The Willoughbys (2020)

Many of the best children's stories deal with very serious issues presented in a way children are able to deal with them. On first blush The Willoughbys is dark, the themes portrayed are serious neglect and child abuse. Underneath the absurdity of the animation and story, is a tale of surviving abuse, the way we process that, and the effects it has on people. Yet it is presented in a way that is accessible and very entertaining.

I was skeptical at first. Heavy doses of absurd rarely play well for me. But in terms of this story specifically it is almost necessary due to the heavy nature of the story. And as the film progressed I found The Willoughbys found the right balance of fun silliness and the narrative demands of its story. Underneath it all this is a story of resilience and connection even in light of trauma, even in light of uncontrollable changes.

The animation style is refreshing. Although it is CGI it is very textured, designed to look like stop motion animation. For example the characters' hair is made to look like yarn, the sets look like pop up books. The film has an original look which doesn't feel like anything else.

The story is a bit meandering. It almost feels episodic as it careens through different plot points which get resolved rather quickly. This gets worse as the film goes on moving from one random scenario to another. The story feels rushed and this exacerbates how disconnected much of it feels. The film isn't perfect and suffers from pacing issues. But overall the story's focus is on what real family means and that is satisfying. it is an impressive early outing from Bron Animation studio which shows a great deal of promise.

The Willoughbys
Starring: Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Sean Cullen, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski, Ricky Gervais, Terry Crews
Director: Kris Pearn
Writers: Mark Stanleigh, Kris Pearn