Smallfoot review

A beautifully animated, cuddly kids adventure, Smallfoot tells the story of Migo (voiced by Channing Tatum) and his fellow yetis, who live above the Himalayan clouds in a remote and frosty habitat.

While we’ve always believed that yetis/Bigfoot/sasquatch don’t really exist, it turns out that the mythical furry creatures themselves think that humans – or ‘smallfoots’ as they call them – are equally fictitious.

Migo and his friends have been brought up to believe all the stories and rules carved on stones worn as a cape by the Stonekeeper (Common), so when Migo finds evidence that there may be such a thing as a Smallfoot, he is ostracised. Finally going (well, falling would be more accurate) down the mountain below the clouds, he discovers that not only do Smallfoots exist, there is a whole town of them directly below his hidden home. And it is there he meets one Smallfoot in particular – TV host Percy (Corden), who sees the yeti as an opportunity to increase his ratings.

As with many a kids movie, this has a moral at its centre – be curious and embrace the unknown, see the world through others’ eyes – but it is gently delivered and woven nicely into the story that celebrates friendships and being open to change.

The snowy animation, and especially the yeti fur blowing in the wintry breeze, is lovely (though we’re slightly worried that none of the yetis have noses) and there are fun characters throughout, from Migo’s dad (De Vito), whose job it is to wake the sun every day by being propelled towards a great gong he hits with his head, to his friend Meechee (Zendaya), who is a member of the secret SES (Smallfoot Evidentiary Society), and one of the only people to believe Migo.

While it’s not as smartly funny as we’ve come to expect from animated movies like The Lego Movie or Disney/Pixar’s output, there is a warmth and sweetness to the adventure that should appeal to younger children and a furry charm that will make adults smile a little, too.