Movie Thoughts: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)

• Released: June 11, 2021
  
• Directed by: Will Gluck
  
• Running time: 1 h 33 min
• Rating 3/5

Synopsis

After feeling left out, Peter joins an older rabbit and his team on a heist rampage, stealing food from as many farmers as possible. But when he ends up endangering his own family, Peter must decide where his loyalties lie.

My Thoughts

It's mostly just okay. Decent family film. I'm not the biggest fan on "CGI cartoon creature interacts with real life people" movies such as the recent Tom and Jerry one, or the Smurfs ones from the early 2010s. What does help in these Peter Rabbit movies is that these aren't direct cartoon characters in the movie, they are just supposed to be actual animals. So no other dimension bullshit creature like you often find.

That said, I do think that this is just a fairly average outing. After having become a part of the family of Bea, Thomas and of course his siblings and cousin, Peter now feels left out because everyone seems to consider him the bad egg of the family. He joins up with Barnabas and his gang, a group of rag-tag thieves who live their lives by stealing from shops and farmers wherever they can. Peter, thinking he's bad anyways, of course sees this as an opportunity to be his best self, especially with Barnabas saying he's an old friend of Peter's late father. But when he brings his rabbit family into the mix and they get captured, Peter realizes his mistake and that Barnabas lied to him just to use him. From here on out a rescue mission ensues to get the innocent animals back and Peter has to make up for his mistake.

It's a pretty standard family story, but overall executed decently. It has some cute moments, some sad moments, the characters learn basic lessons. It's all just decent, but not really something to show to anyone above the age demographic except if they are a family. I don't think any adults like me will get anything out of this other than "huh, cute movie. Well, moving on".

The visuals really are the best part of these movies. The animation on the rabbits and other wild animals is done really well and I do love the semi-realistic semi-anthro style they're going with here. Animal Logic really is one of my favorite animation/VFX studios ever. The animals do really look like their real-life counterpart, while being just cartoon-y enough to properly emote and walk on hind legs without it looking weird most of the time. And heck, they don't completely ditch their animal ways, either. The rabbits do hop on all fours when they're not standing up, for example.

 

The human acting and sets were also fine, nothing all that memorable but still good. 

 

Overall I just consider this a fine movie to put on for children but it's really nothing more than that. No deep character development or other elements that would appeal to an older audience, except maybe those who have a nostalgia for the Beatrix Potter books (which I don't. And even then, I feel like this much more modern and "hip" take might put some people off. Heck, the movie is even coy about this).