Peter Rabbit

Following the success of the Paddington films, the latest British children’s literature character to get the live-action/CGI hybrid treatment is Peter Rabbit.

It’s almost impossible to talk about about this movie without using the word “cute”. But, yes, this was indeed very, very cute. The character designs and CGI work in Peter Rabbit are really well-done, capturing the likeness of the animals without bordering on creepiness. The film is supported by a cast of actors with great comedic timing which supplies the film with plenty of delightfulness.

What prevents it from achieving the greatness of Paddington though is that it simply lacks the ambition to be anything more than a good “kids movie”. The message about responsibility is delivered in a pretty clean-cut way but any moral depth is deemed too sentimental here. What you will find though is elaborate sequences of hijinks, sarcastic quips and slapstick humour. Still, it’s hard to fault the film for something it wasn’t designed to be.

Peter Rabbit will probably not go down in history as one of the best family films but it is a bright and vivacious adventure that many will be happy to go on.

(Originally posted on 2 Apr 2018 @projectunwrapped)