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This animation review involves a sole running theme which is justification. I must clarify that the target audience is the youth and the visuals may entertain children however, this film’s judgment sole frame of reference is set by the intricacies of Pixar which is cynical in nature.
I’ll try my level best to keep this review as self-sustaining as possible. The 2006 computer-animated independent film Legend of Sasquatch was released by Gorilla Pictures, and the project featured voice auditions of John Rhys-Davies, William Hurt, and the legend Frank Welker. The Legend Of Sasquatch was first released on September 12, 2006, with the DVD coming out two years later in 2008.
The Legend of Sasquatch starts like this Ranger Steve, voiced by John Rhys-Davies, is shown seated beside a campfire where he begins to narrate a legend that attempts to outline the power that a single story can hold, focusing on the Davis family. The Davis Family John, a father who is played by William Hurt, along with his teenage daughters, Khristy and young Maggie, shift into a remote log cabin with a breathtaking view of Seattle and uncover a family of yetis in the surrounding region.
Turns out, John came to the area to oversee a dam construction that would generate electricity for the areas nearby as well as educate his family on living without the interference of technology.
This is essentially the saga of John being put into a position where he has to choose between keeping his job and maintaining the quality of life for the population of Sasquatch here in the valley which would be submerged with water once the dam was finished.
To say the list of issues this image suffers from is extensive might be the greatest understatement of the year, however, some of them do stem from the fact that this is an independent film with a low budget. The models do look very basic and the textures and rendering, as well as lighting, is rather subpar but the visuals are not the major contributors to this problem. Things like plot, characterization, and pacing are so poorly done that the simplistic visuals would have worked just fine. Instead, these elements subdue any charm the large-head/small-bodied characters have truly brought out.
While speaking of this, I believe my foremost inclination of criticism would rest upon the rather dull pacing within the movie. The film scenes are drawn out for inordinate durations, showcasing elements that should have at best, been a few seconds, worth of the movie. This combined with the fact that the primary demographic for this film is ‘children’ (which, let’s be honest, most of them have an attention span more feeble than a gnat) makes the sluggish pacing incredibly excruciating. I have found it possible to get my child through this movie on one occasion, but due to the mind-numbing speed at which the plot unfolds, there is virtually no chance of them sitting through a second round.
Let us discuss the unusual points that need to be addressed. John needs to board a plane to go to work; this means the cabin has to be quite isolated and raises reasonable questions such as, how does the family buy groceries, do the kids go to school, and who does the laundry? The Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) themselves are passable right up until the moment they’re depicted as being able to fly. If the goal is to teach kids the importance of a strongly believed myth (the aim of the film), doesn’t the myth have to be close to factual? Viewers of all ages are bound to find themselves in some form of bafflement at the odd portrayal of the yeti myth as inflated furry balloons with feet that serve as huge propellers. Some may even find themselves scratching their heads in bewilderment typically associated with monkeys.
It does have some appreciable points. But there is so much muddle that viewers will, undoubtedly, be disappointed. The plot has a lot of hints of depth, but it seems to be lost instead of wandering. The best analogy to put the feeling into words would be trying to fit a 20-minute tale in 74 minutes.
Fortunately, I can say that the film has an original upbeat score by the Restaneo sisters, who also act in the film, and it helped to set the mood quite beautifully. Along with that, Stafford Hebert also composed additional music that helped capture the feel of the film. Moreover, some of the lessons the film tries to teach, albeit very clumsily, are quite important, particularly those given by John Rhys-Davis.
This one is, all in all, difficult to critique. I guess it would be safe to assume that there is pretty much nothing in it for children and very little for grown-ups. The objectives are commendable and while I do admire little-known companies trying to fight the corporate giants, I do think that Disney and DreamWorks don’t really have to worry about being overrun by animation fans because of this one Mustached Bigfoot hovering over the city is indeed a lasting image.
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