Wonder Park (2019)

Wonder Park (2019)

5/10

Starring the voices of

Jennifer Garner

Matthew Broderick

John Oliver

Mila Kunis

Directed by Dylan Brown

I can’t give this movie more than a 5/10 because of its plot, even though I enjoyed it for what it is—a fantasy adventure animation. Unfortunately, the plot feels as loose as diarrhea. While the animation is colorfully juiced for children, it lacks the depth needed for adult viewers to fully engage or want to watch it again.

The design and buildup clearly cater to a child’s perspective. Kids likely won’t read much into the story and will simply enjoy it for what it is—a little girl escaping into a fantasy world while her sick mother takes a backseat in her life.

That said, Wonder Park has a refreshing ending I wish more animations would embrace. The movie revolves around hope, and it concludes with hope restored. It doesn’t force the child character to experience the loss of a parent, nor does it subject viewers to another single-parent movie trope. Typically, these stories involve a child’s potential being crushed by the loss of a parent, only to be magically restored through love from another source. Instead, Wonder Park does something a little different—it replaces loss with absence and return.

The plot introduces us to June, a little girl with an incredible imagination. Her mother, one of her biggest supporters, often joins her in building a magical amusement park called Wonder Park.

June’s mom always encourages her to believe in herself and her dreams, which leads June to pull off some wild stunts in her neighborhood. But then a sad day comes when her mom falls ill and has to be hospitalized for an extended period. June gives up on everything related to Wonder Park and becomes obsessed with taking care of her dad.

On her way to Math Camp (a trip she doesn’t want to take), she finds a heartfelt letter from her father saying how much he loves her. June takes this as a sign to skip the camp. She sneaks off the bus, wanders into the woods, and unexpectedly finds herself in Wonder Park—a place that, until now, had only existed in her imagination.

However, Wonder Park is a shadow of its former self, overrun by zombie-like creatures intent on dragging all the magical beings into darkness.

Wonder Park wasn’t a commercial success, which isn’t surprising given its lackluster marketing. In fact, I don’t recall hearing much about this animation until I stumbled upon it online.