Title: Tamagotchi: The Movie
Published by: Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand
Based on: The toy series of the same name.
Audio: The first title I have seen to offer both English 5.1 and English 2.0
Subtitles: No Subtitles
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen (16:9)
Runtime: 88 minutes
Cost: $19.95
Classification: This title is rated G and is therefore appropriate for those of all ages.
Blurb: “A movie that is aimed at children (Say 6-9?) that is based off the popular toy series under the same title. The storyline is episodic in nature and is sure to keep the attention of the younger audience. The design is vibrant and filled with colour and life however does not over modernize the design. Music is cheery and the theme song is upbeat to say the least.
My normal readers might find it a bit odd that I would have this in my collection, let alone be writing a review on it, however I would consider this one of my impulse purchases so I could write a more parent-oriented review for the younger audiences. This review is targeted for parents who are after an animated movie or series for their children, so this review will be more simplistic then the others. Anyway, read on for my review of Tamagotchi: The Movie.
On Tamagotchi planet, Mametchi, an illustrious inventor, has just finished his new creation – a Forwarding Machine. But on its first trial run, the mischievous Kuchipatchi somehow manages to throw the machine’s aim off course, which results in a child from Earth, Tanpopo, being transported to the Tamagotchi Planet. While the little girl is thrilled to see her favourite Tamagotchis in person, she soon realises that she can’t get home. Mametchi’s mum and dad assure her that they will be able to invent a rocket which will take her back to the exact time she left and so, relieved, Tanpopo manages to enjoy the time she will spend living with Mametchi on Tamagotchi Planet until she can return home. But as a series of strange events threaten the planet, Tanpopo and her friends find themselves responsible for much more than her return to Earth…
I am not sure how popular Tamagotchi is anymore, however when I was younger, it was a very big thing, and it wasn’t uncommon to see at least a quarter to half a class carrying the devices around at any time. This story is split up into several different stories that surround Tanpopo (Japanese for Dandelion) and a group of Tamagotchi (Mametchi, Kuchipatchi and Memetchi) as they enjoy their everyday life in the strange new world, with the storylines being trying to get Tanpopo home, Mametchi’s concerns about being a big brother and the celebration of the worlds king’s birthday which has issues with the planet…. get this…. having the sniffles. Look, overall the storyline is simplistic and enjoyable to watch.
That being said, I thought I should mention the enjoyability factor for parents. I know that some series are more successful than others at keeping the parents awake whilst the kids watch the movie. I would rate this as a “Grab a magazine” movie. I was somehow able to sit through the entire movie, and it was quite decent, however that is me and I don’t think this would be every parents cup of tea.
In terms of the artistic design of the movie, it is bright, colourful and vibrant in almost every scene. Character designs of the Tamagotchi remain relative to the design of their game counterparts, therefore are simplistic in design however considering, are animated rather well. The design of Tanpopo is respective of a normal human girl and is animated quite well as well. What is more interesting in this movie is the environment designs. The fact is, everything from the trees, mailboxes, buildings, buses to even the planet are living creatures and can interact with each other, therefore have a humanoid sort of look to them. The choice of design, mixed with the colour and CGI Effects makes the environment designs something unique and very appropriate for a kids movie.
Opening Theme
Tamagotchi (??) by ??
This is one case where I am not aware of the title of the opening song. However, this song is dubbed into English and would be the longest opening theme I have heard ever, coming in at something like 4 minutes and 30 seconds. The song is oddly catching after the hundredth repeat of the word Tamagotchi and is what I would expect for an opening theme for this age group. The animation is even more brighter and cheerful then the normal animation and focuses on a day heading to school and previewing some of the town.
The music isn’t anything special in this series, however has a considerable number of upbeat songs which goes with the overall cheery attitude of this title. With the exception of Stephanie Sheh who voices Mamatchi and Memetchi, most of the other voice actors and actresses remain unknown to me. Megan Harvey who voices Tanpopo pulls off the child-like voice rather well and does not sound fake at all. Evelyn Lantto who voices Kuchipatchi I think had the hardest voice to produce, however in the end produced an interesting voice to say the least. Overall however, the voice acting was above average.
In terms of bonus content, all that is present on the disc are trailers for a number of Madman Kids series, some of which I remember from my childhood such as Angela Anaconda and uh…. that is actually the only one I remember (Primarily because they did a Digimon movie promo all the way back when it was first released on VCR cassette. However, the trailers alternate between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios which may annoy some. Also included is a Japanese promo trailer for the series.
Personally, I would consider this as a family movie that parents may or may not enjoy. At the very least, the storyline is appropriate for the target age group and should be visually stimulating for all ages, since in comparison to most kids series, they seemed to go overboard in the design department. Now excuse me while I try and get the theme song out of my head.
Final Score
Storyline: B
Design: A
Music/Voice Acting / Theme: A-
Extras: D
Personal Opinion: B
Overall Score: B+
