I know that this isn’t a Christmas film, but it includes The Nutcracker ballet as a plot point, so that’s the main I’m still sort of counting it for the Animation Advent Calendar. Released in 2016 around Europe & 2017 in America, this is the first (and so far only) animated feature by Canadian studio L’Atelier Animation. And before you ask, I’ve watched both this and the American version renamed Leap! released by a company which used to be run by a piece of scum I refuse to name, it includes some recasts like Kate McKinnon (in 3 different roles no less), Mel Brooks and Nat Wolff. However, I’ll be reviewing the original dub as it’s the wider release and was the one which was released in the UK. So, can this show that following your dreams is possible, or will this performance fall flat on its face? Let’s take a look!
Story: Instead of a story, I consider this a message. A positive one. A positive one so well known that it has been seen in almost every kid’s movie: follow your dreams. This message is shown through orphan girl Felicie running away to Paris with her best friend & aspiring inventor Victor as she learns ballet in the Opera House aided by a former dancer turned cleaner in time for an audition of The Nutcracker. And how exactly does Felicie earn her spot in the academy? An audition showing her skills & an eagerness to learn more? No, identity theft. And yes, they still let her in despite being nowhere near the same level as the other students. While Odette trains her on the side, that alone can’t justify her insanely quick turnaround when it takes dancers years to be physically & mentally capable of performing, especially in a corps as elite as the Paris Opera. And speaking of the identity theft, let’s run through the other problems & cliches this movie uses: A rivalry with another dancer to show passion matters more than technique (not that it matters, but my opinion on that cliche is in order to show your passion for something, you need to show you have the skills required). A best friend stuck in the friendzone while the protagonist meets an obvious disposable love interest right until she realizes her true feelings for the best friend by the very end. The jaded mentor getting their spark back after meeting an eager apprentice despite early objections filled with training montages. The liar revealed where the protagonist returns to their former status quo & then goes back after discovering a secret. Those may be run-of-the-mill for your ‘follow your dreams’ narrative, it’s not until the third act that things get weird. You’d think the typical dance off where Felicie gets the lead part & Camille accepts defeat would be where everything wraps up. But no, instead we then get another sequence where her mother literally tries to murder Felicie across Paris because her daughter. Seriously, it’s like a rom com ending with an epic battle scene out of Lord of the Rings, it’s that out of place. The moral itself may not be a bad one, but it’s everything around it that drags it down.
Animation: I guess the way to describe my feelings towards the animation is a love-hate relationship. The character designs may be stylized compared to the likes of Disney with their European inspired facial features, but the ballerina’s stick thin figures & giant heads dead eyes leave them a bit unsettling. While the ballet choreography done through motion capture is nice (even if there aren’t as many sequences as you’d expect in a movie revolving around dance), the character animation inbetween those scenes feel jerkier & therefore unnatural. Even with some action scenes,The backgrounds are without a doubt the best part of the movie. The detail they put into the architecture and scope of 1870s Paris is nothing short of admirable (despite a couple of anachronisms regarding the time period and a couple of landmarks). You can clearly see the animators put in a lot of effort to capture the beauty of the city as a bustling metropolis where anyone can pursue their dreams and the interiors of the Paris Opera House will almost make you want Felicie to succeed (except of course for the identity). Is it on par with Ratatouille’s depiction of Paris? Well…not quite. But even with those amazing aspects which avoid the animation being bad, it can’t make up for its issues.
Characters: I think it goes without saying that none of the characters are developed beyond their stereotypes. Felicie (Elle Fanning) is an optimistic orphan with dreams of performing at the Paris Opera House. What else is there to her other than her perkiness and determination? Well, lying about her identity & technically not earning her place in the school despite not having nearly as enough training or experience as the other students. So forgive me if I don’t exactly root for her to succeed. Victor (Dane DeHann) is easily the most irritating character who aspires to be an inventor and is stuck in the friendzone for a majority of the film. Even if he doesn’t appear onscreen as long as Felicie, I couldn’t help but cringe at his overt perkiness & utter idiocy to the point he doesn’t realize chickens don’t fly after creating a flying machine from studying them. Oh, and another major aspect which I’ll get to in a minute. Odette (Carly Rae Jepsen) is the cliched jaded former dancer turned cleaner because of an injury who mentors Felicie & gradually warms up to her as she continues her training. Regine is the stereotypical evil stepmother who pushes her daughter to be the best technically while never being emotional & puts Odette down over an injury which wasn’t her fault. Camille (Maddie Ziegler. I think it goes without saying why she was cast) is the bratty diva who constantly puts Felicie down, is pushed by Regine to be the best despite “not having the passion” & has a 180 by the end when she realizes she’s only dancing to please her mother. Rudy is a boy dancer playing the lead in the Nutcracker & is the typical disposable love interest as well a conflict for Felicie as he encourages her not to bother putting the effort & practice in to realise her talent (like himself). Monsieur Merante (based on the real life figure) is the choreographer for the production of The Nutcracker working in the auditions who at first appears antagonistic towards Felicie, but softens up throughout with a hint of a history with Odette. Now would be a good time to discuss that one aspect which made Victor intolerable & applies to everyone: the voice acting is bad. Almost everybody feels out of place with the types of characters they’re playing, like Carly Rae Jepsen’s sweet and youthful voice feels wrong for a character who’s meant to be the jaded mentor, the aforementioned Dane DeHann (easily the worst) & Elle Fanning when she’s transitioned into more adult roles since recording this film & the latter two sound nothing like kids who are supposed to be at least 10 years old. So with that said, I can’t exactly root for any character when their actors & writers barely tried.
Ballerina is just mediocre animated film which offers nothing new. While it has a positive message about following your dreams, nice dance sequences & beautiful backgrounds capturing Paris’ true beauty, it can’t help its paper thin story & characters with awful voice acting or the rest of the animation’s inconsistency. If you like movies revolving around dance, I guess you might like it & it is better than the OTHER movie starring Elle Fanning revolving around The Nutcracker with inconsistent effects…oh yes I’ll be going there! I’m not gonna say when, but it will be coming. Soon…
Story: 4/10
Animation: 6/10
Characters: 3/10
Overall: 5/10
Mica Blackwell 