All right, now that I've seen this twice, I feel qualified to write a bit of reflection about it. To get started, I wasn't expecting it to be amazing, but I did expect a rather fun kids' movie. So, when I sat down in the theater and the opening sequence began, I was a bit concerned. You see, it started with these birds singing a very lame, cheesy musical number, and that was NOT what I signed up for. But thankfully, that was cut short and the actual movie began.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film. It was very funny, and had a pleasantly light, fun feel to it. The characters were well portrayed, acting was superb, and it was very consistent. The classic Peter Rabbit tales by Beatrix Potter were given a more modern spin, while still respecting their origins and referencing the original tales, with the inclusion of characters such as Mrs. Tiggywinkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher.
So, content-wise this was fine. There was some "rude humor" but nothing objectionable, which was pleasant, being a kids' movie! The rabbits and McGregor do fight each other, but the violence is shown in a very entertaining and almost cartoonish light.
Anyhoo, on to the characters! Firstly, the Rabbits:
Peter has a bit of an ego and is constantly a stuck-up character, not humble and definitely willing to be the boss. He doesn't really go through a character change, exactly (that is, at the end he's not all humble and sweet, he's still the boss), but he does apologize for what he has done wrong and it is clear that he loves his sisters and his cousin, Benjamin Bunny. Benjamin's self-affirmed "character flaw" is that he always follows Peter, no matter how foolhardy the idea might be. He is a naive, somewhat lovable rabbit, who always seems to get the worst of things but goes along with his cousins no matter what.
The girls, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, are a little less developed. Mopsy has a lisp and ends up being the one telling the story at the end, Flopsy is the annoying big sister type, and Cottontail is rather a rogue who delights in adventure and risk, and also seems to thrive in violent situations. They all get on each others' nerves constantly, but they all love each other as well.
The rabbits made me remember the "olden days" back when me and two of my brothers would pretend that the oldest was Peter, I was either Cottontail or Mopsy, I can't quite remember, and the youngest of the three was Benjamin. Whenever our family had tacos for dinner, there would be lettuce out on the table. Of course, we would pretend that Peter was teaching us how to "be bad" and steal the lettuce from Mr. McGregor's garden. That was a very long time ago, though.
All right, on to the two main human characters! The first is Bea, the lady who lives next to the rabbits' tree and is their friend and protector.
Bea was very likable and sweet. Her failed attempts at being a painter are very pathetic, although the pictures she paints of the rabbits are just like the illustrations in the original books by Beatrix Potter. I'm still unsure where Bea gets the money to just live out in the country and paint, without (as far as we know) a real job, but I suppose that's not an important part of the story. Oh well. The only problem I had with her character is that I felt that she was very pro-nature, telling everyone that the rabbits own the land and the garden is theirs...I mean, have you ever had rabbits invade YOUR garden? Do you know how much farmers hate that???? But, then again, I suppose that's not important to the story. None of the characters are making a living off their gardens, and so the gardens can be invaded by rabbits. (I only wish that rabbits were that neat and clean in real life.) So yes, Bea was very fun, and she didn't even have to be a "strong independent female character."
The other main human character is Mr. Thomas McGregor, who had the farm left to him by his uncle, Mr. McGregor Senior.
Thomas is a man controlled by his OCD and the desire to have his own perfectly situated toy store, or at least manage one. He despises pests of all kind and is the rabbits' main enemy throughout the movie. However, he is a very likeable villain and the audience can't help but pity this strange, very awkward sort of man--it would be impossible not to laugh at his oddity. He is one of the most hilarious characters in the film, who is constantly trying to get the better of the rabbits while they get the better of him and laugh at him. However, he and Bea start to like each other, and then the rabbits get a little bit jealous of the attention. Full-on battle ensues, but Bea never knows a thing until explosives get involved and her paintings are mostly ruined. Misunderstandings take place, but the ending is happy.
Overall, this was a very pleasing movie. There was plenty of humor, which was not stupid humor, but very well-thought-out humor. The characters were fun and engaging, and very well-played. Even though I suppose it would be considered a kids' movie, I really enjoyed it, as I do most kids' movies. It was a fun film and I felt that it did a good job of staying true to the original Beatrix Potter tales. I was glad that old Mr. McGregor was at least a part of the film, because he is sort of essential to all of Peter's life, having put his father in a pie and all...and as you can see, they got his appearance perfectly right.
Anyhow, this was a good movie. It was light, fun, and enjoyable for everybody. The animation of the animals is an impressive feat, as is the fact that the human actors were acting to...well, nothing or to little puppets showing where the animals would be placed by the animators. Very cleverly done, Sony. Very cleverly done.
