Peter Rabbit, starring James Corden, Margot Robbie, Domnhall Gleeson, and Elizabeth Debicki, bring the beloved children’s book to life in honorable fashion behind director Will Gluck; who you may know for his work in other films such as Easy A or Friends with Benefits.
To be honest, as an adult I wasn’t very excited to see Peter Rabbit at first. Initially, I thought “great, another live-action film with some animated critters sprinkled in.” But to my surprise, I enjoyed Peter Rabbit a lot more than I thought I would, and Joy absolutely loved it of course. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether or not we adults like a children’s film like Peter Rabbit because they aren’t made for us, however, Peter Rabbit did a great job at making sure people of all ages could laugh or feel good throughout every scene. The comedy is what really kept me interested in this film, and I could tell that what was in front of me was the work of Will Gluck. Even better, is that the comedy is wholesome and the film doesn’t try to sneak in some suggestive jokes that kids won’t understand, but adults might.
As for the animation, again, I was surprised at how excellent the quality of it was. I had to constantly remind myself that none of the rabbits on screen existed, let alone talk and set traps. The CGI was smooth, and I felt like I could physically see a little bit of James Corden and Margot Robbie’s attributes in the rabbits they played on screen, which is really cool.
So, I loved Peter Rabbit and the morals it expresses in regards to family and forgiveness ( which is very important for our youth to learn ). However, this is what the cast had to say about their work in Peter Rabbit:
Rose Byrne and Domnhall Gleeson used a variety of objects as a reference to know where to look while they had scenes with the computer-generated rabbits. When asked about what it was like on set working opposite of the CGI characters and what they used for reference, Rose and Domnhall added:
“It was tennis balls, men in blue leotards, a blue stick, and stuffed animals,” said Rose. Domnhall stated: “I think one of the central things of the film is that humans don’t know that animals can talk in the world that we exist in, so it was good in a way because I didn’t have to go back and forth very often with the rabbits, which helped a little with my performance.”
As the questions shifted more towards the family impact of Peter Rabbit, Margot Robbie added:
“I grew up in a family with lots of brothers and sisters, and I loved that dynamic of who gets the front seat, who’s the oldest, you know? That is the kind of stuff I can relate to, I’m the third of four (siblings), so I know what it’s like to try and find the power play in that dynamic.” Domnhall chimed in by saying: “I’m the eldest of four, I always had the front seat.” I’m right there with you, Dom.
Domnhall Gleeson was asked if his character in Star Wars: The Last Jedi ( Empire General Hux ) had anything in common with his character in Peter Rabbit ( Mr. Jeremy Fisher ). Domnhall said:
“Very similar, yes. They’re both a little bit uptight, they both get thrown into walls. All jokes aside, it felt good to make groups of kids happy and laugh, the angle is slightly different in Star Wars.”
When asked what the cast would like children to learn from the film, James Corden added:
“Well I’m very fortunate, my son is six, and he’s seen the film, and we talked about it afterward and, I hadn’t really realized that this might be something kids my take away from until he brought it up with me where he said: ‘the thing I love about the film is that everybody makes mistakes, and everyone is gonna make mistakes which is inevitable. But what’s important is not the mistake that you made, it’s how you react to that mistake and the person you are after you’ve made that mistake.’ And that’s what he took away from the film, which is what I thought to be a really amazing thing. and if kids could come away with that, then that’s great.”
So there you have it guys, Peter Rabbit is out in theaters now and is an exceptional viewing option for the family. Animation and comedy are up to par and don’t worry parents/guardians; you won’t be checking your watch throughout the movie as the film provides plenty for us too. Go out and buy your tickets! If you want to bring home a Peter Rabbit of your own, check out Build-A-Bear Workshop!
Until Next Time
JJ King
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