Hitpig

Typically animated films are released either in the summer or around the end of the year, but the makers of "Hitpig" decided to release this animated flick in the middle of autumn--not sure why, but hopefully it will bode well for them. Designed by an animated company which isn't familiar--Talecraft Animation Studios, this is presented well and the animation is well thought out.

Hitpig (Jason Sudeikis) is a pig hired by humans to bring back their escaped animals. It's not easy, but it's a living. His latest hit is Pickles (Lilly Singh), a naive but vivacious elephant who had escaped the clutches of an evil Vegas showman, Leapin Lord of the Leotard (Rainn Wilson). Though Hitpig initially sets out to capture the perky pachyderm for big cash, the unlikely pair find themselves on an unexpected adventure criss-crossing the globe that brings out the best in both of them. Set in a futuristic cyberpunk world, Hitpig proves sometimes what we want isn't necessarily what we need. 

Others to round out the cast are Anitta as Leticia, RuPaul as Polecat, Lorraine Ashbourne as Bertha, Andy Serkis as Newscaster, Charlie Adler as Super Rooster, Flavor Flav as Chef Emcee, Dave Rosenbaum as Janitor and Hannah Gadsby as Lola. 

This was directed with humor and clarity by David Feiss ("The Body Electric" (TV movie) '85, "A Cool Like That Christmas" (TV movie) '93, "Open Season: Scared Silly" '15) plus TV, shorts, videos and a TV short, and Cinzia Angelini (short). With the experience Feiss has including all the TV and shorts, it's no wonder why this film was sequenced well and delineated with crispness. Alrhough Feiss has the lion's share of the directing, certainly Angelini was pivotal with input that was needed. It was written well by Berkeley Breathed, Dave Rosenbaum and Tyler Werrin, based on a screen story by Berkeley Breathed, which is based on the book "Pete and Pickles" by Berkeley Breathed. This is a film that is geared toward kids, but all can leave the theater feeling better about themselves and others. And because its demographic is primarily for kids, it does have a tendency to be a bit predictable in its plot. This was probably purposed, however it would've been a bit more captivating if there were somewhat stronger challenges with these characters even it being a comedy. Although I've never heard of Talecraft Animation Studios--the company that drew this, its design was effective as it was original and as talented a company as Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Blue Sky and the like. 

If you like animation and a heartwarming, witty story, this is the film for you. As aforementioned, this is primarily geared to kids, but adults can revel as well--I did enjoy it. It is a bit predictable, however not really enough to take away from this story based on the classic book.  

Out 4 Stars: 3.5                                     Rated: PG                                          85mins.