Bigfoot Family Parent Guide

After spending years in the wilderness hiding from a nefarious corporation, Bigfoot (voiced by Alexis Victor) is finally back with his loving wife and son (voiced by Marie Chevalot and Kylian Trouillard) and their menagerie of woodland critters. To his surprise, he’s a celebrity, being purred over by TV hosts and hounded for advertising gigs. But the furry family man’s not interested in the tawdry perks of fame - he wants to do something meaningful with his life. When he hears that the X-TRAKT oil company has been given permits to operate in Alaska’s largest wildlife preserve, Bigfoot heads for the hills. Convinced that his celebrity can be put to good use, he decides to shine a light on the company’s dirty deeds and save the valley for the animals who live there.

Left at home, Bigfoot’s wife, Shelly and son, Adam follow his exploits from afar, and Adam manages his dad’s online footprint. Under Adam’s deft touch, Bigfoot’s videos go viral, and a growing horde of protesters gather in Alaska – that is, until Bigfoot’s internet presence vanishes. Convinced that his father has been abducted, Adam persuades his mother, Wilbur the bear (voiced by Frederic Souterelle), and Trapper the raccoon (voiced by Sebastien Désjours) to head north on a rescue mission. Since we know that Adam has inherited his father’s super speed, unusual hearing, healing powers, and ability to talk to animals, we can be assured that all these abilities are going to be called on in this family adventure.

I must confess that I had extremely low expectations heading into this movie. I’ve sat through too many poorly produced environmental screeds to get excited about this one. However, this is my lucky day because I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t get me wrong: this isn’t a great film. It’s not going to win any awards. Ever. But it’s not unwatchably bad, especially for its target audience. The animation is better than expected and provides some majestic Alaskan vistas as well as characters drawn with more finesse than most television cartoons, There are plenty of laugh out loud moments of animal antics for kids, although there isn’t much for adults to chuckle at. Even the “no cliché left behind” trip through Canada is more eye-rolling than entertaining.

On the downside, the plot is predictable and the bad guy is just plain unbelievable. Making oil executives into movie villains is a popular move, but is it too much to ask that they have some character traits besides megalomania and psychopathy? A little more nuance would make for a better and more convincing film. Writing aside, the biggest issue parents are going to face with this production is its fear factor, especially for very young viewers. The story features an encounter between Adam and a very angry wolf with predictably perilous results. There are also frequent moments of extreme danger involving runaway mine carts, killer drones, and even bombs. Adam is shot at, abducted, and left to die – which is an unusual level of jeopardy for a child protagonist and might be a bit much for some families.

On the bright side, the movie provides conservation messages about maintaining animal habitats and preserving nature. And it celebrates families with a strong endorsement of family unity and time spent together. Its primary theme is that one person can change the world, even when the odds seem stacked against them. And with the challenges facing us today, this isn’t a bad message to share.