Arnie & Barney Movie Review
Children’s animations are often filled with bright characters, fast-paced comedy and easy to follow plots for children to enjoy.
Arnie & Barney: The Water Quest, which is based on the popular Maya the Bee series, fails to do this. It stars two of the most famous clumsy ants and whilst the environmental plot and fast paced nature of the animation looks good on paper, the confusing storyline and poor animations make it a disappointing watch.
Arnie & Barney, directed by Sean Heuston, follows the two clumsy ants as they try to be heroes when the meadow experiences the hottest summer yet.
The drought is getting so bad that Arnie and Barney decide to take matters into their own hands and search for a new source of water.
This leads them to go on a wild adventure involving corrupt caterpillars, a water scam and a sneaky mosquito with hypnotising abilities.
This could have been a fun family film with the environmental themes throughout. However, with an enthusiastic voice cast Arnie & Barney does not manage to deliver a consistently enjoyable watch.
A Water Shortage and a Rather Complicated Adventure
Set in a drought stricken area, the insects within the meadow are finding it hard to find fresh water. The ants led by Captain Pantz are assigned with finding a new source, however clumsy Arnie and Barney decide that they can do it better. They set off on a mission to find fresh water.
However they begin to find out that there is a sneaky caterpillar who has started a water scam. They also have to deal with a tricky mosquito named Hypnita who has hypnotising powers.
This does give a lot to work with. The drought affecting the whole community gives the movie a clear goal.
The two clumsy ants trying to save everyone gives plenty of slapstick. The eco aspect means that it isn’t just a silly adventure.
However it can be too complicated. Arnie and Barney have very active imaginations and this makes it tricky to know when they are actually doing something and when they are imagining it.
This can make it quite confusing as it can disrupt the flow of the story rather than adding an extra comedic aspect.
As this is a movie targeted mostly towards younger children it is important that it is easy to understand.
Whilst having imaginative scenes and surreal comedy is fine you need to have clear rules to the story. However Arnie & Barney often forget this.
Animation That Lacks Charm
The visuals are one of the most disappointing aspects of Arnie & Barney. It tries to create a vibrant world to appeal to young audiences by using the classic 3D animation style we associate with the modern Maya the Bee series. However, it feels like there was very little inspiration.
Many of the characters are uninteresting, with dull environments and animations. There was not much visual appeal or character to make this seemingly simple animated film enjoyable to watch. The main characters; the ants, also lacked any appeal.
While animation does not need to be complex to be successful, some of the best children’s films are due to having a unique style.
They have interesting character designs and creative use of colour. This film did not really have much of a style. Compared to more polished animations for similar audiences it felt quite old.
This is frustrating as there were so many opportunities with the meadow setting. The drought struck insect world could have had some creative visuals with some clever details to show how the lack of water was affecting the smallest creatures. However, the environments were not very lively.
The Umbilical Brothers Provide the Energy
The voice actors are undoubtedly the best part of the film. The Australian comedy duo The Umbilical Brothers consist of David Collins and Shane Dundas and they provide the voices for Arnie and Barney.
Their performance is full of energetic chaos. The duo are known for their slapstick comedy, weird noises and fast paced speech.
This really fits the character of two clumsy ants. They also have great chemistry which keeps the film moving along. They fully commit to the ridiculousness.
However, even with amazing actors you need some good material to work with. The script can often be quite chaotic with lots of noise, over the top reactions and repetitive slapstick.
Occasionally the actors do bring the scene to life with their enthusiasm but this is not often used to the best of their ability.
There are more voices provided by Somerset Arnold, David Cameron and Juliette Crosbie. However they are rarely given enough to leave an impression.
The constant action and over the top voices may keep very young children interested. However older children and adults will likely find it a bit repetitive.
Environmental Themes With an Underdeveloped Message
Despite the comedy nature of Arnie & Barney, it does try to address some very relevant issues. The main drought can be used to address the importance of the environment and using natural resources correctly.
The idea of a corrupt caterpillar taking advantage of the water shortage can address the issue of greed. If this film was slightly different it could be a fun and meaningful environmental story.
Some may even argue that it has an anti-capitalist theme as it shows how a powerful individual uses a natural disaster to benefit themselves at the expense of the community.
This would be an interesting concept to include in a children’s film especially as environmental awareness is becoming increasingly important.
However, this never really gets explored. It seems more focused on the chaos that the characters get into. Although there is a message about the environment, it is not really explored.
This means that the film loses out on giving the adventure more meaning. The idea of saving an entire community from a water shortage should mean a lot but due to the confusing plot it’s hard to get into.
What Works and What Does Not
The best thing about Arnie & Barney is The Umbilical Brothers. Collins and Dundas clearly know how funny these characters can be.
They bring some great characters and distinctiveness to the film. The premise is also very attractive. Trying to get younger people interested in environmental issues is a good idea.
Plus the film is of a reasonable length (around 75 mins) and will not leave you bored. It is a very straightforward concept meaning that it should be a good option for the family to watch.
Unfortunately there are some issues. The animation is not very charming and is not the polished feel you would expect from a modern cinema release.
The characters are not very interesting and the script is frustratingly chaotic. Because we are constantly moving between the real world and the imaginary world it makes it hard to follow what is going on.
The comedy is also all over the place. While there is lots of energy in the voices the script does not provide much actual funny moments. While the environmental issues are a good idea they are never really discussed in enough detail.
Overall the film does not have much appeal to anyone other than the youngest audience. While very young children will enjoy the bright colours, fast pace and silly sounds there may not be much to keep older people or parents interested.
Final Verdict
Arnie & Barney: The Water Quest has a solid setup with some great potential for fun family entertainment.
Set in a drought hit meadow, the film follows a corrupt caterpillar villain alongside two helpless ants to create a simple premise which can be turned into something funny and environmentally themed. However, this does not quite make it.
The Umbilical Brothers put lots of personality into the main characters but this is not enough to make up for the poor writing.
It was confusing to know what was fantasy and what was reality, and there was not any interesting animation to get you fully involved in this world.
Although there is a good message to learn about being responsible with the environment and taking advantage of natural resources, it was very underdeveloped.
This film will most likely be a quick distraction for very young children but there really is not much for older age groups.
Overall, I felt that this was a missed opportunity for a spin-off from the Maya the Bee franchise! There is so much potential for Arnie and Barney to have an amazing adventure.
If the writing had been better and the animation more unique, this could have been a fun family film. However, it is a very forgettable film which does not really know what it wants to be.
