it's a decent film but...

I can see why this flopped at the cinemas. This feels much more like a direct-to-DVD movie than a theatrical release. In fact, that's how it was originally pitched, until the studio saw it and was impressed enough to give it a limited theatrical run.

It's a good film, but the way it's structured and paced does show its roots quite a bit. Had if it was granted a bigger budget, the story could've perhaps been told in a more elegant, less to-the-point manner. As is, we have a pretty solid narrative here that is unfortunately hampered by the brisk runtime, tiny budget, and the limitations of what they can show in a family picture (even the animation isn't that much different from the series). A longer, grittier, more epic film utilizing the same script could've been an absolute classic. As is, it's just pretty good.

Who's with me?