Storm Crashers

"Alfonso" is a distant relative of the legendary windmill-tilting "Don Quixote" and is an accident-prone young lad who doesn't always know how to differentiate between the real and imaginary! One thing they all agree on, though, is that the weather is turning increasingly violent and the storms - coupled with some offers for their property from the local nasty "Carrasco", are driving people out of their La Mancha village. Luckily, he and his three rabbits make friends with "Pancho" and "Victoria" and quickly they determine to find out just what's the connection between the property developer and these new sudden downpours. No, there's not much jeopardy here nor is it all very original, but it's still quite a good fun adventure film with plenty going on, some gadgets and loads of imagination for those of us who have/had friends that only we are clever enough to see. It probably doesn't need a cinema viewing, but there were young kids in the cinema when I saw it who laughed out loud and that's got to be a good thing as it focuses more on the characteristics of loyalty and friendship and less on endless whizzy CGI.

If I had a nickel for everytime a movie based on Don Quixote was released in the 2020's... I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it'd be weird that it happened twice.

Overall, this movie is not pleasing to the eyes, having a CGI style with unflattering character designs; the fact that the 2D concept art in the credits is so lively only makes this a bigger sin. If it has one redeeming quality, it's the depiction of Spain's mountains, which look gorgeous.

Some odd creative decisions include having the Panzas be scientists, one of the henchmen having a weirdly swolen neck, three imaginary rabbits that have no impact in the plot and a jittery rate frame that makes movements look bizarre and unnatural.

The villain is a generic cliché and the story doesn't seem consistent with how ruthless he is given a scene I won't spoil. This movie has an environmentalist message, though it's also anti-gentrification so kudos I guess.

Overall a disjointed mess.

It is a different movie to watch with the family. It has a nice message and a lot of humor, the rabbits are great! Cute characters, great art design and photography. It has a handmade appearance that makes it look similar to Laika projects but brighter. At times the editing is a little fast but perhaps it is appropriate for the current times. We were surprised by the quality of animation, especially for being an independent film. It remind me to The Goonies or Stand by me. It has many movie references, we loved that. The ending is very emotional and the story in general made us talk a lot as a family after the movie.

This is a phrase in my homeland. In this context, it can be used approximately like this: the newer the year of a Western cartoon, the fewer normal examples there are. You can count the good ones by the fingers of one hand. And I am not even talking about the depth of the plot, but rather about the production inside it, graphics, dialogues, or motivation of the characters. I am also horrified by the fact that there are so many people who defend such works. If you are not particularly picky about the quality of a movie or cartoon and you are satisfied with "chewing gum for the brain" - please, this may occupy you and you may even like it, but for others I do not recommend it at all.

Alfonso is Don Quixote's heir. He too has a wild imagination. He is excited to see that the coming storm is not a storm, but a monster. A storm can't be tamed but a monster can be defeated. He has his two friends, Pancho and Victoria, and various imaginary friends. They intend to stop the villagers from leaving the rain-soaked town and defeat the monster in turn. Carrasco is trying to sell homes to the villagers in his Carrascoland.

I like this for this European animation film. I like the Don Quixote connection and the animation style. I'm not sure if we should see the imaginary world right away. Alfonso should talk to no one and about nothing. Maybe the imaginary world would come alive with the climatic battle. This is interesting but not the best.