Beginner's 'Luck': First film from Skydance Animation is an 'eye-popping' winner

There’s much good fortune in “Luck,” the first animated feature from the upstart studio Skydance. But amid the sunniness generated by a film about a seemingly jinxed orphan stumbling upon the secret to prosperity is a shadow lurking in the wings. That would be John Lasseter, the Pixar founder whom Disney canned in 2018 for being on the wrong side of the #MeToo movement.

As “Luck” would have it, Skydance chief David Ellison wasn’t deterred by rumors of Lasseter disrespecting and creating discomfort in some of his previous employees, quickly hiring the former head of Disney Animation under an avalanche of criticism. Moral complexities be damned, Ellison succumbed to visions of Lasseter instantly transforming his new Skydance Animation division into the strata of the mighty Pixar.

The good news/bad news result is that Ellison has gotten his wish because in every way, “Luck” possesses the quality and class of a Pixar offering. It even features Pixar regular John Ratzenberger among the film’s impressive voice talent. And is that really women’s rights activist Jane Fonda lending her unmistakable pipes to a key role? Yikes! Has up suddenly become down?

Music Scene: New music from Norwell's Totem; Salem's witches inspire new songs from Lauren Henderson

Yes, in a sense. And that’s also a central theme in a movie set in the magical land of Luck, where the upper echelons of this island in the sky are devoted to the winners, and lower levels to the losers, with the “In Between” in between. Director Peggy Holmes and head writer Kiel Murray, both Pixar refugees, mold "Luck" into a sensory sensation of vibrant colors melded seamlessly into an array of Rube Goldberg-inspired gizmos and magical characters ranging from leprechauns and dragons to unicorns and hazmat rabbits.

Luck functions much like a military operation, where everyone is assigned a task and is expected to carry it out successfully and within the strict regulations set forth by the land’s fire-breathing boss, Babe, a feminist dragon voiced by Fonda. She demands Luck run like clockwork, which it does until a human unwittingly infiltrates the fortress via a magical portal opened by a panini-loving black cat named Bob (Simon Pegg).

The human is Sam (Eva Noblezada), a persistently bumbling 18-year-old who has just been sent blindly into the world after “aging out” of the orphanage she long called home. In a very funny opening montage, we watch disaster upon disaster befall Sam in her new life – until she encounters Bob. She finds him lingering on the sidewalk looking hungry. After relishing the portion of a sandwich she sets down for him, he dashes off, leaving behind a lucky penny that instantly transforms her life. But only for a brief period.

While using the restroom at her new job in a floral shop, she accidentally flushes the copper coin down the commode. The only way to retrieve it is via Bob. But first, she’ll need to find a cat who doesn’t want to be found. When she does spot him, a hilarious, very creative chase (love the umbrella gags) ensues, ending with both tumbling down the portal to Luck, the land where both fortune and misfortune are manufactured and simultaneously shipped off to unsuspecting humans.

See or skip?: 'Gray Man,' 'My Old School,' 'Alone Together,' 'Don't Make Me Go'

There, we’re welcomed to a wondrous land, where mechanical pods whisk the inhabitants up and down a towering cityscape. And they need not look where they are going because an air thick with good fortune ensures every step will be a safe one. It’s very cool, and grows even more enchanting as fate takes Sam and Bob ever lower into the depths of Luck.

Unfortunately, the farther down they go, the more the film ventures needlessly into a string of poop jokes, most of which are dumb, if not gross. It’s here where “Luck” momentarily loses its distinctive Pixar vibe before regaining it with a thrilling finale in which Sam discovers luck is what you make it. It’s a sweet sentiment, if not a tad trite.

But the story is always secondary to the eye-popping animation and multitude of interesting characters, be they Bob, Babe or Sam, or the plethora of supporting creatures led by Bob’s by-the-book supervisor, The Captain (Whoopi Goldberg); Bob’s leprechaun assistant, Gerry (Colin O’Donoghue); and Jeff (Flula Borg), the very entertaining, German-accented unicorn in charge of producing “bad luck” when he’s not pining for his lost love, Babe.

Movie: 'Resistance is futile' in Sundance charmer 'Cha Cha Real Smooth,' streaming on Apple TV+

With few exceptions (the potty humor), “Luck” is a blast, and will surely become a smash, especially with the little ones, when it debuts Aug. 5 on Apple TV+. Parents will likely love it too. But if they are like me, they might feel a bit squeamish knowing the enterprise was masterminded by Lasseter. Four years ago, his illustrious career seemed over … until, deserving or not, he was blessed by “Luck.” Now it’s up to him to keep his newfound charm from slipping back into the toilet.

'Luck'

Rated: G

Cast: Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, John Ratzenberger and Colin O’Donoghue.

Director: Peggy Holmes.

Writer: Kiel Murray.

Runtime: 105 minutes.

Where: In theaters and on Apple TV+ on Aug. 5.

Grade: B+.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. Please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 'Wondrous' animated tale 'Luck' is a winner for Apple TV+ Skydance