When you have the minds behind Pixar classics, such as Toy Story and Cars, working on a film that is the first animated project for a new studio, that seems like a no brainer for good results. However, Luck is the first film for Skydance Animation and this is why it felt so underwhelming when it showed such promise.
When Sam Greenfield (voiced by Eva Nobelzada), who thinks she is the unluckiest person on Earth, suddenly finds herself in the never-before-seen Land of Luck, she must unite the magical creatures there to turn her luck around. From the premise alone, this sounds like a Pixar film and, if I'm being honest, it sort of plays like one too.
Let's start with the positives: Luck looks absolutely gorgeous. The animation is top-tier from Skydance. The look of the Land of Luck is fabulous as it is filled with colours that dazzle the screen. This magical world is deliberately made to be very vibrant but the animation allows the land to look absolutely stunning. The Land of Bad Luck also has a drab colour palette which allows for the odd glimmer of purple to shine through.
The film also clocks in at 105 minutes which is standard for most animated movies but in Luck's case, it felt too long and dragged in certain places. The film has a very strange structure which has several plotlines happening as soon as one ends to keep the movie going to the point where it feels repetitive. On three occasions during the film, it seemed like everything was starting to wrap up then something happens in a very contrived manner to keep the film going. This leaves me to think this would have been better suited for a one hour TV special for Apple TV+ where a lot of the meandering and contrivances were cut out.
The film strives so badly to be like a Pixar film. So much so that it loses heart and becoming emotionally void in the process. With John Lasseter (director of Toy Story 2) producing Luck, it is clear the team want to capture the same feeling and impact that Pixar had with that film yet it falls short because of that. It simply tries too hard to be like another film.
Also, unlike Pixar, Luck doesn't try to reach a very broad audience because it feels like it was made for children under the age of five. From the dancing bunnies to the excessive amount of Leprechauns, kids will eat this one up while parents will find it watchable at the very most. I certainly found it watchable but in comparison to this year's Lightyear (a very good Pixar movie) and Netflix's The Sea Beast, other recent animated movies are leagues above Luck. When Apple TV+ also have Wolfwalkers, one of the best animated movies of the last decade and one that is emotionally resonant with nearly everyone, this just falls so short of that by going for low-brow humour and lacking any heart.
I hate to sound like a downer in this review because there are merits to Luck. The animation is stunning, the voice cast is great – Simon Pegg and Eva Nobelzada in particular are scene stealers, but it becomes so soulless because it tries to be like a Pixar film so badly. While it may be a rocky start for Skydance Animation, I hope they learn to reach a larger audience and tell more focused stories.
Skydance Animation's Luck is now streaming on Apple TV+
