The classic picture book “The Story of Ferdinand,” written by Munro Leaf and illustrated in inky black-and-white by Robert Lawson, tells the tale of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight, even when he finds himself in the ring in Madrid. Published in 1936 with the Spanish Civil War on the horizon, the book, interpreted as pacifist propaganda, found enemies on both sides.
“Ferdinand,” the new computer-animated adaptation from Carlos Saldanha (the “Ice Age” movies), speaks to its own time in a different way, dutifully adhering to the template for contemporary children’s films while avoiding much personality or distinction. The be-yourself messaging is easy to comprehend. A growing-up montage is set to an original Nick Jonas song that sounds like ideal music to get put on hold to. The farm animals represent a cross-section of nations, from a Scottish Highland bull (voiced by David Tennant) to German horses. And 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.
The expanded adventures of Ferdinand (John Cena as an adult) find him encountering new friends, including a misfit goat (Kate McKinnon, whose freewheeling comedy style doesn’t register in the cartoon format) and three hedgehogs (Gina Rodriguez, Daveed Diggs and Gabriel Iglesias). He buries the hatchet with the bulls who bullied him as a child. For some reason, Peyton Manning lends his voice to the one who always has an upset stomach.
Unlike in the book, Ferdinand earns the arena’s cheers for not fighting, but the crowd’s sense of surprise will elude audiences attending “Ferdinand.”
Continue reading the main story