Hitpig!

Hitpig is a pig and a bounty hunter. He is hired by abusive Leapin' Lord of the Leotard to find his lost elephant Pickles which was freed by animal rights activist Letícia dos Anjos.

This is an animated movie from a lesser British studio. There is a lot to nitpick and I don't really want to. I don't always like Hitpig and it doesn't start off well for him. Quite frankly, I rather make it a movie about Pickles and start with him. There is certainly a lot of crazy colorful adventures. I like the elephant. The movie is restrained by how abusive LLL can actually be. He does get real crazy at the end. All the little problems do add up.

Hit Pig has an intriguing concept-combining a bounty-hunting pig with a runaway celebrity animal-but the execution leaves much to be desired. The animation is decent, with a colorful and energetic world, and the voice acting is solid. However, the film struggles with its tone, bouncing between slapstick comedy, action, and emotional depth without fully committing to any.

The dynamic between the main characters has its moments, offering some laughs and heartfelt interactions, but the humor can feel forced, and the story follows a predictable formula. While there are a few fun action sequences, they aren't enough to elevate the film beyond a standard animated adventure.

Overall, Hit Pig is watchable but forgettable. It has charm, but the pacing, humor, and storytelling don't quite hit the mark. Younger audiences may enjoy it, but for everyone else, it's just an okay ride.

Some movies don't always follow the source material it's based on. Sometimes it can be for better or for worse. Unfortunately, this flick seems to be in the latter half.

It's super chaotic and hard to sit through, with each moment barely giving you time to breathe as they move to the next scene. And when they do, the parts that they want you to pay attention to are the worst parts of the movie.

That's not to say it's completely terrible, however. Some of the jokes and nice moments do land well enough to keep you halfway interested in the flick, and the actor's performances (despite the subpar and fast-paced dialogue), if anything, are good enough to keep you entertained for a few bits.

But for the characters and the rest of the humor, let's just say the laughs were a bit of a low bar. From an angry koala that constantly plays the Angry Australian trope to the letter, the flamboyant mutant Polecat who can fart nuclear flames, to the subpar in-universe celebrity that everyone loves, and the constant outdated pop-culture references and butt jokes involving Pickles, let's just say this flick doesn't really step out of the lame kid-cartoon gags that much.

Overall, nothing really special, but nothing too bad either.

A new animated movie has snuck into theaters called HITPIG!. Based on a children's book called Pete and Pickles by Berkeley Breathed, This is a story about Hitpig (Jason Sudeikis), a pig bounty hunter who returns escaped animals to their owners. Right off the bat, the title doesn't make sense, the pig doesn't kill anybody like a hitman. It probably should be called something like PETE THE BOUNTY HUNTER or just PETE AND PICKLES. He's literally named Hitpig. Moving on, he meets Pickles (Lilly Singh) the elephant who escaped from deviously arrogant Leapin' Lord of the Leotard (Rainn Wilson). They form a bond that makes Hitpig question his career and life. This movie is fine. I understand it wasn't made with me in mind. The humour is all over the place, sometimes aimed lower for kids, sometimes aimed a smidge higher. Lotta butt jokes. The story moves a mile a minute, sometimes literally, not letting you breathe. The characters are all talking fast, I did enjoy hearing Hannah Gadsby as a sassy koala though. The movie looks low budget, and I'm actually surprised it made it to the theater. There are a couple of good enough scenes about the family you choose. HITPIG! Is a fine movie I guess, but instantly forgettable and not worth spending money on, unless you have a young kid with ADHD who loves loud noises and bright colours.

While there are fart jokes, the fart jokes are woven into the plot. Which maybe sounds bad lol. It does have a better than average sense of humor though. Probably because the jokes often relate to characters rather than just put in randomly.

I enjoyed the chaotic, almost fever dream quality of the story. It helps the movie strike a good balance between lighthearted cartoon and heavier concepts like animals being mistreated. A lot of modern films are too serious, this isn't. Yet there is enough meat on the bones to care about the characters.

The biggest flaw of the movie is a very generic villain. At least his goal is fairly unique. He's also not the main focus. The heroes are much better.