Movie Thoughts: Kayara (2025)

 

• Released: January 2nd, 2025
• Directed by: Cesar Zelada, Dirk Hampel
• Running time: 1h 30min
• Rating 3/5

Synopsis

A brave young woman dreams of becoming a Chasqui (royal messenger) like her father. But this is not an easy feat. In the end, she'll have to not only find her calling, but also save her people.

My Thoughts

I do really appreciate this movie for telling a story about the Inca, something I haven't seen a whole lot of in the realm of animated movies. Sadly, the execution of this movie is very mixed. 

It's not bad or terrible or anything, but pretty much everything about this movie just feels very generic and mediocre. A generic story, bland characters, a safe art-style with rather cheap-looking animation (it already looks kinda dated and this movie only came out this year). It's just so bland and honestly pretty forgettable.

I've seen people in reviews compare this to Disney's Mulan and honestly, no, I don't agree there. While both are girl power stories, they're pretty much different in every other way except that the female heroine ends up proving herself and saving her people in the end. But otherwise I don't think comparing these two movies is entirely fair. They come from different cultures and have (aside from some very basic beats) very different stories.

But yeah...this one just isn't very good. It goes in every direction you think it will go, it takes no risks, it just feels very safe and generic. I don't hate it or anything, I still had a decent enough time watching it, but I just hope for more from a movie other than just being a bland product. 

The pacing in this movie is also a real issue, it really felt like it wanted to have some scenes go by as quickly as possible, resulting in very little depth in some scenes. 

Also, I know it's a cartoon, but I'm just not too fond of how they keep throwing around and scruffing the guinea pig character all the time, knowing how vulnerable and fragile these animals are in real life. I just hope this movie doesn't give any children bad ideas on how to treat their pets. 

So yeah, not a terrible movie, but very bland, cliché and safe. I do appreciate it for showcasing Inca culture, but sadly the final product just isn't all that great.