Epic (May 24, 2013)

I love this, largely forgotten, film from Blue Sky Studios. It is based loosely on William Joyce's 1996 children's book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs (though he helped write the screenplay for this adaptation). It follows Mary Katherine “M. K.” Bomba, the daughter of Professor Bomba who goes to live with her estranged father after her mother died. She ends up magically shrunken down and transported to the world of the Leafmen, tiny guardians of the forest. There she goes on an adventure to safely transport a leaf pod, the chosen heir of the late queen of the forest, and, in the pross, stop the Boggans from destroying the entire wood. The movie starts off with a fantastic action sequence spanning from the treetops to the sky, a great taste of what is to come. The visuals are fantastic, perfectly encapsulating the wonder of the forest form the perspective of people so small, even the antlers of a deer hold a mysterious, otherworldly beauty. I find myself wanting to step into this magical world of fun and danger and I have often re-watched the film to revisit it. Mary Katherine is a spunky 17-year-old girl who, at first, is angry at her father for becoming so engrossed with his work he neglected to spend time with her. She adapts to the world of the Leafmen very well, embracing its curiosity (as well as falling in love with a roguish Leafman named Nod). Nod is a rebel without a cause, whose father died when he was young, searching for his place in the world. He helps guide and protect Katherine on her entrusted journey with the help of Ronin, the leader of the Leafman and a father figure to Nod as he was a friend of his late father. Ronin is serious with a dry sense of humor who had a close relationship with the late Queen Tara. I wish Queen Tara had a greater role in the film; I grew fond of her kind heart and teasing of the stony-faced Ronin during her short onscreen appearance. Grub and Mub, a snail and slug, serve as additional help (and comic relief) on the quest as they are the official caretakers of the pods. They can be a bit immature and annoying at times, but I find them endearing and cute. The plot itself is simple but it kept me thoroughly entertained throughout. I enjoyed the budding relationship between Katherine and Nod as well as the father daughter relationship which is an ever-present undercurrent of the film (“many leaves, one tree” being the ever present mantra of the Leafmen showing that no one is ever alone). Additional kudos go to the stellar voice cast, particularly John Hutcherson as Nod and Colin Farrell as Ronin. Overall, I think Epic is well animated and well voiced, with endearing characters and an enchanting world that I would love to revisit in a sequel (if we are ever fortunately enough to receive on). So far, I have enjoyed all the William Joyce film adaptations I have watched (Robots and Rise of the Guardians being the others) and will be on the lookout for more of his work.

Final Rating: 9/10