Back in 2017, 7 years ago, Woody Woodpecker got his first-ever theatrical film, and it didn’t end up as people expected… It was not only terrible, but the film also grossed only $15 million globally on a $10 million budget. Believe me, those are not good numbers, especially when you have this worldwide-known character leading the film. I guess some ideas should just stay in our heads, and making that movie is an example of it.
And now, in 2024, the same studio tries again with Woody Woodpecker Goes To Camp. But this time, with a twist! They’re bringing back more original characters from the franchise and try to stay similar to its source material. The film follows Woody Woodpecker as he must find a new home after being kicked out of the forest. At Camp Woo Hoo, he thinks he’s found a forever home, but there’s an inspector on the loose who wants to shut down the camp.
It’s obvious that you will head to this film with no expectations, especially after what the first one made us go through. But I will tell you this: this is not a direct sequel, it’s a total different story with total different characters and even the story is a total different thing but still the most cliche thing you could ever think about. Remember Cheaper By The Dozen 2 with all the games and camping challengers between 2 groups? Well this is basically the same thing but with Woody Woodpecker.
If there’s something that carries this film, that’s the original characters and the easter eggs that were inserted into this film. I’ve been a huge Woody Woodpecker fan my entire life, I watched this thing all the time during my whole childhood, I know all the characters and their personalities. I could never miss a Woody Woodpecker movie even though I know it won’t be great because I just love this character.
The CGI is good, but it has its flaws. The thing that makes the CGI bad is when the human characters are interacting with the fictional ones. The little kids would talk to Woody Woodpecker literally looking at the wall, it made me laugh at some points, but not a positive laugh. Buzz Buzzard, played by Kevin Michael Richardson, deserves the credit here, best character and really faithful to the original one we know, every scene of him vs. Woody would make me so pleased with joy. I love these guys.
The script is atrocious, it’s okay to have a cliche story but the dialogue is embarrassing, like genuinely embarrassing. Moments where they try to bring some emotion to it and it ends up making me laugh of embarrassment. But it’s a kids movie so let’s not go to harsh on it. The acting is terrible. It’s a film that will definitely deliver some fun to little kids but nothing more than just that…
Woody Woodpecker Goes To Camp can be a fun for kids, and I think that’s what matters. It’s filled with cringeworthy dialogue and a cliché story that’s poorly executed. But hey, at least we have the original characters back, and I’m totally here for it.
Woody Woodpecker Goes To Camp is NOW streaming on Netflix.
