Our take on... Wonder Park

Wonder Park serves as a pilot for a new Nickelodeon show due to premiere this year, and as a result doesn’t quite hit the buttons that Disney and Pixar usually do. It is however a charming family film that is especially suited to younger kids who may not always pick up on the messages that the aforementioned studios deliver in their films.

“Wonder Park” tells the story of a young girl who encounters a real version of her magical imaginary amusement park that’s run by talking animals. The little girl, June, created the theme park with the help of her mother, but when her mother becomes ill and leaves home to recover, June abandons the theme park. When she tries to return, she finds that all was not as she had left it. Thus begins her attempt to return the park to its former glory.

While it may not have the pedigree of some of the bigger animated features going, it features a stellar voice cast including Jennifer Garner, Mila Kunis, and John Oliver, and it also features a terrific performance from newcomer Brianna Denski. Oliver in particular gets the movie’s biggest laughs as the uptight porcupine Steve. The animation itself is excellent and the film is incredibly colourful, as are the character designs. The story has a lovely message about the power of imagination and perseverance, and at only eighty six minutes, it breezes by at a cracking pace. The character of June deserves special mention as it is refreshing to see a girl on screen with a knack for engineering and a fondness for maths. All in all, this is a light, breezy, family film that makes for entertaining viewing as the summer holidays continue to fly by.

These are the honest and considered words of our Kevin Dillon, @kevinwritestuff.

Wonder Park is available on DVD and Blu-ray at goldendiscs.ie and in all Golden Discs stores nationwide.