Fireheart (2022)

(On Cable TV, September 2022) I started groaning early during Fireheart when the film initially seemed to go for that easiest of clichés—an animated family film presenting female empowerment in a historical context. My objection is not reactionary—it’s one of a cinephile who has seen this noble intention being denatured through near-endless cynicism and mercenary takes that have too much to do with making the film more profitable than progressive. So, anyway: Fireheart’s first few minutes set up a brightly coloured take on 1930s Manhattan, in which the daughter of an ex-fireman dreams of becoming a firefighter, and passes herself off as a boy to be part of a team investigating the disappearance of all NYC firefighters. Yes, all of them: this isn’t a film that deals well with realism. But as the story advances, its initial grrl-power attitude morphs into an honestly more interesting plot involving a threat to the city and a plucky band of misfits banding together to fight evil. The subplot of a daughter proving herself to her father certainly remains, but it’s filtered through a more thorough father/daughter relationship, and becomes part of a more involving plot. (Better yet is the film’s antagonist, providing the antithesis of girls breaking through the glass ceiling of villainy as well.)  By the time Fireheart rolls its credits over depictions of historically significant female firefighter, it has earned that victory lap, not by mere intentions but by having delivered more than a pat statement. Fireheart is rather good in technical terms as well: while a bit rougher than the Pixar-tier state-of-the-art, Montreal-based L’atelier Animation (last seen completing Ballerina) aims for ambitious sequences on a smaller budget. I may quibble about some of the art direction: I don’t often complain about a film being too colourful, but there’s at least half a case for that impression here, as 1932 Manhattan (albeit with severely anachronistic characters) is transformed into a quasi glowing-neon palette. But that doesn’t matter a lot: Fireheart exceeds expectations and delivers enough entertainment for the entire family.