Zuckermann's Farm - Wilbur im Glück

An adaption of the book of the same title, this animation musical has a lot to recommend it... and a few things to detract from its enjoyment. The songs are varied and catchy, the animation is acceptable - not exactly what I'd call beautiful, but not clunky and cheap either.

The characters are what make or break the story and while Wilber, our star pig, starts out as a bit whiny (not without due cause, however!), he grows up over the course of the movie. And growing up is probably the best way to describe the theme of this film. Several characters grow up in different ways, including minor/background characters. It is an excellent look at the passage of time and how it affects different creatures/people - hopefully for the better, but not always.

There are several silly, humorous moments and overall the story is a romp, but the serious points can hit hard. In my personal opinion, it's a fun movie, but not 10 stars - there are definite points where it feels like a musical number is simply filler to make the movie longer and a few places that make me scratch my head at a plot point. But overall, a kid would probably love this and there's really not much objectionable about it.

I'd rate this movie as acceptable for ages 6 and up, but there are a few scary themes - especially death - which may bring children to tears or prompt questions. The emotions in the end are probably bitter- sweet rather than purely upbeat, so I'd advice parental discretion.