This year there seems to have been abundance in crazy cool animations. From Inside Out to the Minions, and others of the sort, there have been plenty of options available for the younger generation. Amidst them all I have come to find a gem.
The animation HOME is a story about little, midget sized, alien creatures called the Boovs who are on the run from a different species of aliens who they are scared of. The Boovs discover the planet Earth and decide it is the perfect hiding spot. So they move all of the humans to Australia so that they can inhabit the rest of the world.
One of the Boovs is a trouble maker called Oh, (Voice over done by Jim Parsons who is known for his role as Sheldon in Big Bang Theory) who is accident prone and completely clumsy, making him a nuisance to the rest of the Boov community. He finally makes one more severe mistake that may lead to the destruction of planet earth and the Boov civilization, causing him to be a fugitive from the Boov King.
On his attempts to hide away from the King, Oh hilariously but accidentally runs into Tip. (Voice over done by Rihanna) Tip is a spunky African American little girl who was somehow missed when the rest of the humans were carried to Australia. Tip is by herself, because her mother was among the humans taken and she doesn’t know where they are. She obviously doesn’t trust Boovs because she blames them for abducting her mother, so when she meets Oh for the first time they get off to a rocky start but soon realize they both need each other. Tip needs Oh to help her find her mom, and Oh needs Tip to help him hide from the Boovs who are after him and to teach him a few lessons along the way about what it means to be human.
There are a few things I absolutely adore about this movie. Firstly the characters are well developed. Tip is a strong little girl who tugs at your heart strings even though she is just an animation, and Oh is a misfit, purple, little creature whose antics are as hilarious as they are endearing. Together they work well at inviting you into their lives.
Secondly the soundtrack is amazing. I don’t often notice the music in movies as it is meant to be in the background unless it absolutely stands out. The Home soundtrack definitely stood out for me, and I am planning on downloading it as soon as I can find it.
The main character, Tip is a black little girl. I didn’t understand how extremely relevant this is until I read why Dreamworks home is a must watch by Afromum. This is one of the few animations, or Disney movies, where the main character is a black little girl, and it is inspiring. At the age of 6-12ish little girls are looking for role models, and the main characters in the movies tend to be the people they will look up to. The princesses and the girls who they can relate to. This is actually kind of hard when the main character is always a completely different race. When the ideal girl has blonde hair, blue eyes, and creamy white skin, it encourages those who are the complete opposite to feel like they will never fit in. This movie made the heroine, with her beautiful brown skin and curly dark hair, relatable, and attainable to all the black little girls out there which is beautiful inspiration.
Lastly the lessons that can be learned from this movie are not just for kids but also a good, down to earth reminder for adults as well. From the importance of family, to understanding those who don’t always fit in, to forgiving and loving yourself as well. One of my favorite quotes was when Oh was beating himself up about the mistakes he had made and Tip told him,
“Nobody is perfect. You know, my Mum says your mistakes are what make you human.”
This is a perfect sit in and watch at home movie that is extremely charming and brilliant.
