Sundance Review: WHITE FANG is a Modern Animated Classic

I'll say this. I'm sick of sarcastic animated films with fast-talking "cool" characters. It seems like the go-to thing to do nowadays. I remember when animated characters were innocent and noble, and now it's just a matter of who can have the silliest talking animals showing off. Well, no more, I'm looking forward to more movies like White Fang.

White Fang is a CGI animated film based on the classic Jack London novel, and it is beautiful. The art is so spectacular. While the movie is CG, the models look like the color is painted on giving it a look that seems both hand-painted and CG. It looks stunning on the animals and the scenery even more so. I could watch many of the scenes go by and just be in awe of the art. 

The other thing this movie has going for it is its simplicity. It focuses on the story of White Fang through the eyes of White Fang. He doesn't talk. You don't hear any narration, or thoughts in his head. You just watch the story of this wolf grow up in the wilderness and around humanity and its relationship between the two. White Fang doesn't have to tell you how it's feeling through a witty one-liner because you see it on his face. I feel like I can't give this movie enough credit. It manages to tell a story without overcomplicating it. 

The voice acting was nice but nothing spectacular. The talent they brought in for it, like Paul Giamatti, is solid. The real props go to the animation though. The facial expressions of the animals make seem so realistic, that you sometimes forget you are watching a fictional character. By the end of the movie, I wanted a wolf all my own. I recommend this film for anyone with kids or want to feel like a kid again. This will do it for you.