Parents' Guide to Pixies

Although this odd animated movie tries to push a positive message, the unrelenting attacks on Joe start to weigh on the audience by the end. The majority of PIXIES is spent showing Joe getting hit in the face, being taken to and from the hospital, and being embarrassed, all for a careless mistake. It's depressing and loses its humor pretty fast. Although the film is trying to illustrate the adage "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind," it's hard to stick with it until the message is finally delivered. And the side characters undermine the anti-violence message by constantly pushing and hitting each other, even when it's in jest. Even when the characters are supposed to be likable, they still manage to be moderately cruel or callous. Although Joe is falling for Michelle, he constantly pokes fun at her veganism and alternative lifestyle with jokes and snide remarks that fall flat with the viewer. Even the animation is off-putting, with Michelle sporting reddish under-eye circles that give her an odd, sick appearance.

Ultimately, it's hard to see wom this movie is trying to appeal to. It has the plot complexity of a children's movie, but the jokes, innuendo, and underlying messages all seem geared toward a more adult audience, making it appealing to neither.