RON’S GONE WRONG (2021)

RON’S GONE WRONG (2021)

Tagline: Get your bots in theaters.

(Animation, Comedy, Action) [PG]

Old women. Not trending. Widowed dads, downer! Enhance and post!

This one is about a revolutionary new “best friend out of the box” robot that is put out by this giant digital company hell-bent on using the information of unsuspecting teens to sell them stuff, via gathering everything there is to know about them. Meanwhile, Barney’s family is pretty poor and really can’t afford one. In an effort to brighten Barney’s day, his father and grandmother end up getting a “best friend of the box” robot… but there is something wrong with Ron.

First off this is the first outing for Locksmith Animation and everything looks just freakin amazing. If I had one critique it would be that the ears on everyone are octagon shaped which is probably a design choice, but it’s pretty strange on the humans because it brings your eye to their ears in most frames which probably wasn’t the goal of the animators.

Storyline wise this movie reminded me a lot of when I was growing up. We were pretty much the last to get everything. When Transformers came out, for instance, we were the ones getting Go-Bots or the Japanese knock-offs because they were cheaper. I even made a few wood Transformers in my grandma's garage just to have something. Anyway, I can definitely understand how Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer best known for SHAZAM!) and I can see why his father would have done just about anything to try and keep him happy. 

Aside from the family stuff going on in this movie the message is far deeper than what the surface previews might have let on. I am also guessing that is why this movie barely gets mentioned anywhere and didn’t get a lot of buzz on the major websites and social media. It’s basically a BLACK MIRROR cautionary tale for kids and adults. 

No, it’s not Disney, but this movie kind of proves that more and more studios outside of Disney are doing some animated magic with substance not reliant on PC garbage. Design-wise this thing probably isn’t as visually interesting as THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES, but it’s a superior movie with a superior story. The pacing and soundtrack keep everything movie at a decent clip which makes this something you can watch over and over. 

The film also kind of brings up the fact that when we are young we make stupid choices. There is a bit of a redemption story here for some of the characters which adds some depth I wasn’t expecting. On top of that, the movie is also wildly hilarious and fun. It kind of reminds you of first getting SIRI and inevitably coming to the understanding that both SIRI and ALEXA are idiots incapable of any real interaction. Ron’s not an idiot though as I am sure many a delighted movie viewer was thrilled to see. 

Overall this one lands at a 5 out of 7 for me. Perhaps the ideas have been done before, this movie is a blast and one I wouldn’t mind owning. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF LOCKSMITH ANIMATION AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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