Written by Kiara Co
Within the animated movie, Abominable, viewers are taken on a 3000-mile journey from Shanghai to the Himalayan snowscapes as a group of misfits encounter a young Yeti named Everest, and they set off to reunite the magical creature with his family on the mountain of his namesake. A girl named Yi, who is voiced by Chloe Bennet (Agents of SHIELD), helps out the Everest in this journey. The voice cast also includes Albert Tsai as Peng, Tenzing Norway Trainor as Jin, Joseph Izzo as Everest, Eddie Izzard as Burnish, Sarah Paulson as Dr. Zara, Tsai Chin as Nai Nai, and Michelle Wong as Yi’s mom.
Abominable may seem like a typical animated movie, but it wasn’t! Based on the plot, it seems very basic and that we have all seen and heard of before. However, the movie was more character driven, which makes this movie different and allows it to stand out in a good way. Dreamworks can be a hit or miss at certain times. For example, with the success of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon, they received multiple movies. Whereas movies like Penguins of Madagascar, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, and Over The Hedge are more so forgettable ones, but Abominable won’t be joining them!
The character of Yi was well written, but overall, this movie made you care and become invested in these characters. It was refreshing to see an animated female character who was Chinese, but most importantly, an animated film that doesn’t involve some kind of romance or a love interest. This is about a girl who is trying to discover herself and explore what’s out there. It’s not that I am not into romance or any sorts of those things, but it was nice to see something different. To see that romance isn’t the only thing young girls should look for, especially when we see that in many movies.
This movie was well animated with incredible visuals, effects, motions, and detail! Just in movies in general, you don’t often see the beauty of rural China. This movie provides a good representation where China was used as the setting and the location for this story really contributed to why Abominable was such a good movie!
At first it felt like a cute movie, but it had a good balance of comedy and drama. It felt adventurous, which it should be because this movie is mostly about a journey. This movie also includes the themes of hope, family, and grief and it was incredibly heartfelt. It really felt like you were part of the journey in China as well as having Chinese culture infused in the movie. As a movie that creates about exploring and discovery, it really felt fresh!
What was kind of unexpected and well appreciated in the movie, was the fact Yi plays the violin. You don’t often see the violin being played in movies. It’s nice to see different things appear on the big screen, even if it’s just the little details. Another thing that was appreciated was how Yi tried to validate herself to her father, but the storyline was balanced smoothly between the journey of Yi and Everest and other parts of the movie.
This movie was not what I expected and it has quite a lot to offer, especially with the themes and messages that were incorporated into this movie. Abominable is the type of movie that children, as well as people of different ages, can watch together and enjoy in the theatres!
Abominable was also directed, written, and produced by a woman, which is fantastic since the story revolves around a female character as well. This has been the first with an Asian-American lead in an animated movie since Mulan (1998). Fun fact: Mulan was voiced by Ming-Na Wen, who works with Chloe Bennet in the show Agents of SHIELD! So for those who like to support diversity & inclusivity in the industry and enjoy animated movies, I recommend checking this out in the theatres! You will definitely enjoy!
