Dolphin Boy (2022)
Under the sea is a popular setting for animated family movies. Probably most typified by The Little Mermaid, it's gone on to be a popular sub-genre. However, it is since the release of Finding Nemo and latterly Finding Dory that the number of sub-aquatic movies has really exploded. Russian/ Iranian family animation Dolphin Boy is just the latest in a long line. But is it just another Nemo clone?
Dolphin Boy is produced by Sky Frame in association with Central Partnership International. It's written and directed by Iranian animator Mohammad Kheyrandish, and is released in UK and Irish cinemas on December 20, 2024 courtesy of Dazzler Media. The film is also known as Sea Level 3: Dolphin Boy in some countries, and was originally released as Malchik Delfin in Russia.
Dolphin Boy introduces us to a white dolphin named Snowball, living a care-free existence beneath the ocean waves. One day he rescues a human baby from a plane crash, bringing him home. "Can I keep him?" he asks his mother. And mystifyingly enough, she agrees to it. Rather than immediately drowning, the boy is instead raised along side his "brother" and comes to see himself as another dolphin. Kind of like a soggy Tarzan, or an aquatic Jungle Book. Later on, when an evil Octopus takes over, Dolphin Boy leaves the sea on a search to try and find his real mother.
As premises go, it's pretty barmy and it's one that requires substantial suspension of disbelief. For some viewers, it's likely to prove a step too far, as the plot requires you to believe in a sub-aquatic human. Others will quickly get over it and not let it bother them.
The animation quality is not a highlight. The character designs are pretty basic-looking and are often derivative of characters from other, more famous animated movie. The villainous Octopuss is a dead ringer for the bad guy in Penguins Of Madagascar, and a turtle character looks very much like Master Oogway from the Kung Fu Panda films. Not to mention all the fish that look like they could have swum over from Finding Nemo- but perhaps that's inevitable considering the overlapping settings.
The English-language version of the film is saddled with a flat and rather uninspired dub. The acting isn't outright terrible, but neither is it much good. It's not enough to entirely ruin the film, but it certainly doesn't help.
Dolphin Boy has some fun sequences where the titular character goes swimming with Snowball. They don't quite have the same impact, but they're not a million miles from the flight sequence in the How To Train Your Dragon films, albeit on a noticeably smaller budget.
The film is charming enough to entertain young audiences but adults may find that it lacks sufficient substance to keep them engaged. Occasionally amateurish animation and a script that at times just doesn't make much sense doesn't help.
Dolphin Boy isn't actually a bad film- it's just not a particularly good one. It's novel enough to keep it from just being another Finding Nemo clone. But older audiences may demand more from their entertainment.
IN A NUTSHELL:
Cheap and Cheerful entertainment for young and undemanding audiences, but likely to sink with older children and adults.
★★☆☆☆
