By: Abeeha Shahid
Academy-Award winning director Carlos Saldanha and Blue Sky Studios rendition of the age old 1939 story book tale, “Ferdinand the Bull” by Munro Leaf, takes on a gently yet incredibly powerful new perspective in the movie “Ferdinand”. The movie highlights the unfortunates day pervasive themes of bullying, conformity and peer pressure while also counteracting the heaviness with comic relief, heartfelt friendships, dance-offs with horses and a literal bull in a China shop scene.
The movie starts out in a Spanish bullfight training area named Casa del Toro, home to a number of young bulls, all being raised with the idea that there is nothing more important than to be chosen by a matador to fight and find glory in the arena. Ferdinand (voiced by John Cena), however, prefers coaxing the few flowers in the paddock to grow over fighting and is mocked by his fellow bull calves for his peculiar interests.
When a matador arrives at Casa del Toro to pick a bull to fight and Fernidad’s father is chosen but does not return, he breaks out of his pen and manages to catch a train to take him far away from the ranch. At the end of his journey he finds himself lost in a field full of flowers, and a young girl Nina (voiced by Lily Day), convinces him to follow her home to her father's orchard.
Nina and Ferdinand become inseparable, and the bull is happier than ever, roaming around in flower fields, chasing butterflies and finds a family in Nina, her dad and her dog. However, his days of freedom are limited. Once he reaches his full size it becomes difficult for the family to take him out without raising suspicion and is forced to wait at home during the biggest flower festival of the year. When he attempts to sneak into the festival he causes a ruckus and destroys half the town before he is caught by the authorities and shipped back to Casa del Toro. There he is forced to face all the bull calves he had left behind, who are now grown up and none of them seem happy to see him.
Feeling alone Ferdinand finds friends in a trio of mischievous hedgehogs Una, Dos, Cuatro (“We don’t talk about Tres”) and a ridiculous goat Lupe (voiced by Kate Mckinnon), who is determined to make him the greatest fighting bull in generation despite Ferdinand’s indifference to fighting. Not one to give up, Ferdinand along with his friends tries to find a way home that takes him through an adventure to a slaughterhouse for an impromptu rescue mission, the fighting ring and a chase halfway through the city.
Though a very sweet and straightforward film, Ferdinand, through the bulls who are all destined for slaughterhouse whether they fight or not, contains the themes of tradition and determinism vs free will and individualism. It depicts how easy it is for young minds to be completely influenced by societal standards and expectations in the way the bull calves other than Ferdinand are reluctant to accept that they can choose their own fate and their world tilts on its axis as they realise the world they’ve always known is a lie and it's up to them to change their own circumstances.
It was absolutely devastating to watch a tiny, starry eyed Ferdinand, terrified of a future he does not want, question his father;
“Is it okay if it’s not my dream?”
Through Ferdinand's journey of finding his own path in life and finding his identity , the viewers are reminded that the real courage is not in fighting or what is considered by others as conventionally brave, rather in staying true to themself and finding their own destiny rather than accepting the fate decided for them by someone else.
The movie deals with the dark subject of bullfighting delicately and honestly, including a poignant scene when Ferdinand wanders into the owners trophy room and upon seeing dozens of horns (including his missing fathers) hanging on the wall, realises that once a bull enters the ring he never comes back. It does not shy away from the harsh realities associated with the archaic practice rather condemns it by allowing the viewers to sympathise with Ferdinand’s story.
It's a beautiful movie with clean and engaging animation, solid character design, that is essentially about learning to be yourself in a world that's full of social pressure and prejudice. With a heartwarming ending following a tense yet hilarious plot, Ferdinand makes for an easy and fun watch.
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