Flora & Ulysses (2021)

(Disney Streaming, March 2021) I’m old enough to be still amazed by how modern special effects technology has become so sophisticated and so cheap that even lower-budgeted direct-to-streaming movies can feature an entirely digital main character without too much fuss. So it is that Flora & Ulysses is a blend of superhero fantasy, family film with animals, reconciliation romantic fantasy and slapstick comedy. Matilda Lawler stars as Flora, a ten-year-old dreamer who wishes her parents were back together and finds a hyper-smart squirrel (Ulysses) to help her out. That’s right: superhero squirrel, human sidekick. Most of the plot developments and the conclusion are right out of the subgenres being mixed, but so it goes for family movies. There are a few other things worth mentioning—for one, the explicit number of Marvel superheroes mentioned and illustrated in the film’s opening sequence—that’s when you remember that Disney owns much of western culture at the moment. Now, I’m favourably predisposed toward this film because it features a squirrel protagonist, but the film is pleasant enough to be enjoyed — the lead character is likable, and even the film’s descent into familiar plot devices can’t quite wipe away its quirkiness. Flora & Ulysses may be the best (or maybe the only) squirrel-centric film since The Great Rupert.