So here we are, our first animated movie of 2024, how good or how bad could it be? Paramount Pictures will open the door for animated movies in 2024, which can be good or bad… They made some very questionable original animated movies that had terrible marketing but some managed to amuse more than the others, this includes Paws Of Fury: The Legend Of Hank, Rumble, Under The Boardwalk, Wonder Park. But from the other hand, Paramount really invested in big IP animated movies which is great but at the same time sad that they don’t give the same attention to original content. The Tiger’s Apprentice might not be the perfect start for the year, but honestly, it was surprisingly fun!
The Tiger’s Apprentice follows an ordinary boy named Tom. Despite his reluctance, he is thrust into an extraordinary world when he discovers that his eccentric grandmother, with whom he resides in San Francisco’s Chinatown, is the guardian of the phoenix egg. Tragically, his grandmother is lost in battle and taken away in a ghost cart. Tom is then forced to become an apprentice to an unexpected mentor, a tiger named Mr. Hu, to master ancient magic and assume the role of the egg’s guardian. Together, they join forces with a unique group of exotic creatures, each symbolizing a different sign of the Chinese zodiac. These creatures have the ability to transform into humans while preserving their inherent animal traits.
This movie is packed with lots of issues but also some great aspects that somehow overcome its flaws. The story is good yet rushed, I think the movie’s biggest issue is that it’s so rushed, we have literally 1 hour and 14 minutes of film (Not including credits) so I really felt like they could’ve explored so much more and expand this runtime to nearly 2 hours so they could fit a more involving, deep and interesting story that would definitely make this movie even better. I think that this movie successfully satisfies its target audiences, the kids. It’s a movie full of dumb jokes, silly characters but some great action and I honestly think this will be a treat to kids, they’ll love it.
Even though the animation is great, you can see some similarities to other animated movies from other studios, so it does indeed feel a little derivative at some points, but in general I felt like this movie has stunning animation which is surprising for its low budget. The characters are definitely the best part of the movie, Tom, played by Brandon Soo Hoo, is such a good character that K really hoped they would invest more on his development. All this idea of having guardians that are animals it’s so interesting and it’s short runtime really avoided us from knowing more about these guardians and their story.
Every flaw this movie has, was mostly because of its rushed runtime, I feel like if they kept the great work but for a little longer, it’d be an amazing movie but overall this movie was good, it will be a treat for kids but grown ups will definitely have some mixed feelings about it.
The Tiger’s Apprentice will definitely satisfy its target audience. A story with lots of potential and interesting characters that unfortunately falls short with an extremely rushed pacing. If you plan on having a movie night with your kids, this one’s definitely the right one.
The Tiger’s Apprentice releases on Paramount+ on February 2.
