Cat capers at the cinema

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, September 26th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: It’s time to get tiny.

Many parents with small children are already familiar with the popular kids show on Netflix called Gabby’s Dollhouse. This weekend, Gabby and her gang of toy kittens are making their way to the big screen. Here’s arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino on Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie.

GABBY: [singing] A pinch on my left. A pinch pinch on my right. Grab Pandy’s hand and hold on tight!

COLLIN GARBARINO: Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie follows the adventures of a girl named Gabby who plays makebelieve with a colorful crew of toy cats living in a magic dollhouse.

Just like in the show, Gabby is played by Laila Lockhart Kraner. But in the movie, she’s on her way to spend a week with her Grandma Gigi, played by once-upon-a pop star Gloria Estefan. They pack up the dollhouse, along with all the kitty friends, and head to Cat Francisco.

But shortly after arriving at Grandma’s there’s a mishap, and Gabby’s dollhouse falls off its trailer and rolls away. An eccentric cat lady named Vera, played by comedian Kristen Wiig, gets her claws into the dollhouse and puts it in her collection of esoteric cat memorabilia.

VERA: What do we have here? Vera wonders aloud as a man in the street yells at her.

MAN IN THE STREET: Seriously, lady, what is wrong with you?!

I confess I walked into the theater with pretty low expectations. If you’ve seen the Netflix series, you know the show won’t entertain an adult. Each episode begins with a live-action scene of Gabby in her bedroom. Then she pinches the ears on her cat headband, and using her imagination she enters into an animated version of her dollhouse. For the most part, the adventures she has with her feline friends are a little pointless and mindnumbing.

But I’m happy to report that the movie isn’t half bad. It might not be the kind of thing parents will want to sit through multiple times, but it has a coherent plot, cute characters, and a few truly funny scenes.

GRANDMA GIGI: Carlita? What’s wrong?

PANDY: Gabby sent us.

DJ CATNIP: The Gabby cats were stolen and she’s gone to save them!

PANDY: We need your help.

GRANDMA GIGI: I’ll get my keys.

PANDY: No, Gigi. This is a dollhouse problem.

In this straightforward adventure, Gabby must rescue her friends and liberate her dollhouse. Along the way she helps rehabilitate the antagonist by reintroducing her to the world of imagination. There’s no deep philosophical subtext here, but the movie will tug on the heartstrings a little. It reminds parents how sad it can be when our kids outgrow beloved toys.

Kids who love the Netflix show will enjoy the fact that the film keeps many of the elements of the TV series. Like Gabby’s tendency to break the fourth wall.

GABBY: Alright everybody, it looks like Vera needs our help. So let’s help her.

VERA: I’m sorry. Who… who are you talking to?

The movie also contains both live-action and animated elements. But whereas the TV show keeps these elements mostly separated, the movie blends them seamlessly. Dreamworks has created an immersive environment in which tiny colorful animated characters look at home both in real world settings and the magical dollhouse.

MERCAT: She’s coming right for us!

Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie is rated G, which is a tough rating to get these days. We don’t see many G-rated options. However, there were a couple of moments I felt the film pushed the boundaries of that G-rating a little bit. But the filmmakers had plenty of incentive to rein in any crudity and keep the movie clean and positive. After all, the film’s target demographic is the five-and-under crowd.

This really is an ideal option for anyone who’s looking to take a preschooler to a movie theater. It’s the kind of movie that encourages the audience to sing along and cheer at the good parts. Kids in that preschool age range will love Gabby’s big bold adventure as she rescues her friends. And honestly, most parents won’t mind spending an hour and a half at the dollhouse either.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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