Director: Jean-Loup Felicioli, Alain Gagnol Studio: GKIDS Genre(s): Drama/Action Rated: PG (For thematic elements, violence and a suggestive situation) |
“Phantom Boy” is the first movie I’ve seen since “The Secret
Life of Pets” to have a concept that I feel could have been explored much, much
better than it has been. The concept
here is that a young boy with cancer has the ability to leave his body when he
is asleep and roam the world as a phantom.
He can’t meddle with anything nor can anyone sense him, but he can be
there, observing things he normally wouldn’t be privy to. One of these times he goes to sleep, follows
his unexpected mother who has just told him to be strong to her car, only to
witness her break down crying when she is out of sight (or so she thinks). It is a sad, uncompromising scene. One that will likely bother some parents and
make some kids uncomfortable, but these are the kind of dark touches that used
to be frequent in the classic Disney films, before the world decided we needed
to coddle our kids and hide them from the world.
“Phantom Boy” is at its best when it is telling the story of
this sick boy who gets a glimpse at his families life when he is not
around. He gets to witness his parents
worrying about his future, wondering what to tell his sister should he die, and
eavesdrop on the doctors who have to be sympathic yet practical with his
parents. For a little bit, I was
wondering if we were going to be getting something unique: A PG-rated family
film, made with classic 2D animation, that was a drama about life and the harsh
realities it brings in a way that can be embraced by both kids and adults? Pixar pulled it off last year with the
wonderful “Inside Out,” and I was wondering if lightening could strike
twice. Sadly, the film gets away from
this concept at one point when an evil mad man takes over the city electrical
grid and shuts down New York’s power.
The city is scrambling to try and find him, but one man does know where
he is.
A wheelchair bound cop knows the location of the mad man,
but his superior doesn’t believe him.
What this cop has that the other officers don’t have are two trump
cards: A female reporter named Mary, and the young boy who can turn into a
phantom and find the clues the police officers are blind to. I sunk into my chair, a little disappointed
that this is the direction the movie decided to go in. I had a sense that this was starting out as
something special, and turning it into an action/mystery seemed like a huge cop
out to me (ho ho). That said, the new
direction the movie takes is…not bad, per se.
Let’s just say it goes down a path that is a little too familiar for
it’s unconventional premise. Since this
is a family film to boot, the action is a little restrained, and the villain
rarely comes off as scary or threatening as the film makers want him to.
The movie, I want to stress, is by no means bad. It provides a fun visual style, pleasant
characters, and more than a few human touches.
It’s about as good as the director’s previous film, “A Cat in Paris,”
which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature a few years
ago. The key difference as I see it is
that that film didn’t begin with such a daring concept, nor did it ever suggest
it had the makings of greatness in it.
“Phantom Boy,” by contrast, gave off both these feelings. The concept was fresh and the beginning
suggested something dramatic and grand to come.
That the film plays it safe doesn’t make the movie bad, just
disappointing and (maybe) a little underwhelming. It is still an easy recommendation if it is
in your area. Sadly, movies like
“Phantom Boy” don’t open big and have stealth release plans. It is hard to recommend parents go on a hunt
for it when “Pete’s Dragon” is currently easy to find and the upcoming “Kobo
and the Magic Strings” will also be within easy reach.
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there are a few scary themes and themes involving death, but nothing too violent here. Recommended for ages 6 and up.
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