170.
Ferdinand
7.5/10
AND IT'S JOHN CENA, DOO DOO DODOOO. The trailer for this kid's animation, seemed to be around forever. Finally, the time came to visit the cinema and watch as John Cena is voicing a massive bull, stripped away from his home and made to train to be a fighting bull. I've had some mixed responses from the animation that I've seen in the past year so I wonder what this one has in store for me. The trailer show's this loveable bull as clumsy, cowardly but still built like a brick shithouse. It's time to see whether this is built to last or just a load of bullshit.
The movie opens in Spain, on a bull ranch as three young calves are play fighting amongst each other, as they wait to see which of the older bulls is picked to fight the matador in the arena. In the background, we see another young calve, tending to a flower, making sure that it isn't trampled. Here's betting that's Ferdinand. He constantly gets picked on by the other bulls, but mainly Valiente, who is the leader of the other three and also, whose father is the main challenger for Ferdinand's. They all watch, as the other bulls fight for victory, with Ferdinand's coming out on top. The say goodbye to Ferdinand's dad, as he is driven away, just as Valiente's father dismisses his own son. This leads the young bull to stomp on Ferdinand's flower, in a fit of rage. The flower was red after all. As the days drag on and Ferdinand waits for his father's return. The older viewers will know what is happening and the truck, which once took the massive bull away, has come back empty. The youngster knows that something has happened and is heartbroken. He runs from the paddock, trying to escape the ranch and find his father. He ends up getting on a train and being picked up by a florist, after he had fallen down a muddy slope. He is taken back to his home and immediately forms a bond with the daughter, Nina. Much to the annoyance of their pet dog, Paco. He loves the fact that this place has flowers and sleeps inside, with Nina. We have a small montage of him enjoying, until he is fully grown and now being voiced by John Cena. He's grown bigger than his father was, but is still a gentle bull. He even calls the dog his brother, who hats it, but can't help but wag his tail, every time Ferdinand calls him brother. Hold up, if the bull can't talk to humans, how do they know his name is Ferdinand??
The florist, Juan, with his daughter, are preparing to leave for the flower festival but this time they cannot take Ferdinand, simply because he is too big. After they leave, he decides that he is going anyway and we know that this isn't going to end well. He scares everyone with his clumsy nice, hides in a china shop, (surprise, surprise), before eventually being caught by the authorities. All this because he was stung in the arse by a wasp. In a turn out for the books, he is taken to the ranch that he escaped all those years ago. Meeting a goat on arrival, which confesses that she trains the bulls, he is quickly pitted up against his old enemies. They too have grown, obviously and it isn't long until they notice that Ferdinand is back. There are also two other bulls, one, a scot who cannot see past the hair in his eyes and another, which has apparently been made in a lab and pretty much acts like a robot. Guapo and Bones, who have been there from the start, are surprised by how much Ferdinand has grown, whereas Valiente is still a knob. Ferdinand is brought to his stable, which gives him instant flashbacks and he also meets three, robbing hedgehogs, who he scares at first, but they quickly warm up to him once they find out his nature. He also meets three German horses. They seem like show horses, snooty bastards and make fun of the bulls. Ferdinand's training begins, with hilarious consequences, which only makes the others doubt his credentials.
The next day, the most famous bullfighter turns up to pick a bull. They gang are sent into the ring together to fight, with Guapo getting too nervous, Ferdinand holding everyone up with his refusal to fight, Bones being too small and Angus not being able to see. The bullfighter is disgusted by the selection and Guapo, thinking that he is being chosen and but into the back of the van, is actually being taken to the nearby slaughter house. Valiente tells Ferdinand that if they aren't fighters, then they are meat. Ferdinand slowly gets the respect from the others, by helping them out in their own way and beating the horses to a dance off, but still Valiente dislikes him. It's pretty obvious that he will help him in some way in the future, but not right now. He eventually picks fight with Ferdinand, results in Ferdinand giving in and defending himself, snapping one of Valiente's horns and impressing the bullfighter at the same time. The bully is taken straight to the slaughter house for his troubles. Ferdinand has decided that the time has come to escape and after convincing Lupe the goat to help him, they gather up the hedgehogs and make a plan. Somehow sneaking through the ranch, the make it into the main house, where he sees a picture of his father, with his horns mounted above it. In fact, the whole wall is covered with horns, giving the realisation that no matter what, the bulls are destined to die. He doesn't want this for the other bulls and turns back to free the others. He ends up heading to the slaughter house and trying to free the two trapped bulls. They end up activating the machines and just when all seems gloomy, Valiente comes to the aid and is officially rooting for the good side. Called it. They end up, somehow, stealing the famers truck and heading into town. The bullfighter threatens to ruin the ranch if they own doesn't get the bull back, so off they go, chasing them down. The cause carnage, through the traffic and train yard, until they make it to a train and as everyone gets on, Ferdinand stays behind to make sure that the rest escape. He is caught and taken to the arena.
The news of this bullfighter's last fight, has made its way around Spain and Juan and Paco see it on TV before heading to get Nina in order to go and save their bull. As a huge crowd gathers, Lupe who has stayed behind with Ferdinand, tries to convince the bull to fight for his life. He is forced into the ring by swords and spikes and doesn't attempt to give a good fight, even after hitting the fighter into the wall. Enraged, the guy tries to attack the bull from every angle, cutting the bull's shoulder, before he gets picked up by Ferdinand's horns, maybe giving into the fight. He lowers the fighter after seeing a rose that has been thrown onto the ring floor, bringing the bull back to his peaceful moments back at the farm. He remembers his friend Nina, before sitting down, looking ready to accept his fate, as the matador steadies his sword. The audience let loose and want the bull to remain alive, just as Nina and her father make it to ringside. The matador leaves, with his pride, just as Nina rushes to her closest friend to embrace him and the other bulls, who decided not to escape, make it into the ring to see their friend. They are all brought to the farm, where Nina falls in love with Lupe, making her feel loved for the first time. Ferdinand takes his friends to sit by his favourite tree and flower field, to watch the sunset and enjoy the sunset with freedom.
For another animation, this was quite enjoyable. There were moments that can make you laugh, along with some sadness and relief, that would have been received by the audience, depending on their age. For example, the younger viewers wouldn't have been aware at what would have happened to the father in the beginning, or understood the controversy surrounding the bull fighting within Spain. John Cena may not be a favourite of mine within the wrestling community but when it comes to a human being and his charitable involvement in society, this guy is top of the pile. The story is quite predictable, as with the territory of a child's movie, but it was a very good storyline all the same, with very little flaws. The animation and voice work are really good and Cena managed to give his character as much heart as he shows in real life. It is always good to see a happy ending, especially with today's society and this movie giving a welcome escape, but it would be interesting, just once, to see what would happen if the ending took a bad turn. It's not there with my enjoyment of seeing 'Storks' but worth the watch all the same.
The movie opens in Spain, on a bull ranch as three young calves are play fighting amongst each other, as they wait to see which of the older bulls is picked to fight the matador in the arena. In the background, we see another young calve, tending to a flower, making sure that it isn't trampled. Here's betting that's Ferdinand. He constantly gets picked on by the other bulls, but mainly Valiente, who is the leader of the other three and also, whose father is the main challenger for Ferdinand's. They all watch, as the other bulls fight for victory, with Ferdinand's coming out on top. The say goodbye to Ferdinand's dad, as he is driven away, just as Valiente's father dismisses his own son. This leads the young bull to stomp on Ferdinand's flower, in a fit of rage. The flower was red after all. As the days drag on and Ferdinand waits for his father's return. The older viewers will know what is happening and the truck, which once took the massive bull away, has come back empty. The youngster knows that something has happened and is heartbroken. He runs from the paddock, trying to escape the ranch and find his father. He ends up getting on a train and being picked up by a florist, after he had fallen down a muddy slope. He is taken back to his home and immediately forms a bond with the daughter, Nina. Much to the annoyance of their pet dog, Paco. He loves the fact that this place has flowers and sleeps inside, with Nina. We have a small montage of him enjoying, until he is fully grown and now being voiced by John Cena. He's grown bigger than his father was, but is still a gentle bull. He even calls the dog his brother, who hats it, but can't help but wag his tail, every time Ferdinand calls him brother. Hold up, if the bull can't talk to humans, how do they know his name is Ferdinand??
The florist, Juan, with his daughter, are preparing to leave for the flower festival but this time they cannot take Ferdinand, simply because he is too big. After they leave, he decides that he is going anyway and we know that this isn't going to end well. He scares everyone with his clumsy nice, hides in a china shop, (surprise, surprise), before eventually being caught by the authorities. All this because he was stung in the arse by a wasp. In a turn out for the books, he is taken to the ranch that he escaped all those years ago. Meeting a goat on arrival, which confesses that she trains the bulls, he is quickly pitted up against his old enemies. They too have grown, obviously and it isn't long until they notice that Ferdinand is back. There are also two other bulls, one, a scot who cannot see past the hair in his eyes and another, which has apparently been made in a lab and pretty much acts like a robot. Guapo and Bones, who have been there from the start, are surprised by how much Ferdinand has grown, whereas Valiente is still a knob. Ferdinand is brought to his stable, which gives him instant flashbacks and he also meets three, robbing hedgehogs, who he scares at first, but they quickly warm up to him once they find out his nature. He also meets three German horses. They seem like show horses, snooty bastards and make fun of the bulls. Ferdinand's training begins, with hilarious consequences, which only makes the others doubt his credentials.
The next day, the most famous bullfighter turns up to pick a bull. They gang are sent into the ring together to fight, with Guapo getting too nervous, Ferdinand holding everyone up with his refusal to fight, Bones being too small and Angus not being able to see. The bullfighter is disgusted by the selection and Guapo, thinking that he is being chosen and but into the back of the van, is actually being taken to the nearby slaughter house. Valiente tells Ferdinand that if they aren't fighters, then they are meat. Ferdinand slowly gets the respect from the others, by helping them out in their own way and beating the horses to a dance off, but still Valiente dislikes him. It's pretty obvious that he will help him in some way in the future, but not right now. He eventually picks fight with Ferdinand, results in Ferdinand giving in and defending himself, snapping one of Valiente's horns and impressing the bullfighter at the same time. The bully is taken straight to the slaughter house for his troubles. Ferdinand has decided that the time has come to escape and after convincing Lupe the goat to help him, they gather up the hedgehogs and make a plan. Somehow sneaking through the ranch, the make it into the main house, where he sees a picture of his father, with his horns mounted above it. In fact, the whole wall is covered with horns, giving the realisation that no matter what, the bulls are destined to die. He doesn't want this for the other bulls and turns back to free the others. He ends up heading to the slaughter house and trying to free the two trapped bulls. They end up activating the machines and just when all seems gloomy, Valiente comes to the aid and is officially rooting for the good side. Called it. They end up, somehow, stealing the famers truck and heading into town. The bullfighter threatens to ruin the ranch if they own doesn't get the bull back, so off they go, chasing them down. The cause carnage, through the traffic and train yard, until they make it to a train and as everyone gets on, Ferdinand stays behind to make sure that the rest escape. He is caught and taken to the arena.
The news of this bullfighter's last fight, has made its way around Spain and Juan and Paco see it on TV before heading to get Nina in order to go and save their bull. As a huge crowd gathers, Lupe who has stayed behind with Ferdinand, tries to convince the bull to fight for his life. He is forced into the ring by swords and spikes and doesn't attempt to give a good fight, even after hitting the fighter into the wall. Enraged, the guy tries to attack the bull from every angle, cutting the bull's shoulder, before he gets picked up by Ferdinand's horns, maybe giving into the fight. He lowers the fighter after seeing a rose that has been thrown onto the ring floor, bringing the bull back to his peaceful moments back at the farm. He remembers his friend Nina, before sitting down, looking ready to accept his fate, as the matador steadies his sword. The audience let loose and want the bull to remain alive, just as Nina and her father make it to ringside. The matador leaves, with his pride, just as Nina rushes to her closest friend to embrace him and the other bulls, who decided not to escape, make it into the ring to see their friend. They are all brought to the farm, where Nina falls in love with Lupe, making her feel loved for the first time. Ferdinand takes his friends to sit by his favourite tree and flower field, to watch the sunset and enjoy the sunset with freedom.
For another animation, this was quite enjoyable. There were moments that can make you laugh, along with some sadness and relief, that would have been received by the audience, depending on their age. For example, the younger viewers wouldn't have been aware at what would have happened to the father in the beginning, or understood the controversy surrounding the bull fighting within Spain. John Cena may not be a favourite of mine within the wrestling community but when it comes to a human being and his charitable involvement in society, this guy is top of the pile. The story is quite predictable, as with the territory of a child's movie, but it was a very good storyline all the same, with very little flaws. The animation and voice work are really good and Cena managed to give his character as much heart as he shows in real life. It is always good to see a happy ending, especially with today's society and this movie giving a welcome escape, but it would be interesting, just once, to see what would happen if the ending took a bad turn. It's not there with my enjoyment of seeing 'Storks' but worth the watch all the same.
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