The Toopy and Binoo franchise, featuring a very confident motor-mouth mouse named Toopy and a kindhearted mute kitten named Binoo, is new territory for me. I’m unable to comment on whether it’s faithful to the book series created by the movie’s co-director/co-writer Dominique Jolin or the animated television show co-created by Jolin and the film’s co-director/co-writer Raymond Lebrun.

My knowledge of the film strictly comes from how heavily advertised Toopy and Binoo The Movie has been, including an interesting behind-the-scenes featurette that’s been playing in Cineplex theatres that showcases the terrific animation. The visuals in Toopy and Binoo The Movie are refreshingly crisp and beautifully lit. Each fantasy that our characters visit pops on screen, and offers audiences something new with each change of scenery. Artistic directors Alejandra Arganaraz and Pierre Houde (and their team of animators) deserve special acknowledgement for treating such modest storytelling with an impressively large scope. The animation, however, is the sole element of the film where delivery isn’t an issue. 

Every other area of Toopy and Binoo The Movie disappoints; from the obnoxious voice acting to the exhausting story to the lack of awareness towards how characters are presenting themselves to an impressionable audience. Jolin and Lebrun keep their eye on the prize with the film’s simple yet effective plot: Binoo’s stuffy Patchy-Patch has gone missing due to Toopy accidentally wishing it away with the “help” of a smartphone-obsessed genie. The genie, obsessed with customer satisfaction, offers additional assistance to retrieve Patchy-Patch from the “lost and found” – wherever that may be. On their travels, the gang meets with other acquaintances who are on the hunt for other missing things: a princess looking for her lost dancing prince, and a pair of birds who are searching for their beloved papa.

The simplicity of Toopy and Binoo The Movie comes from a wholesome place, but the writing doesn’t match. Opportunities to teach lessons in selflessness and team-building are missed left, right, and centre as conceited characters derail the heart of the storytelling. Take Toopy, for instance, a character whose main trait is confidence. The filmmakers misinterpret confidence for arrogance, and give the otherwise innocent mouse a know-it-all personality. He’s either congratulating himself or telling others how he can teach them to do things correctly. If Toopy is supposed to mirror similar kids in the crowd, parents may be turned off by a scene where we see inside Tooypy’s head and all that exists in the white void are other Toopys. Every other character is looking out for themselves as they obsess over what they’re missing and tune out others around them. Sweet lil’ Binoo is the only innocent one; maybe because the kitty doesn’t talk.

Toopy and Binoo The Movie may look good, but the overall movie is not a good look. Animated projects for mature audiences can afford to have selfish characters because there’s an awareness that this behaviour is obnoxious (Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Master Shake, Gene and Louise Belcher from Bob’s Burgers). When the selfish behaviour is formatted in a film directed to young children and the issues are not only ignored but also encouraged, it’s severely problematic.

Read Addison Wylie’s interview with Dominique Jolin and Raymond Lebrun

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie