Summary
The story is not too bad in a labored The Legend of Secret Pass. However, the lack of quality in the animation cannot be ignored.
It took me a while to understand what was going on in The Legend of Secret Pass. It starts with a thick, wise voice discussing some Indian mythology in the South Mountains that involves Thunderbirds. I was not prepared for such instant exposition to rile on for a good five minutes before the story begins.
And then I was displaced by the animation; I fully appreciate it was a low budget in today’s terms ($25,400,000 (estimated) according to IMDB), but it reminded me of the graphics I enjoyed on a video game in 2004, which is not a positive thing at all. If I am honest, The Legend of Secret Pass feels like a video game at times, but then the developers decided to make it into a movie and see where it goes.
Regarding the story, there is a troop of animals who are trying to evade some ageless magic and venture onto an adventure. If you can ignore the age-old animation, then the voice casting and the dialogue between the characters are reasonable. It’s not the worst exchange of storytelling once you get by the dull opening of the movie. The animals just argue, chat, heckle and move forward towards their destination.
The ultimate goal for these animals is survival, and they end up in luck as they bump into two Indian children who are on the road and end up evading some strange whirlwind. Essentially, the young boy Manu is the key to the Secret Pass, and if he manages to take on the ageless magic, and those who wield it, the animals are safe.
The Legend of Secret Pass is quite an amateur piece of work in today’s industry standards, and while I enjoyed the story of a young boy taking on some evil spirit in the South Mountains, I cannot ignore the fact that it’s old video game graphics. Maybe store this away for a rainy day.
