REVIEW: Ferdinand is a Spanish bull who’d rather explore nature than gore a matador

REVIEW: Ferdinand is a pleasing cartoon adaptation of author Munro Leaf’s pacifist picture-book parable, a favourite of children the world over for eight decades.

FERDINAND (PG)

Rating: three stars (3 out of 5)

Director: Carlos Saldanha (Rio)

Starring: the voices of John Cena, Bobby Cannavale, Kate McKinnon, David Tennant.

A quality load of total bull

It has been over 80 years since author Munro Leaf’s pacifist picture-book parable first became a favourite of children the world over.

Surprisingly, the movies have never before given any feature-length love to the beautiful tale of a Spanish bull who would rather be exploring nature than goring matadors.

Scene from animated film Ferdinand L-R: Lupe (voiced by Kate McKinnon), Ferdinand (John Cena) and Dos (Daveed Diggs), Cuatro (Gabriel Iglesias) and Una (Gina Rodriguez)

Enter crowd-pleasing animation specialist Carlos Saldanha (director of Ice Age and Rio) to correct that oversight in aptly accessible fashion.

While this won’t considered the best animated production of the coming holiday season, Ferdinand is a vibrant and engaging affair that doesn’t forget the timeless message about aggression and bullying Leaf intended to impart.

The voice cast is exceptionally strong, with well-known he-man and action hero John Cena making a remarkably fine fit for the shy and retiring title role.

His chemistry with comic sidekick Kate McKinnon (as Lupe the goat) is a highlight of the film.

Feel free to crack your own joke about bulls in china shops ... starting ... NOW!

Pacing of the production is noticeably uneven, perhaps a by-product of the brevity of the source material.

However, if the scripting filler does not pose a problem, it can be put down to the crack combo of Saldanha’s experienced eye and his cast’s way with words.

Sure, Ferdinand is no Coco or Paddington 2, but it will still find favour within its young target audience across the summer.

Originally published as REVIEW: Ferdinand is a Spanish bull who’d rather explore nature than gore a matador