Plot: What’s it about?
Ferdinand (voiced by John Cena) has always different from the other bulls, even as a young bull he was more concerned with flowers than fighting. Of course, his friends were all the opposite and dreamed of the day they could challenge the matador, like their fathers did. After his own father was taken to the arena and never returned, Ferdinand escaped the bull corral and even though he was just a small little bull, he found his freedom. He would end up on a remote farm, surrounded by beautiful fields of grass and flowers, not to mention the love and affection of the human family who opened their home to him. Although he would become part of the family, he also grew to be a massive, intimidating bull and while his temperament was still gentle, the family worried about how others might perceive him. This is what caused him to be left at the farm during one flower festival, but he couldn’t stand to miss all the aromatic treats, so Ferdinand ventured to the festival and thanks to some mishaps, scared some people and caused some damage. Now he finds himself once again at the bull corral, the same one he escaped from as a child and of course, given his immense size, he is expected to be a fierce competitor in the arena. The other bulls, some old friends and some new faces, are just as determined as ever to battle the matador, especially when the legendary El Primero arrives to select a bull for his final fight. Will Ferdinand be forced into the arena and into a fight he doesn’t want to be part of, or can he once again find a way to stay true to himself?
This animated feature is based on the timeless, beloved children’s book The Story of Ferdinand and while some changes have been made, a lot of the core message remains intact. Some elements have been added in and others updated for the shortened attention spans of young audiences, but Ferdinand still packs a positive message about being yourself, resisting peer pressure, and the pursuit of happiness. I can’t think of many characters as pure of heart as Ferdinand, as he doesn’t judge others that disagree with his outlook or look down on them, he just knows who he is and wants to be happy, rather than force his perspective on others. That is an uncommon element in cinema, a character who is motivated by happiness rather than spite, jealousy, or revenge, most of the time even positive characters are driven by the urge to prove others wrong, but that isn’t the case here. The positive messages here are delivered loud and clear, but never feel forced or heavy handed, nor do they come at the cost of entertainment. I do think the film has a more deliberate pace than most similar animated movies, but it never feels slow and the time invested in the characters pays dividends. And even when time is devoted to flesh out characters, most of the time it involves some kind of humor, such as the goat’s pratfalls or the bulls bonding over the dance duel against the horses. So this isn’t just a barrage of cheap jokes or physical gags like some movies aimed at kids, but a well crafted, warm narrative that never fails to entertain, but also makes sure there is some substance behind the beautiful visuals and consistent humor.
I know some will scoff at John Cena in the lead role here, but in truth, who better to play a gentle giant than Cena? After all, he is a massive dude who is known for his kinder side, such as charitable work and his sense of humor, even though he is also a professional wrestler. His voice work might not be as polished as more experienced talent in the field, but you can tell he connects with the character and that adds a lot to the role. He is also adept at the goofy side of the role, not afraid to be silly or over the top, if it means getting a laugh or warm moment. I think Cena might have been an unexpected choice, but he delivers with his performance. Kate McKinnon is the main source of laughs in Ferdinand as the calming goat, but I do think she gets a little more screen time than needed. While she is often hilarious here, it can be a bit much sometimes, especially when there’s little time between her scenes. The performance is turned up big time, so it can grate a little when the scenes run overly long. The voice cast here also includes Bobby Cannavale, Anthony Anderson, David Tennant, Gabriel Iglesias, and even Peyton Manning, plus others. The animation is gorgeous and up to Blue Sky Studio’s usual high standard, with rich backgrounds packed with detail and excellent, fun character designs. The bulls in particular are very cool, with so much variance between characters and just fun designs. The movie has a lot of high energy, action driven scenes as well and those unfold in grand fashion, with an intense attention to detail. Ferdinand might veer from the source a little, but it retains enough of the positive vibes and heart to do it justice. If you’re a fan of animation or have younger viewers in mind, this one is highly recommended.
Video: How’s it look?
Ferdinand roars onto the Ultra HD format sporting a 2.39:1 HEVK 4K trasfer. The movie’s visuals are beautiful and as such, this treatment needed to be top notch and it is. I was most impressed by the bold, vivid colors involved and this movie has ample scenes to take advantage of those vibrant hues. The scenes with Ferdinand in the fields are just stunning here, gorgeous animation treated right. The level of detail is remarkable, pulling a lot of subtle depth from the animation and ensuring all of the smallest touches in the backgrounds shine here. From the finest bits of fur to worn textures on some of the props, it all looks fantastic here.
Audio: How’s it sound?
A Dolby Atmos soundtrack sits on the Ultra HD disc, while the Blu-ray has a nearly equally robust DTS HD Master Audio track. While not as nuanced as some audio treatments, all of the movie’s needs are covered and then some. The movie is focused on dialogue in a lot of scenes, but even those have some nice ambient present, even if it is subtle. When the movie needs a more aggressive presence, the track steps up, but again just doesn’t have the same pop as some releases. An exception would be the music, which sounds loud and expansive in this mix, but overall surround use isn’t all that memorable. But make no mistake, the movie sounds great, just not a reference level sound presentation. This release also includes a descriptive audio track, French and Spanish language tracks, and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Ferdinand’s Guide to Healthy Living with John Cena – Voice actor John Cena offers up some tips for “healthy living” with some scenes from the film to illustrate his point(s).
- A Goat’s Guide to Life – Kate McKinnon’s character is profiled here.
- Ferdinand’s Team Supreme – A look at the ensemble “minor” players in the film.
- Spain Through Ferdinand’s Eyes – If you’ve ever wanted to visit Spain but don’t want to go…
- Confessions of a Bull Loving Horse – Voiced by Fluga Borg, this had me scratching my head.
- Creating the Land of Ferdinand – Director Carlos Saldahna speaks about the film with some unique insight.
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Bull Run – The Bull Run scene is one of the most ambitious in the movie, and this gives us some more insight into how it came to be.
- Learn to Dance with Ferdinand – No, bulls can’t dance, but the actors/dancers who did the motion capture can!
- Ferdinand’s Do It Yourself Flower Garden – Lisa Ely, a “garden educator” gives us some tips to live by. If you take advice from a “garden educator” don’t ever read this site again.
- Music Video – “Home” by Nick Jonas.
- Creating a Remarka-Bull Song – We get a backstory on the song above.
- Art of Ferdinand Gallery – Pretty self-explanatory, it’s also broken down into sections:
- Concept Paintings
- Character Designs
- Locations
- Stills
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
Ferdinand is essentially what we’d expect it to be – entertaining and, of course, family-friendly. Featuring top notch vocal talent from some of today’s top stars, there’s not a lot to dislike here. I don’t necessarily think that a 4K purchase will be beneficial given the “target audience.” But if you want the best-looking and best-sounding version of the film, this is where to get it. A variety of kid-centric features are included which make for a great way to pass the time.
