One thing that Disney has taught us over the years is that superheroes come in all shapes and sizes. That trend continues, but this time in the form of a squirrel in Disney’s newest film Flora & Ulysses, now streaming on Disney Plus.
An imaginative and creative 10-year old cynic (Matilda Lawler) never could have predicted that her little squirrel would be born anew as a superhero and have the uncanny knack for helping her and the lovable but broken people in her life.
Flora (played by the criminally adorable Matilda Lawler) is such a captivating character, and so is her world, full of spandex and capes; she imagines superheroes soaring past her on the street, and in a blink-of-an-eye, her world changes into whimsical comic illustrations. The movie also has plenty of laughs to go around, with Brad Copeland’s screenplay combining quippy banter and zany physical comedy (a lot comes from the cute C.G.I. squirrel). Director Lena Khan is able to tap into the story’s good-natured looniness, as well as the cast, which includes the likes of Danny Pudi, Bobby Moynihan, Alyson Hannigan, and Ben Schwartz (to name a few).
Hannigan and Schwartz have fun as the playful parents and the eccentric British neighbor boy (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) delivers some laugh-out-loud moments. Now, Ulysses is the latest computer-animated sidekick in a genre that goes back as far as Stuart Little. For those who grew up with films like The Shappy Dog and The Cat From Outer Space, it’s amazing how far technology has come (Ulysses does look very convincing), but sometimes that doesn’t always help with the storytelling. However, this film is a tiny exception.
Flora & Ulysses gets very close to falling into the trap of cheesiness that most child’s films find themselves in but somehow manages to avoid it. This movie is filled with so much hopeful comedy and shows how a twitch-tailed hero changes a family. Flora & Ulysses is definitely a movie to check out on Disney Plus.
