You know, when I first saw the trailer for this movie, I had my doubts. Warner Bros. Discovery has made some petty decisions ever since their merger; removing Cartoon Network shows from HBO Max (animation is art, animation is cinema), delaying the release dates of several movies, Velma... But "Mummies," wow! What a surprise from WBD!
This film began blowing up on animation channels across YouTube, like KinoCheck, and upon seeing those videos, I thought to myself, "What's so special about this Spanish animated movie, anyway? Is it because it's got Sean Bean in a small, supporting role, or is it just another attempt by big-shot corporations telling people that animation is 'kids' stuff?'" But after watching it for the first time, I was very impressed with what these Spaniards did.
The animation is pretty good. It's very reminiscent of an ESMA short mixed with a 2010s DreamWorks Animation film like Puss in Boots or How to Train Your Dragon 2. All I gotta say is, nicely done!
The plot is very creative. The movie follows three Egyptian mummies travelling to the modern human world in search of a royal wedding ring stolen from an eager archeologist. Hilarity ensues as they try to learn how the modern world works. One thing I appreciate about the storyline is that it doesn't try too hard to be "hip" and "cool." No BTS or Among Us references, no unneeded internet celebrity cameos like Ninja, Dream, or DanTDM, no TikTok trends, none of that. All I can say to these writers is, thank you for staying away from these modern trends. The idea of an exclusive afterlife populated by Egyptian mummies is one of the most creative concepts ever made for one of these "Fish Out of Water" stories.
The characters are quite likeable in a similar fashion to Fly, Stella and Chuck from one of my all-time favorite animated movies, "Help! I'm a Fish!" Thut is an awkward and daunted ex-charioteer, who, after an incident with the fire bird Phoenix, is chosen to marry Princess Nefer. Nefer may seem like the typical "Disney Princess clone" in non-Disney movies, but she's actually pretty likeable. She just wants to make her own decisions and live her life, instead of the cliched "I want more." Thut's brother, Sekhem, is a fun-loving kid who looks up to his brother's hidden bravery and often encourages him to face his fears. Sekhem is also shown to be a fast-learner as well, adapting to the modern human world quicker than Nefer and Thut. The development these characters go through is nicely executed. Nefer and Thut don't have feelings for each other and both have a fear of commitment. As they venture out into the modern world, though, they start to get close to each other, and eventually, they accept each other's hands in marriage.
Now, a lot of good movies tend to have their flaws, and I would like to list them out for you. For instance, it has a couple of musical numbers, which, despite being sung by singers with great voices, seem out of place. Another flaw I would like to posit would have to be a few animation errors (I think). In one scene, when Thut leaves Nefer at the royal palace, a shot shows Nefer's mother standing next to her, but in the next two shots, she suddenly moves without any animation. This may have been something the animators forgot to fix, but I'll let it slide. There's also a little bit of rude humor, such as Nefer's snoring and farting being pointed out by Thut in one scene. Thankfully, this humor wasn't abused throughout the film, and I have to say, that move was pretty smart.
This film, in a similar fashion to the original Luc Besson cut of Arthur and the Minimoys, isn't well known in the US, save for a few limited screenings. For a movie that's quite obscure in my home country, it's actually pretty good. Kudos to the Spaniards for pulling the old "Besson movie" and making a likeable animated movie. By the time this comes out on home video in the US, feel free to check it out (or maybe just use KissCartoon if you want to see it now).
This film began blowing up on animation channels across YouTube, like KinoCheck, and upon seeing those videos, I thought to myself, "What's so special about this Spanish animated movie, anyway? Is it because it's got Sean Bean in a small, supporting role, or is it just another attempt by big-shot corporations telling people that animation is 'kids' stuff?'" But after watching it for the first time, I was very impressed with what these Spaniards did.
The animation is pretty good. It's very reminiscent of an ESMA short mixed with a 2010s DreamWorks Animation film like Puss in Boots or How to Train Your Dragon 2. All I gotta say is, nicely done!
The plot is very creative. The movie follows three Egyptian mummies travelling to the modern human world in search of a royal wedding ring stolen from an eager archeologist. Hilarity ensues as they try to learn how the modern world works. One thing I appreciate about the storyline is that it doesn't try too hard to be "hip" and "cool." No BTS or Among Us references, no unneeded internet celebrity cameos like Ninja, Dream, or DanTDM, no TikTok trends, none of that. All I can say to these writers is, thank you for staying away from these modern trends. The idea of an exclusive afterlife populated by Egyptian mummies is one of the most creative concepts ever made for one of these "Fish Out of Water" stories.
The characters are quite likeable in a similar fashion to Fly, Stella and Chuck from one of my all-time favorite animated movies, "Help! I'm a Fish!" Thut is an awkward and daunted ex-charioteer, who, after an incident with the fire bird Phoenix, is chosen to marry Princess Nefer. Nefer may seem like the typical "Disney Princess clone" in non-Disney movies, but she's actually pretty likeable. She just wants to make her own decisions and live her life, instead of the cliched "I want more." Thut's brother, Sekhem, is a fun-loving kid who looks up to his brother's hidden bravery and often encourages him to face his fears. Sekhem is also shown to be a fast-learner as well, adapting to the modern human world quicker than Nefer and Thut. The development these characters go through is nicely executed. Nefer and Thut don't have feelings for each other and both have a fear of commitment. As they venture out into the modern world, though, they start to get close to each other, and eventually, they accept each other's hands in marriage.
Now, a lot of good movies tend to have their flaws, and I would like to list them out for you. For instance, it has a couple of musical numbers, which, despite being sung by singers with great voices, seem out of place. Another flaw I would like to posit would have to be a few animation errors (I think). In one scene, when Thut leaves Nefer at the royal palace, a shot shows Nefer's mother standing next to her, but in the next two shots, she suddenly moves without any animation. This may have been something the animators forgot to fix, but I'll let it slide. There's also a little bit of rude humor, such as Nefer's snoring and farting being pointed out by Thut in one scene. Thankfully, this humor wasn't abused throughout the film, and I have to say, that move was pretty smart.
This film, in a similar fashion to the original Luc Besson cut of Arthur and the Minimoys, isn't well known in the US, save for a few limited screenings. For a movie that's quite obscure in my home country, it's actually pretty good. Kudos to the Spaniards for pulling the old "Besson movie" and making a likeable animated movie. By the time this comes out on home video in the US, feel free to check it out (or maybe just use KissCartoon if you want to see it now).