Phantom Boy

A boy finds out he can leave his body and fly around the city. The city is New York, so there’s bound to be one of those movie villains there. That’s the case here, with a man wanting to become the ‘king’ of the city.

I liked the idea for this story and I have to say, I didn’t expect to like it this much. It’s one of the best animated films I have seen. It’s up there. The plot of a villain taking over the city is old-hat, portrayed in nearly all superhero movies, but that doesn’t hinder the enjoyment I got from this film. Much the opposite, it added an element to the story, which I got involved with. The characters were really great, and I especially liked the chemistry with the detective and the ‘phantom boy’. The film really sparkled when they were together. The ‘phantom boy’s’ family were also great. This film has some emotional scenes with them. I can see where the makers of this film have taken inspiration from, and it can be seen clearly in the portrayal of the villains, who are over-the-top and, dare I say it, cartoony. I read a review which stated that they didn’t like the voice of the villain or the dog. I have to disagree, I think all the cast did an amazing job. The sound design needs a mention as well. You really felt that when it was raining on screen, it was really raining. Every drop could be heard. The animation was interesting to see. It looked to me like a Picasso painting come to life.

This film is really great, and I recommend it to all people.

The DVD will be released 13th of February.

Thank you very much to Soda Pictures who very kindly gave me a copy of the film to review.