We’ve been spoiled. Yes, it may hurt to admit it, but superior animation has made features like The Littlest Angel irrelevant at best and an annoyance at worst. Based on the fifteenth best-selling children's book of all time, the story must have been considerably expanded considering the 80-minute running time. The story of a young boy who, aided by his pup Halo, returns to earth to find a gift for…the Baby Jesus, son of God, voiced here by Ron Perlman. In case anyone ever asks you to name three films Ron Perlman is featured in, please, say “Enemy At The Gates, Drive, and The Littlest Angel.”
As I said, the animation is very much the most distracting aspect of the film – it’s just poor, not a fault of the animators but most certainly a lacking budget. Whenever the rapid movement is called for in action/chase sequences, the poor facial and body animation takes away from the admittedly well-crafted film. The voice acting is uniformly good, and the story disarming without coming across as particularly maudlin.
Presented in widescreen, the transfer is solid and serves largely to display the lacking animation. Sound is clear and crisp, with an above-average score and sound effects. If only the onscreen images were up to par. With the subpar animation, The Littlest Angel is left a well-meaning but amateur-looking children’s film.
One final thought – Heaven looks a lot like Keifer Sutherland’s estate in Von Trier’s Melancholia. That is all.
DVD Bonus Features
A “Pure Michigan Promo” is included, effectively an advertisement for the state of Michigan. Why is this here? Must be because the film was produced in Michigan and we have Rex Piano, the co-producer, explaining to us the production behind the film. One nugget of wisdom – “You know when you shoot a movie, you need a film camera.” With all due respect to Mr. Piano, I understand the need for a promo like this, but why is it featured on a DVD for a children’s film?
"The Littlest Angel" is on sale November 15, 2011 and is not rated. Children & Family, Christian, Comedy, Fantasy. Directed by Dave Kim. Written by Screenplay and story by Sean Catherine Derek, Dave Kim, Sean Roche, Based on a book by Charles Tazewell. Starring Ron Perlman, Ed Kelly, Nina Kircher, Caleb Wolfe.
