Love animation to bits, always have, always will. So, despite my recent negative reviews on animations seen recently, one cannot accuse me of being an animation detractor or not knowing who animation is aimed at target audience-wise (the whole family, not just children contrary to what is constantly ignorantly spouted, particularly for panned family films). Some of my favourite films are animated, Disney and non-Disney.
Saw 'Legend of the Sea' by chance online, after seeing it mentioned negatively when reviewing 'The True Story of Puss n Boots'. And while there are far worse animated films around, apart from a few colourful moments and the at times amusing character of the Bruce Lee-(seemingly)inspired starfish 'Legend of the Sea' is very poorly done. When it comes to judging it as a family film, it is a failure or at least by my standards it is. Adults will struggle to sit through it, with 'Legend of the Sea' offering very little to spark their interest (even clumsily-inserted "homages" don't cut it). Even children may find it difficult to stay awake and find themselves fishing for something else to watch or do.
The animation is not good, at all. There are a few colourful moments, but most of it is flat, blocky and static, with a less than vivid undersea world and very ugly and in some cases unintentionally creepy character designs (like with the villain). The music is neither memorable or particularly good, saw absolutely no point in the inclusion of the also opposite-of-tuneful pre-school-like songs which just interrupted the flow.
Credit is due here for the comedy to not be over-reliant on juvenile and crass potty humour, like a lot of animated films seen recently were. The comedy is still not very funny, a lot of it is actually embarrassing, and still leans on the childish than the sophisticated, even children may find themselves squirming through most of it. Like a fair share of recently seen animated films, 'Legend of the Sea' also has inappropriately dark content (without ever being daring that appear in awkward and abrupt, as well as very jarring, tone shifts that makes its target audience and aim come into question. Dark content can work very well in animated films, Disney's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', 'Pinocchio, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', 'Watership Down', 'The Plague Dogs', 'Felidae' and some of 'The Secret of NIMH' are also dark, but execute the darkness much better and did it far more daringly and bravely.
Have nothing good to say about the story either. It drags hard and is far too thin and predictable, even trying without success to disguise the former by padding scenes out with characters and side-stories that go nowhere or are severely under-cooked and give the film a meandering, muddled feel and of course the musical numbers. It is a short film but doesn't even have enough content to do justice to a 30 minute television episode. Let's not get started on the impossibility when underwater of some of the characters' antics.
When it comes to the characters, they are mostly bland in personality or very annoying. Found it impossible to root for the protagonist, who has no character growth or no discernible or likable character traits, and the villain (complete with useless henchmen) is too frightening visually while being too stock and anaemic to pass as a good threat. The voice acting is neither funny, engaging or sincere, Rob Schneider just isn't a good fit for the lead with comic timing and subtlety being thrown out of the window.
In conclusion, a long way from good, let alone legendary. 2/10 Bethany Cox
