Based on the Newberry Award-winning book of the same name; “Flora & Ulysses “ arrives on Disney+ on Feb. 19th and continues the service’s commitment to original programming and movies.
The movie stars Matilda Lawler as Flora; a young girl full of adventure who is trying to deal with the recent separation of her parents. Her mother Phyllis (Alyson Hannigan) is a romance writer who is trying to create her new book and prepare for a big interview.
Her father George (Ben Schwartz); is an aspiring comic creator who has met with a string of rejections and has left his family and now works in a menial job at an office supply store where he is tormented by his boss.
While playing in the yard; Flora encounters a squirrel and saves him from an encounter with an automated vacuum cleaner gone wild. She names the squirrel Ulysses and soon takes him into her home.
Despite disrupting the home; Ulysses soon endears himself to Flora and she becomes convinced he has somehow gained superpowers and accompanies her wherever she goes. During a breakfast with her father; Ulysses causes a commotion and terrorizes their waitress (Kate Micucci); which puts him in the sites of an aggressive Animal Control officer (Danny Pudi); who will stop at nothing to capture and eliminate Ulysses.
What follows is a predictable, at times silly and outrageous, yet fun adventure which is ideal for younger viewers. The cast is enjoyable and energetic but the film is clearly aimed at a younger audience as many adults are there to play the Stooge to one outrageous scenario after another such as frequent encounters with aggressive wildlife.
While my wife and I found it fun but lightweight we did agree that children will likely love the charming Ulysses and the quirky and fun characters that inhabit the film.
3 stars out of 5
