Ferdinand

"Munro Leaf’s 1936 pacifist parable picture book The Story of Ferdinand gets the animated movie makeover. The script expands the tale of the sensitive Spanish bull, but sticks to its pacifist themes, delivering a fun fable for modern family audiences."

"[It] strains at times, but in what’s been an underwhelming year for big-studio animation, it’s the best of the bunch: sincere, likable, surprisingly funny, and overall true to its source material."

"... a movie of both substance and silliness. Olés all round."

"The movie is bright and peppy enough to hold young viewers' attention, though a faithful 1938 Walt Disney short showed more inventiveness in eight minutes."

"Nothing mould-breaking, but unassumingly enjoyable."

"None of the story is surprising but it has charm and humour, and lots of colour and movement for the tots."

"McKinnon's goat character is in constant and hilarious conversation with her many selves but the awkward handling of the slaughterhouse issue will upset some kids."

"Manages to squeak by with enough charming set-pieces and amusing sight gags to compensate for a stalling storyline."

"It's often dark, sometimes whacky, but true to the heart of the book and beautifully brought to life in modern Spain."