The film meanders from scene to scene, failing to cohere. There are the comical sequences, such as Manou futilely teaching his dopey friend how to fly. They’re rapidly followed by scenes of real darkness, which is just about any involving those vicious rats. An out-of-nowhere musical number jars by switching abruptly from a funky neo-jazz tune to a sappy Disney-esque ballad. At one point in time, a character conveniently swoops in, saves the day, then yells, “Bye, bye!” and leaves. There may be a lot going on here, but none of it sticks; there’s no momentum or a sense of purpose. In other words, Swift fails to achieve lift-off, over and over.
I’ll give the film that some of the background scenery is rather striking. Azure ocean waters look almost photorealistic. But that only accentuates how terrible the character designs are. No one is cute, amusing, or pretty. Even worse is the voice-acting.
“…a sloppy, generic tale of an underdog keeps literally fading from one disconnected moment to the next.”
Talk about half-hearted. Though top-billed, Winslet and Dafoe barely show up as Manou’s parents, and when they do, it’s the flattest, most monotone either actor has arguably ever sounded. I don’t blame them: how could anyone make this awkwardly-dubbed dialogue sing? “I told him not to flap these things,” Yves comments on Manou’s flying abilities. “And I told you not to flap that beak,” Blanche snaps back. “That looks suspicious… sorry, delicious!” Kalifa says (cue laughter?).
Swift is cheap on multiple levels. Its animation is, for the most part, crude. It is a sloppy, generic tale of an underdog that keeps literally fading from one disconnected moment to the next. Equally cheap are its sentiments of belonging and the importance of teamwork. “We can adjust our path! Shape our future!” Manou sermonizes. I doubt that LUXX Films executives are echoing that statement.
"…the perils of digital artistry."
