The Willoughbys 2020

Because of a lack of love and affection from their parents, the Willoughby children begin to believe they would be much better at raising themselves. Thanks to their team effort, they come up with a sneaky plan to send their parents far away on an extended holiday abroad. The youngsters then embark on a wild adventure filled with colorful characters and extraordinary situations on the road to discovering the true meaning of family. This movie has high energy, from the colors to the music. It is easy to get sucked into the action and look forwards to each new scene and what wacky situation it might deliver to the kids. The voice acting is quite exceptional as well. You can tell the cast was having a good time while recording their lines. Especially Terry Crews, who plays a larger-than-life bombastic sweet maker that reminded me of Willy Wonka. The Willoughby kids all bring something to the screen. Tim dreams of becoming a great Willoughby with a mighty mustache. He will often fight away invitations to be emotional as he doesn't believe a genuine member of his family would partake in such childish needs. Jane is in love with music and singing; she is played wonderfully by Alessia Cara, who lends her beautiful voice to the character. My favorites are the Barnaby twins that bring quite a lot of comedy to the movie, with their wacky ideas and unbelievable Engineering skills. They help the gang get themselves out of quite a few sticky situations. The movie blends 2D and Stop-Motion animation that works perfectly for this tale. This helps the viewer feel immersed in the story and will keep the kids glued to the screen, and feel carried away by the highs and lows of the plot. Although Ricky Gervais's performance as the voice of our cat narrator was excellent, I found that sometimes the narration felt a bit out of place or flat. But this happened once or twice and did not deter my enjoyment of the movie. This film is an excellent pick for any parents stuck inside with their munchkins. It carries a positive message that family is not necessarily your name but rather the people around that love you and care for you. The movie is full of feel-good moments and diverse, colorful characters that bring the story to life. Parents will also enjoy this film as it doesn't shy away from making fun of adult subjects. Such as "The perfect family" or talking about the challenges of being a new parent. So grab your children, some snacks, make a pillow fort in your living room, turn on Netflix, and enjoy this lovely tale about what makes a family, a family.