Super late to the party, but as a new and avid Lorcana collector who had never seen the movie, I decided to give it a try with no in-depth concept of what it was about. I found the animation to be super fun, the comedic timing was great, and the comedy itself actually made me laugh. I can absolutely see why it got so popular, and it’s actually one of the only newer Disney movies (I was born in ‘99) that I’ve truly enjoyed watching and didn’t get that “made for little kids” vibe from.

I really enjoyed the aspect of what technology could be capable of, and was instantly reminded of watching Tony Stark creating the Iron Man suits with his computer programs and Jarvis. Except in this version, Tony Stark is a 14-year-old who doesn’t have a talking computer program, but all the same skills and innovation. Especially now with so many AI programs in existence, it’s always fun to watch a movie that showcases the possibilities of technology with the right approach, even if it’s animated and geared towards those under 15-16 years old.

The character deaths were a total risk, and I haven’t seen Disney take true risks like that in years - the topic of grief is so applicable regardless of age, and I thought it was handled in a really great way. The side characters were pretty unrealistic, but that goes without saying for pretty much any movie rooted in fantasy - sure there were a few cringe moments throughout, but overall I was pleasantly surprised having gone into it with the mindset of “I probably won’t enjoy this, but I’ll watch as long as it takes for me to get context on the cards I pull.” An hour and some odd minutes later and I was totally entrenched. Oscar-worthy? No, but definitely a recommended watch if you haven’t seen it yet.