look too when the end credits appear and they’re all in Korean.
Journey to Fire Mountain is a sequel to a 2012 film Speckles: The Tarbosaurus, but you don’t need to have seen that (and we can bet anything that you haven’t) to enjoy this. While it might not be Pixar level entertainment, Dino King is a decent enough distraction for those wet days of the school holidays.
Release Date: Out Now (DVD) – You could win a copy here.
