Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure Movie Review

CAST:Jigna Bhardwaj, Rupa Bhimani, Kaustav Ghosh, Rajesh Kava, Sabina Malik, Julie Tejwani

DIRECTION:Rajiv Chilaka and Rusauro B. Adorable

GENRE:Animation

DURATION:1 hour 37 minutes

IT IS A SIMPLE CONVENTIONAL STORY THAT IS A DELIGHT FOR KIDS!

STORY: Chhota Bheem and his friends travel to Manali to get a taste of snowy winters. The city dwellers are exasperated of a local dacoit named Hidimbak, a shrewd, manipulative ski warrior who harbours the dream of ruling over the entire region. Does Bheem take the miscreant to task?

REVIEW: It is admirable that Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure stays as thrilling in a 90-minute film as it does in its half-hour episodes. It might seem humble in comparison to the inventive Pixar offerings of the recent past like Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur, but it wins on many counts. Benefiting from being an intrinsically desi story that captures the flavours Indian kids have grown up on, the stunts and Bheem's bahaduri has been amplified for celluloid purposes.

Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure Teaser 

The writing is deliberately kept conventional and focuses completely on the deeds and misdeeds of Bheem and his gang. The best thing about the movie is that it is kept crisp. At 90 minutes, it never feels heavy. With a sketchy story at its core, its animation has a rich look. The beautiful rendering of the snow-capped mountains and the ski scenes are fabulously done. It is never quite photo-real but the earnestness in the effort is hard to miss. The gripes from its previous installment stay. Overemphasising on physical prowess has always been a major issue with this cartoon series.

There is no clever spin to the plot and it takes up a predictable hero-versus-villain route. It is a simple, conventional story that is a delight for kids but it never pushes itself to further the genre. The only thing worth applauding in this largely familiar story is the emphasis on adventure sports. Thankfully, we are told all about the safety measures, even if in a tad-too-preachy voice!

Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure is amateurish but a roller coaster ride that entertains to the hilt. You just wish it had a little more than what we've seen in the TV series.