Ballerina (2016)

I'm not a good dancer. I don't even like dancing, to be honest, and ballet just doesn't do for me. And yet I remember being interested in seeing Ballerina when it was released so I decided to check it out. 

Set in the 1880s, the film tells the story of Félicie (voiced by Elle Fanning), a young orphan girl with one big dream, becoming a ballerina. One day, she runs away from the orphanage in rural Brittany with her best friend Victor (voiced by Dane DeHaan) who wants to become a famous inventor, and they go to Paris. They eventually get separated and she ends up at the Paris Opera, where she passes for someone else and tries to get the role of Clara in The Nutcracker. 

Originality. That is the major problem with Ballerina. There's no originality whatsoever in this film. It's the typical and predictable underdog story, the only difference is that it is an animated flick. The plot is predictable and not very interesting, the subplots aren't properly used and there's this meh vibe the film sends that just didn't make me care about it. 

The character of Félicie is just as poor. She is a strong, spirited and tenacious red-head. She doesn't know who her parents are nor her origins, and her only link with her past is a music box with a dancer which is the reason why she wants to be a ballerina and therefore ends up in Paris. Basically, she is a younger version of Anastasia. What really annoyed me about her is that she didn't even seem to care about her friends, especially Victor. She is rude and acted like a rich spoiled child. 

But it's not like the other characters are better. They are even worse, if possible. They are bland and tedious, and the voice work is just all wrong. 

Entertainment One, Gaumont

On the other hand, there's the music. It is often beautiful and it manages to stand out with some pretty good and inspiring songs. 

And the animation is good too. Though the characters designs are a little bit too much Disney, they are nice and the animation is quite impressive, especially in the dancing scenes.