The Hulu Adventure Comedy With An All-Star Cast Perfect For All Ages

Smallfoot flips the script on the old question, “Is Bigfoot real?” We’ve all had discussions about whether the Sasquatch is a myth or real, and there’s even an entire community dedicated to furthering this conversation in the Pacific Northwest. Drive along any of the highways from Northern California through Oregon and into Washington, and you’ll see signs of Bigfoot everywhere.

Well, this animated film shows us the other side of things. 

Smallfoot begins high up in the Himalayas in a small village, where we meet a reality television crew led by a man named Percy (James Corden) who’s determined to increase his viewership, which has been down due to boring content. He whines about the problem with his producer, Brenda (Yara Shahidi), who insists they can raise interest in the show legitimately. Percy suggests they jazz up the show by faking a Yeti appearance, buys a costume, and tries to convince Brenda to wear it so he can pretend to be frightened. 

Meanwhile, even higher up, above the clouds, a thriving village of actual Yetis go about their wonderful lives, working together as a functioning society. The catch is that the creatures of the village never ask questions, especially about Smallfoot, the mythical human creature. Curiosity is harshly discouraged.

The biggest proponent of living in ignorant bliss is Migo (Channing Tatum), the son of Dorgle (Danny DeVito). Dorgle is in charge of “making the sun come up” every morning by smashing his head into a gong, which wakes up the snail that carries the sun across the sky. If he ever misses a day, the sun won’t come up. 

As Migo prepares to take his father’s place as the new official gong ringer, he flies too far over the village and finds himself on an empty mountainside, where he encounters an actual Smallfoot. When he goes back to his village to tell everyone, however, the village chief, The Stonekeeper (Common), insists to everyone that Migo is either mistaken or lying. He bans Migo from the village until he can come to his senses. 

Fortunately for Migo, The Stonekeeper’s daughter, Meechee (Zendaya) and her band of misfits, believe him. They help Migo go beneath the clouds, where he hopes to find evidence of the Smallfoot and bring it back to the village. When he arrives at the local village, he meets Percy, and the two embark on a crazy journey that will have you laughing until you cry.

GFR SCORE

The rest of the film balances the struggle for Migo to convince his village with Percy to overcome his need for money. Does he really want to reveal the Yeti village to the entire world? Does Migo really want to threaten the peaceful existence of his people with the truth? 

The themes in this movie are supported by its smart screenplay, fabulous soundtrack, and the enduring sense of adventure that carries the film to its interestingly happy ending. Smallfoot is one of the animated films my kids and I have on repeat on Hulu, and it is the first film that really made me appreciate Channing Tatum as an actor, albeit a voice actor. He’s really at his best when he’s in his element.