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| Back to the Outback - Image from Netflix |
Netflix has been bringing some high quality animated family movies this year (notably Vivo, Wish Dragon, and The Mitchells vs. the Machines) and once again they deliver a solid choice with the release of Back to the Outback this December. In this latest film, directors Clare Knight and Harry Cripps combine a talented voice cast with some pretty awesome Aussie animals and add a memorable adventure to create a story family audiences will love.
Check out my interview with the directors of Back to the Outback here!
Back to the Outback Movie Review
In Back to the Outback, we meet several Aussie animals on display at a zoo. While Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin), the adorable social media star of the wildlife park is busy capturing the hearts of fans around the world, Chaz (Eric Bana) showcases some creepy, crawly creatures daily in shows where they terrify audiences. But Maddie (Isla Fisher), Nigel (Angus Imrie), Frank (Guy Pearce), and Zoe (Miranda Tapsell) are not ferocious beasts at all - they are kind-hearted, misunderstood animals who just want to find their way home. Following a tragic event at the zoo, Maddie and her friends decide the time has come to escape and head back home to the Outback. Along the way, they encounter new friends and perils beyond their wildest dreams.
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| Back to the Outback - Image from Netflix |
Like most movies made for kids, Back to the Outback has positive messaging that is full of meaning for young audiences. One of the biggest takeaways surrounds the idea that there is so much more to someone than what you see on the surface. Maddie, for example, is a Taipan snake - a deadly predator - but with a heart of gold who would do anything for her friends. Then there is Pretty Boy, a cuddly koala with an Instagram following similar to a Kardashian, who isn't as warm and kind as his looks may make one think. This message continues during the movie as the members of the Ugly Secret Society prove that the only thing "ugly" about them is the way the way others treat them. There's also a message of redemption as characters who begin the movie as "bad guys" grow and develop throughout the film - going through their own personal journey parallel to the main story.
20+ of the BEST quotes from Back to the Outback
Kids will delight with the cute animals and funny moments while parents can feel good watching with their kids. There's no language to be concerned with and any "violence" is so mild and cartoonish that you can't even classify it that way. There are some scenes where the zoo animals aren't treated in the kindest way which may cause some concern - animals being restrained, tossed, etc.
Back to the Outback will be available to stream on Netflix beginning December 10, 2021!
About Back to the Outback (From Netflix)
Tired of being locked in a reptile house where humans gawk at them like they’re monsters, a ragtag group of Australia’s deadliest creatures plot a daring escape from their zoo to the Outback, a place where they’ll fit in without being judged for their scales and fangs. Leading the group is Maddie (Isla Fisher), a poisonous snake with a heart of gold, who bands together with a self-assured Thorny Devil lizard Zoe (Miranda Tapsell), a lovelorn hairy spider Frank (Guy Pearce), and a sensitive scorpion Nigel (Angus Imrie). But when their nemesis — Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin), a cute but obnoxious koala — unexpectedly joins their escape, Maddie and the gang have no choice but to take him with them. So begins a hair-raising and hilarious road trip across Australia, as they are pursued by a zookeeper Chaz (Eric Bana) and his adventure-seeking mini-me (Diesel La Torraca). Directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps, and also featuring the voices of Rachel House, Keith Urban, Celeste Barber, Wayne Knight, Lachlan Ross Power, and Jacki Weaver, BACK TO THE OUTBACK is an animated adventure that proves just because something’s different, doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful.
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