The Son of Bigfoot aka Bigfoot Junior (2017)

(On Cable TV, February 2021) There was a spate of cryptozoology animated family films in 2017ish, and The Son of Bigfoot is probably the least known of them. This can be explained by the film’s independent European pedigree — rather than being a Laika, DreamWorks or Sony Animation Studio production, it hails from French Europe and was distributed by StudioCanal. Don’t expect a cut-rate production — the budget of the film and the well-worn production experience of nWave pictures are such that the computer animation looks great, easily up to the standards of anyone but the biggest studios in the industry. The story itself is more pedestrian, what with a young boy discovering that he’s getting hairier by the minute, and eventually that his absent father in none other but the Bigfoot himself. Throw in a plot that has to do with an evil businessman capturing the bigfoot for follicular fortune (don’t ask) and you’ve got enough to fill up the film’s 92 minutes. The Son of Bigfoot is not that good of a film: the humour is easy, the concepts only make sense in the context of a family film, and the tone underlines every emotional moment twice. But it’s more than just watchable — it’s fun and frantic and well grounded in its dramatic moments. There are far worse movies out there in the children’s section, whether we’re talking content or execution. Director Ben Stassen has come a long way since his debut feature Fly Me to the Moon, and he’s now cruising at a higher level with The Son of Bigfoot, since then followed by The Queen’s Corgi and sequel Bigfoot Family.