Dark forces are planning to kidnap the royal heirs, to force the prince to abdicate his throne to an evil wizard. To the rescue comes a 17-year-old, immature, over-ambitious teen-goat, Arthur. Structured as a Thailand-China co-production, Out of the Nest impresses with a strong emphasis on delivering dazzling visuals, a fun setting, and memorable characters.
At first glance, one could be forgiven for mistaking Out of the Nest for a production straight out of Hollywood, as it resembles many aspects of a modern Dreamworks or Disney project. Boasting impressive visuals, the animated feature makes good use of its medium especially in its action sequences, usage of colours, as well as character design.
As one could tell from the poster, there are a lot characters in this movie. Despite the overwhelming roster of characters, Out of the Nest provides sufficient character development to its lead, Arthur. Charming, endearing, and occasionally hilarious, the animated feature effectively presents one goat’s journey from being incredibly selfish to finally finding a purpose larger than himself — thanks to seven adorable chicks that are bound to be popular with the target audience.
Conversely, the story of Out of the Nest is relatively straightforward, if not a little predictable. As the narrative juggles with the amount of characters on screen, it’s difficult not to notice how little it expands upon the antagonist. While the narrative is far from original, the animated feature packs enough to prevent the movie from being wholly derivative. Furthermore, its clever utilisation of Asian culture works better than many similar attempts made by western productions.
All in all, Out of the Nest succeeds in delivering an entertaining animated feature that presents a harmonious fusion of creativity from different countries. At its core, there is a great message about what does it mean to be family (A theme that the Fast and Furious die-hards will no doubt be familiar with). With a remarkable group of talented creatives from Thailand, China, and the US, the animated feature is a reminder that Hollywood does not have a monopoly on thoughtful animated features.
