Leap!

To start off, both the name of this movie and the reason for its delayed release in the U.S. are both a mystery to me. The original title in Canada - Ballerina - was a much better name. And given the fact that an English version was already released in Canada I didn't understand why they felt it necessary to re-cast a few roles and change one of the audio tracks out. It also is available for purchase on Amazon Canada at the same time it hit theaters, great for families that do not have a theater nearby to see this in. It's a simple movie with a simple plot. Rags to Riches, ballet style. Some of the scenes could have been done differently - there's been (valid) criticism about the romance element and (not as valid) criticism about a pub scene. The choice of using modern music in scenes helps keep younger ones interested - our school-age daughter keeps singing Sia's "Suitcase" because that's one of her favorite scenes. Yes, it would be nice to encourage more classical music - but this shouldn't replace the right way to show ballet. And there's only one way to do that - actually go and see them. All in all, when there are a lack of good (recent) movies for kids showing ballet this checks of all the right boxes. Worth $100 for family of 4 to go? Possibly. Worth $30 to buy it and keep it at home? Absolutely.

Although it's predictable, has plenty of clichés and the turning points in it are results of very silly events which are familiar in kids' animated movies, its animation is surprisingly spectacular, it has some funny moments, likable characters, and good humor, and its songs are as inspiring as its ballet sequences. (7/10)

I watched "Leap" on DVD and enjoyed it despite its anachronisms, its somewhat predictable plot, and its obligatory slapstick humor. It's a movie for kids. I enjoyed the fact that its pace is not quite so visually frenetic as other animated movies I have seen recently. It is a pleasant diversion.

With a movie that has nothing to do with what the title suggests it should have been otherwise so, Leap! fails to set promises and doesn't even know what it's trying to be or even doing in the first place. That money should be used for something else if you're planning to waste money on this backfiring movie that unfortunately attempts to be something else.

This is like a shameless slightly different rip off to 1997s Anastasia, something miles better than any animated film the Weinstein Company will ever make. In here, the characters are dumb and the voice acting is awful, the story is lazily predictable from start to finish with no thrills or suspense, and the animation is unremarkable. Just avoid this one, and someone tell the Weinstein Company to stop making animated movies, because they're always gonna be terrible!