CRANSTON ACADEMY: MONSTER ZONE

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26/06/2021

Cranston Academy:Monster Zone emanates from the Mexican cartoon studio Anima Estudios. Only a small proportion of animation is created in this South American country compared with the USA and Canada

It was first released in 2020 featuring the Spanish voices of Polo Morin, Natalia Tellez and Edson Polilla and then rereleased featuring the English voices of Jamie Bell as Danny, Ruby Rose as Liz and Idzi Dutkiewicz as Mothman.

The plot centres on Danny, an intelligent 15-year-old high school student who is unexpectedly transferred to a boarding school for geniuses. Trying to prove himself worthy, he accidentally opens a portal of monsters from the 5th dimension and with the help of his classmate Liz sets out on a quest to close it again and rescue his friends who have been kidnapped.

Cranston Academy:Monster Zone is strikingly similar to Pixar animations with a few notable exceptions. Firstly, the colour palette of this animation is brighter, using vivid colours and suitably moody in the darker scenes and secondly, the script is not big on laughs which results in an uneven pace and the plot becoming tedious by about half way through the film.

The take-away messages of this film are admirable - you can achieve anything if you work together and the importance of friends.

Jamie Bell and Ruby Rose voice the characters well, but this is not enough to save the script. What is a departure from the norm is Dutkiewicz’s character of Mothman. He’s half-human, half-moth, speaks with a heavy Spanish accent and has an overwhelming urge to whisper sweet nothings to every light source he meets. Dutkiewicz provides many of the highlight scenes.

Ultimately, Cranston Academy:Monster Zone is entertaining but does not break new ground. It’s worth a watch but your children may not make it through to the end.

 Reviewed by Barry Hill