Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Issue-free animated adventure might stretch your patience.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Bands on the Run
What's the Story?
When a delivery truck swerves out of control to avoid hitting a rabbit in the middle of a desert road, it spills a box filled with rubber band bracelets en route to a "big box superstore." When the truck pulls away, it leaves behind five rubber band bracelets -- a rock star, a light bulb, an airplane, a TV, and a flower -- who must work together to get to the "big box superstore" so kids will buy them and wear them on their wrists. Along the way, they meet a round drill sergeant of a rubber band bracelet, who helps on their adventure through garbage cans, gas stations, and playgrounds.
Is It Any Good?
Luckily, they kept BANDS ON THE RUN in the 40-minute range; not a whole lot happens even in those few minutes, but much longer and it would be unbearable. The characters are as one-dimensional as they come -- which may be helpful for younger viewers -- but for the rest of the family, it should be pretty easy to guess what each character will say.
The action plods along as much as the computer animation. There is so little personality to the characters, it's difficult for anyone to root for them as they try to get to the department store vending machine where they hope a child will wear them and love them. While the movie was supposedly inspired by the recent rubber band bracelet trend, it's hard to imagine anyone -- even those wrapped up in this alleged craze -- feeling engaged in this story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the six different main characters and how they stand apart from each other. Who are they, and what do they do?
Why do you think this movie was created? Who is the market? Is the movie designed to sell bracelets? What other movies have been made about consumer trends?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 31, 2011
- Cast : Dan Ochipinti , Justin Krogh , Marina Zenovich
- Director : Charlie Mason
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Entertainment One
- Genre : Musical
- Topics : Adventures , Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- Run time : 43 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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