The Worst CGI Kid Films In Recent Memory

[cuppajoe95]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Illumination (Despicable Me)'s OTHER 2016 movie about animals, Sing.

I've got... nothing.

That is, except I'm baffled that they're using a Lady Gaga song from 2009.

 

[Drtooth]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Illumination (Despicable Me)'s OTHER 2016 movie about animals, Sing.

It looks far more "meh" than anything legitimately bad. I don't want to say this is a case of Finding Nemo and Shark Tale to Zootopia and this thing, but there's some intent there. The concept doesn't seem to carry a film all its own. And even then, Glee was a flash in the pan, Smash was a disaster, and American Idol finally stops dodging the old timey Vaudeville hook it somehow was avoiding the past 8 years. Sure, The Voice is still around, but a singing competition film feels, well...not like someone late to the party. Maybe someone who was on the way to the party, got a concussion and landed in a coma for a decade and ran to the same party as soon as he woke up but just before he finds out the place it was being held has been bulldozed and a condo complex is in its place.

That said, I think Illumitoon has so far made 3 and a half good movies so far. The half is the good part of the Lorax. Secret Life of Pets looks like it could go either way from pretty good to not really. This one doesn't look good outside of the animation. It's not quite Zootopia on a visual level, but it's still a good looking visually film. This seems like a film I'd just flat out not see, but at the same time I don't really have anything to say about it that isn't already obvious. But it just doesn't give me that feeling of "THEY MADE THIS!?!?!? This somehow managed to get through the labyrinth of other cartoonists/animators with stronger ideas?!?!??!" I get when i see something truly awful.

And speaking of truly awful. I got some bad news. Remember the Norm of the North film everyone hates? Well, it actually wound up making some money. Sure, it's due to the incredibly small budget that would have been recouped even if it was DTV, but doesn't that just stick in your craw? I'm sure they had a heck of an advertising budget they blew, and I'm sure if that is counted in it would have still lost a small amount of cash. Still, you know they released it when they knew it wasn't going to make much money anyway, and even a small loss is better than a massive "Victor Frankenstein" or "Lone Ranger" black hole. Something tells me the steady march of lousier DTV's will continue no matter what. And poor timing kills The Good Dinosaur. Yeah, that's not a travesty at all.

 

[mr3urious]

I agree that Sing looks pretty meh, and its concept doesn't appear to go very far in movie form. Though I did genuinely chuckle at the pig dancing to "Bad Romance" only because of his animation, so it's at least a good movie on that merit.

 

[Mynameisdean]

It looks far more "meh" than anything legitimately bad. I don't want to say this is a case of Finding Nemo and Shark Tale to Zootopia and this thing, but there's some intent there. The concept doesn't seem to carry a film all its own. And even then, Glee was a flash in the pan, Smash was a disaster, and American Idol finally stops dodging the old timey Vaudeville hook it somehow was avoiding the past 8 years. Sure, The Voice is still around, but a singing competition film feels, well...not like someone late to the party. Maybe someone who was on the way to the party, got a concussion and landed in a coma for a decade and ran to the same party as soon as he woke up but just before he finds out the place it was being held has been bulldozed and a condo complex is in its place.

That said, I think Illumitoon has so far made 3 and a half good movies so far. The half is the good part of the Lorax. Secret Life of Pets looks like it could go either way from pretty good to not really. This one doesn't look good outside of the animation. It's not quite Zootopia on a visual level, but it's still a good looking visually film. This seems like a film I'd just flat out not see, but at the same time I don't really have anything to say about it that isn't already obvious. But it just doesn't give me that feeling of "THEY MADE THIS!?!?!? This somehow managed to get through the labyrinth of other cartoonists/animators with stronger ideas?!?!??!" I get when i see something truly awful.

And speaking of truly awful. I got some bad news. Remember the Norm of the North film everyone hates? Well, it actually wound up making some money. Sure, it's due to the incredibly small budget that would have been recouped even if it was DTV, but doesn't that just stick in your craw? I'm sure they had a heck of an advertising budget they blew, and I'm sure if that is counted in it would have still lost a small amount of cash. Still, you know they released it when they knew it wasn't going to make much money anyway, and even a small loss is better than a massive "Victor Frankenstein" or "Lone Ranger" black hole. Something tells me the steady march of lousier DTV's will continue no matter what. And poor timing kills The Good Dinosaur. Yeah, that's not a travesty at all.

Yeah, I agree. It doesn't look Norm of the North, Foodfight, and Last Fart of the Crapion bad, but I certainly wouldn't like it. Also, Haysus Cristos, why did Norm of the north even make a penny? I thought that the movie would have had a $25M-ish budget, and I didn't see much promotion except when I went to see the new Star Wars at AMC, and the concession stand worker had a Norm of the North shirt.

 

[Mynameisdean]

I agree that Sing looks pretty meh, and its concept doesn't appear to go very far in movie form. Though I did genuinely chuckle at the pig dancing to "Bad Romance" only because of his animation, so it's at least a good movie on that merit.

I didn't find anything funny, but yeah not much of a concept here beyond a singing animal competition. I don't really know how to put 2 quotes in a post on mobile, on another note.

 

[Mynameisdean]

I've got... nothing.

That is, except I'm baffled that they're using a Lady Gaga song from 2009.

That part is my personal worst part of the trailer.

 

[Drtooth]

Yeah, I agree. It doesn't look Norm of the North, Foodfight, and Last Fart of the Crapion bad, but I certainly wouldn't like it. Also, Haysus Cristos, why did Norm of the north even make a penny? I thought that the movie would have had a $25M-ish budget, and I didn't see much promotion except when I went to see the new Star Wars at AMC, and the concession stand worker had a Norm of the North shirt.

It had an 18 million budget (even though it looks like it should have the budget of a single episode of a CGI cartoon series), and counting the overseas releases it made about 22 Mil. There was marketing, but it was all over kid's television. Maybe a couple family sitcoms. I believe I was assaulted by that trailer either when I went to see Peanuts or Good Dinosaur.

 

[Mynameisdean]

It had an 18 million budget (even though it looks like it should have the budget of a single episode of a CGI cartoon series), and counting the overseas releases it made about 22 Mil. There was marketing, but it was all over kid's television. Maybe a couple family sitcoms. I believe I was assaulted by that trailer either when I went to see Peanuts or Good Dinosaur.

Yeah, I guess. I don't watch Nick or CN where the commercials proably would've been, so that makes sense. Speaking of marketing, I'm seeing a lot of "Secret life of Pets" ads on TV.

 

[Drtooth]

Surprisingly, they marketed the thing, so it didn't come out of nowhere. And of course, they'd market something like this to kids. I'm sure some really little ones were fooled by the advertisement. I saw the trailer first via Comic Book Resources and was like, why did they think anyone over the age of 3 would've been interested in this, let alone a comic book/sci-fi loving crowd that's snarky as heck about everything?

 

[Luke kun]

I think I'd like Sing. Haven't seen the new Star Wars yet. Trolls looks awful.