Fireheart

As a female firefighter I am probably not the target audience for this film, but thought I might be able to offer a useful perspective given the subject matter. The concept of the film is unique, and kids (and maybe even some parents) would probably find it to be a fun adventure along the lines of Scooby Doo, but firefighters may find it hard to like.

It comes across as a film that tries to show what firefighters do in an age-appropriate way, while still containing plenty of the fun elements that appeal to kids. While this may be fine for its target audience, the result is a sufficiently inaccurate (and at times illogical) depiction of firefighting that will likely be a frustrating watch for a firefighter. But not just that, this is not a film where you can sit your kids down in front of it and tell them, "this is what mummy/daddy does". It's just too dissimilar.

Going into this film, I was concerned the 'woman fighting the patriarchy' plot point might be overdone to the point of being grating, but it actually had a much smaller role than I expected, and was handled fairly well, and was more just used to set the stage for later events.

It's worth mentioning that there's probably no trigger warnings for firefighters in this film. It is significantly sanitised since it's directed at a young audience, and I don't recall even seeing any open flame, just smoke. There's also no blood, gore, violence, car accidents, or character death. However, like most firefighting films that are not made with accuracy in mind, expect to be yelling at the tv a lot.

Firefighters, by all means let your kids watch this one, but if you join them don't expect to find it all that great yourself. Also, be prepared to field a few questions where you have to explain all the ways firefighting isn't like this movie.

Enjoyable and easy to watch.

Decent animation and the story is ok also.

Only major annoying thing for me was the main characters voice. She's supposed to be 16 but the voiceover is from a 40 year old woman who doesn't sound 16!

So the basic idea of this film is that it's another feminist tail (which I always admire and enjoy most of the time) but the "guy-ish" thing that "no girl is strong enough to handle" that she has to overcome/her big "frowned upon for girls to practice" passion is firefighting. Generally okay plot, but get this: half, if not, more that half of firefighters are women so it kinda renders the entire gimmick a bit useless and looks like a cash grab by antelier animation (by the way who the heck has even heard of these guys?) They might be a new studio which I definitely think they are (but I don't wanna look it up, I'm lazyyyyyy), so of course their first animated film, so I give them some slack. It's pretty good in other stuff though. Has charm, relatively funny for kids and nice animation. So I half recommend. Mostly if your a kid.

Cute and fun, goofy movie, good for children. I'm a pretty easily entertained person and I found it decent.

I only have two issues with this film, but they are pretty minor and easily overlooked.

1. The voice of the main character; she sounds wayyy older than 16, which is the age she is supposed to be, but I grew into it through the course of the movie and pretty much stopped noticing it.

2. The character design for the main character, she is seen working out at the beginning and doing some stuff where she is shown she can easily hold her own body weight and I feel it's very unrealistic that her character looks like she has no muscle mass at all, but then again, its an animation, and a childrens movie, so I can't really ask for realism.

I watched Fireheart with my two young sons (9 and 6), and while they enjoyed it, the film was extremely frustrating for me as an adult viewer. Not because it's unrealistic - I have no issue with fantastical elements in animation - but because the movie is riddled with internal inconsistencies that break its own logic every two minutes.

The handling of the firefighter disappearances is the clearest example: we're told that over 800 New York firefighters vanish one after another in burning theaters, yet no one changes strategy until there are literally zero left. This kind of narrative laziness defines the whole movie. Characters act conveniently rather than coherently, the world shifts rules whenever needed, and emotional reactions often make no sense. It feels like the writers could have fixed most of these issues with just a few extra hours of work.

That said, the film does have some qualities. The message is positive, especially for young girls, and the setting has potential. My kids had a great time, and I value that. But the incoherence kept pulling me out of the story, making it impossible to get emotionally invested. I ended up giving it a 6/10: a 4 for my own experience, with an extra point because my children liked it, and another because the core message is progressive and kind.

What's most frustrating is that Fireheart could have been so much more. In live-action, with real actors, a physically credible and athletic young woman in the lead, and a grounded, coherent script rooted in the social reality of the 1930s, this could have been close to a masterpiece. The concept is strong; the execution simply isn't.

As it stands, Fireheart is harmless family entertainment for kids, but a missed opportunity for adults who appreciate coherent storytelling.