So this is a movie about worms who are treated by other insects with the same respect of white people being prejudice towards black people. Suddenly, a worm named Barry gains a love for disco music, so with the help of some other passionate worms, he sets forth to compete in a music talent competition to prove that worms have more to offer than being gross grubs.
Yeah it's as cliche as it gets, and while this isn't a bad film per se, it definitely leans on the mediocre side. The biggest flaw this film has is how predictable the plot is; it's the same underdog story we've heard in countless other animated features where the main character wants to rise up above all odds and prove he's worth something. It doesn't help that it also contains the story beats of getting a band together, the main protagonist having a falling out with the other members, and then they get back together, and a female band member even becomes his love interest. Seriously, this feels like a diet Pixar or Dreamworks film with even more derivative beats.
It doesn't help that the characters are rather one dimensional down to their basic traits. Barry is the loser who wants to prove he's more than what he seems, Tito is the fat best friend who resists the band at first before soon joining in, Gloria is the love interest who can't sing unless from the heart, and Tony Dean is the generic bully singer who hates any worm. There really isn't much weight to them outside of their traits and the movie doesn't really let them grow outside of the generic plot. The only character worth remembering is the British punk rock worm Jimmy, since he offers the best laughs and grows from hating disco to liking it rather smoothly. Oh, and Barry's dad does give some closure to the plot, but he might've done it later than he should have.
Furthermore, considering that this is a Danish animated film with an English dub, the voice acting itself is fine and some of the singing is quite enjoyable. However, where the voices are passable enough, the synching is not very good and it makes it all the more obvious how little the mouth movements match the alternate language track.
Now to the film's credit, it does have a good message. It's not the fame or money coming from music that makes it worth it, it's the love and passion from the creator that really matters. That can speak to anybody of a young age, and as cliched as the story is, it does highlight said message to remind all that fame is nothing compared to the talent hidden inside you. Also, while not Pixar quality, the animation is decent enough and the animators do get rather creative with the dance moves, timing, and even lights. Although, why did you have to put breasts on the female worms? That...that's just wrong. Lastly, the soundtrack is a lot of fun considering it contains a bunch of 70s disco classics, and it even made me sing along much of the time.
Overall, Disco Worms is by no means of dubious quality, but it certainly doesn't rise above mediocrity. While the message, animation, and soundtrack do give the film some fun entertainment value, the predicable story, bland characters and obvious poor lip synch keep the film from being anything special. I guess if you're in the mood for a sub par movie that at least offers some fun songs and groovy animation, then you might have fun with this. Otherwise, this is a generic albeit harmless film that only children might have fun with, but at least they'll understand to not let fame get to their head. In fact, never let go of your talent, and keep on playing that funky music pink worm...I mean white boy.
