It would be unfair to ask why The Little Mermaid is a mermaid or why The Lion King is a lion. So maybe it should be unfair to ask why this movie has merfolk (merpeople? Merboys?). It doesn’t need them and introduces a bunch of story structure problems that the movie just doesn’t need. It also makes me wonder why it’s set in Italy… do they have a long tradition of mer-folkore? Or is it just a very personal story for the director (Enrico Casarosa)? Maybe he wanted to conjure thoughts of classic coming-of-age Italian cinema? Or his own childhood? If so… why with merfolk? It feels like a passion project that went to committee where they spruced it up with sea monsters because who cares about a story about three friends in a small seaside Italian village? That won’t sell toys.

So, yeah, this film is about a family of merfolk and specifically the young son who is fascinated by dinglehoppers from the world above the surface. When he meets another merboy who shows him they look human out of the water, they form a close friendship over their love of Vespas. And soon they travel to the nearby human town and discover they can win a local race to get money to buy their own Vespa so they can see the world.

Aaaand they are still fish people in a movie where it would have worked better if they were just a couple of local kids, maybe poor and looking for a way out. I just felt this constant cognitive dissonance while watching the film and, hey, maybe that’s just a personal limitation and I should just lighten up. But it kept me at arm’s length to caring about the plight of the boys. They create their own problems by going on dry land… and then to the town… and then to getting involved in the race, etc. Sure, it’s a story about growing up and finding your freedom, etc. But why does this need to be done on dry land and not, say, in the ocean as a merperson? Or, you know, just make it a story about humans. I just didn’t understand why they wanted to be humans or live above the waves.

Grrr. I’m going in circles, harping on the same issue. So trying to take the movie on its own merits, I still didn’t find it very interesting. I don’t particularly think much of either of the two boys, I didn’t particularly think the usual Pixar amazing animation was all that great this time, and it was ultimately such a slight story without enough emotional connection (until, maybe, the end).

I kind of liked the female lead – a red-headed girl human the boys befriend. She has a personality, at least. And the ultimate message about accepting people for who they are is good… and it’s nice the boy loved science and learning. And friendship is fine, right?

I think I’m wrong about this one since the reviews across the board are seeing a much better movie than I am. Maybe it’s my personal issues with the premise that just kept me at arm’s length. But, the fact is, adding the fantastical to an otherwise personal, human story ruined the personal human story for me. And, hell, I love fantasy and science fiction so its not that I’m a stoic, stick-in-the-mud who doesn’t “get” the fantastical. Hmph. Maybe I’m just grumpy.

Score: 71