Directed By Sarah Smith, Jean Philippe Vine, and Octavio E. Rodriguez

Starring – Jack Dylan Grazer, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms

The Plot – The story of Barney (Grazer), a socially awkward middle-schooler and Ron (Galifianakis), his new walking, talking, digitally-connected device, which is supposed to be his ‘Best Friend out of the Box.’ Ron’s hilarious malfunctions set against the backdrop of the social media age, launch them into an action-packed journey in which boy and robot come to terms with the wonderful messiness of true friendship.

Rated PG for some rude material, thematic elements and adult language

Ron’s Gone Wrong | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios – YouTube

POSITIVES

– The new boss. “Ron’s Gone Wrong” is the first feature length film for Locksmith Animation, and what the company lacks in long-term experience, it more than makes up for with bubbly, candy-coated animation that consistently keeps our attention through nearly two hours of profound storytelling. The landscapes and corresponding architecture is most impressive, bottling a vibrancy in color patterns, as well as a grounded approach in concepts that makes this easily one of the more grounded takes for a futuristic setting in any animated film I’ve ever seen. Likewise, the character designs are boldly emotive on both the eyes and facial registries of the eclectic personalities they follow, offering an easily accessible indulgence to each of them that not only helps flesh out the three-dimensional characterization, but also presents several stark depictions into the windows of the soul that mirror the movie’s tonal transitions seamlessly along the way.

– Tonally ambitious. The film could’ve easily rested on the laurels of its material as a comedy. There’s certainly a satisfying balance between target demographics that easily offers something compelling for everyone considered, but when the film evolves into something sentimentally sweet, it does so while materializing some deep-seeded drama for the emotional peril of its protagonist. This keeps it from feeling like the typical conveyor belt film that most contemporary kids films have unfortunately become saddled with, prescribing an unpredictability in spontaneity that when coupled with the isolation factor of the protagonist, gives us something that continuously tugs at the heartstrings of our own deep-seeded insecurities. None of the shifts contradict each other in ways that create leaps of logic in the context of the story, nor does any one ingredient feel weaker than the rest, giving us a five course dinner on an emotional rollercoaster, that shifts and shakes with unforeseen peril of the most vulnerable kind.

– Hefty themes. Animated films that refuse to treat kids like idiots are among the best kind for me personally, with this film being the latest in such an approach. Not only does it entertain audiences with the aforementioned registering cylinders of corresponding tonal capacities, but it also exudes an educational intention in its material that works tremendously with the many beats of Barney’s narrative. Introverted psychology, defining friendships, and technological addiction are just a few of the timely relevant stories that this script sinks its teeth into, exploring with it the kind of depth and creative dissection that easily makes this the most profound kids movie that I have seen since 2015’s “Inside Out”, in which its child characters feel anything but perfect. Being that I was very similar to Barney as a child, I was able to find a heartfelt connection to the film that was delicately handled with the kind of class and responsibility that feels respectful for the situation without trivializing it for plot convenience.

– Nourishing leads. Everyone associated with the main cast knocks it out of the park, but particularly the trio of Galifianakis, Grazer, and Oscar winner Olivia Colman, who bring these characters and vibrant personalities to life tenfold. Grazer isn’t attacking anything diverse in his casting as a teenager, but it’s the emotional baggage that he unloads to the character that feeds into the plaguing loneliness, all the while articulating a humanity that feels very fleshed out and timely for the current shape of our youth. As for Galifianakis, it’s another comedic turn as the featured B-Bot in the film, but there’s a tenderness and naivety to his deliveries that outlines a kid-like innocence very similar to the age demographic he’s catered toward, which enhances a chemistry between he and Grazer that is infectious. Colman, however, is the scene-stealer for me, disguising the inflections and tonal capacities of her familiar delivery with a heft and audible straining that completely transforms her before our very ears, while giving us some of the best voice acting that I have heard in 2021.

– Electronic score. Much credit to iconic composer Henry Jackman, who embodies so much personality and corresponding traits to the film’s corresponding music to make this a one of a kind identity. Aside from the fine balance of techno/electronic and orchestral accompaniment that dominate the landscape of his audible investment, it’s the continuous clanking and unorthodox buzzing that adds a complimentary echoing of the many B-Bots that fill the screen, all the while campaigning a series of compositions that are so unlike anything else in the 2021 movie landscape. The tracks themselves emphasize much about the corresponding contexts and sequences without downright meandering them, and the volume controls contain with them a respectful volume mixing that persists without obscuring the line deliveries and tonal enveloping of the scenes they influence.

– Easter eggs. Deserving of its own section are the abundance of intimate aspects and unique character designs that speak volumes to this company being a subcontractor to 20th Century Fox, which is now a subcontractor to Disney. Because of such, we’re treated to B-Bot designs that are reflective of pop culture properties that produce more than a few glaring winks and nods to corresponding worlds underneath this massive umbrella that Disney has crafted in a century of cinema. Likewise, the many ensuing backdrops and off-frame character interactions pertain to more than a couple of hilarious instances where much is going on outside of our realm of reach in the confines of this particular story, but one that with it will inevitably lead to frequent rewatches to catch every spare detail that I missed in my faithfulness to the unraveling of the narrative at the forefront of this story.

NEGATIVES

– Uneven halves. Unfortunately for the many responsibly compelling insights that result in subversive social commentary, the film can’t wholeheartedly nail the execution with an ambiguous climax that undoubtedly refuses to pick a side in the argument. This not only leads to a big, boisterously loud final set piece that is a cliche in of itself in almost every single kids movie today, but also completely leaves one particular subplot involving Barney’s deceased mother in the orbit of oblivion to never be addressed again. For my money, the first half of this movie is not only remarkably more endearing and less predictable than its secondary counterpart, but it also paces itself in a way that tackles many conflicts without feeling repetitive or derivative of itself from scene to scene. Such an interpretation cannot be made with the third act of this movie, where tropes like third act distancing between protagonists, and even whole scenes themselves are repeated as a means to pad the run time, and leave this film constantly in the shadow of the potential that it outlines for itself in a far more ambitious opening act.

– Unnecessary antagonist. One further instance of this stretching itself to reach community standards is the materialization of a tech-savy villain, whose lack of motivation for particular movements are only eclipsed by a one-dimensional outline, which serves as a parody of himself. This feat would normally feel complimentary in a film dissecting much of the cultural pollution that stems from technological addiction, but those same traits that play into the moral debate equally condemn it, shifting him as a character so far from being human that he might as well be alien, and so inconsequential to the resolving afterthoughts that he might as well not exist at all to begin with. Normally, I can agree with kids movies requiring a villain to constantly ratchet the tension, and convey an arc that gives us time to breathe while away from the protagonist, but “Ron’s Gone Wrong” simply isn’t that film, and in a movie with so many layers of originality to its contemporary rendering, it’s not enough to break away from the tropes of familiarity that ultimately define it.

– Slightly derivative. While there’s much about “Ron’s Gone Wrong” that I can appreciate on a surface level dissection through its production quality and magnetizing characterization, it’s certainly not a film that recreates the wheel with regards to the bulk of its material. When compared to two better films with mirrored themes in “The Mitchell’s Vs The Machines” and “Big Hero 6”, we’re left with a bit of an inescapably underwhelming emphasis that keeps it from standing out against those near perfect predecessors. As previously indicated, the lack of siding with the movie’s moral fiber often creates a hypocritical endeavoring that frequently contradicts its honorable intentions, and the nearly inconsequential resolution to the film’s climax sends audiences home with a lasting impression that blurs the line of its message during the moments when its impact should be felt the loudest.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-