<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Jill Culton. Starring the voice talent of Chloe Bennet, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Albert Tsai, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, Tsai Chin

Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes

I expected the usual from this DreamWorks animated movie, but I was pleasantly enchanted.

Perhaps part of the reason Abominable comes across as different from the formula animated films lately is it setting: Shanghai. The characters are also mainly Chinese and the film is dotted with their culture, symbolism and scenery. It has a depth to it that makes you feel and follow the kids on their journey to the Himalayas with a magical yeti who needs to go home.

Our hero, Yi (Chloe Bennet) finds the yeti she calls ‘Everest’ hiding on her terrace. He’s been running away from the evil industrialist Mr Burnish (Eddie Izzard) and Dr Zara (Sarah Paulson) who want to capture him and display him as proof of the abominable yeti.

She’s joined by her childhood friend, the vain but concerned Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and his cousin Peng (Albert Tsai) on this adventure that sees them crossing magnificent vistas while experiencing the magic of their yeti friend and Yi’s violin. The music tugs at your heart strings as does the emotion of letting go and feeling the pain – in this case the loss of Yi’s father.

The usual Hollywood gags and banter have been replaced with some genuine and heartfelt dialogue, real moments of joy and wonder as well as some smart wit. Everest the yeti is cuddly, cute and charming, and I want a stuffed toy of him!

Family, friends and freedom are the things that matter most and Abominable captures their spirit brilliantly.

PS: Though the film espouses conservation and protection of animals, there are numerous mentions of Nai Nai’s Pork Buns, which seemed to say that mythical creatures like the yeti deserve protection and not the poor pig. I guess that’s just the Chinese for you!