‘Flora and Ulysses’, based on a children’s book by Kate DiCamillo, tells the story of Flora Buckman, a 10-year-old self-proclaimed cynic, and her discovery of a squirrel superhero, Ulysses. 

Overview

Battling with the possibility of her parent’s divorce and their hopelessness in their careers, Flora expects only the worse, her motto being “Do not hope. Observe.” 

However, one day, while chasing after an outdoor vacuum cleaner, the cleaner sucks up an ordinary squirrel. Flora ends up rescuing the squirrel and decides to name it “Ulysses”, after the vacuum cleaner. After observing Ulysses’ behavior, Flora concludes that the squirrel must be a superhero, giving the viewers an indication that she’s beginning to find hope in something.

Keep in mind that although many Disney movies can be of interest for a wider range of age groups, ‘Flora and Ulysses’ is a movie almost strictly targeted towards a young audience. Don’t get me wrong, the storyline is adorable, but I’m going to assume that a majority of teens and adults won’t enjoy it nearly as much. 

The Positives

Truthfully, this movie was drawing the line very close to being too cheesy and cringey to enjoy, but they don’t quite make it there. 

With that being said, the movie was pretty adequate, being both action-packed and meaningful. It covered topics such as divorce, euthanizing an animal, feelings of continual doubt, and stress, which aren’t typically talked about in children’s movies.

The character development in this movie is a stand-out. The viewers get to watch each and every lost and defeated character overcome their own obstacles to find positivity. The message that this movie is conveying is very important, and they were able to express it in an interesting, fun way that stands out to their audience.

The Negatives

Elements such as humor and the pacing between scenes was a bit disappointing. At some points I felt like it was just all over the place, and the humor to go along with all of it was a little dry and unappealing. That’s not to say that it was hard to follow along with, it certainly was, it just felt a little crazy. This hour and a half movie does, however, with all of its craziness, get through everything it needs.

Verdict

All in all, I thought that it was a well-made, typical Disney movie. If you’ve read the book, I recommend that you watch this movie. No harm in revisiting a childhood memory.