Xico’s Journey, El Camino de Xico, directed by Erica Cabello (2020), is an animated film about a small town in Mexico that is going to be abused for its resources by corporations but a dog named Xico is protective spirit of the mountain and neither dog or the residents of the town know it until he goes through the mountains trials with Copi, the little girl that cares for him, and a few others. It’s an interesting story that is driven by anti-capitalist and pro-nature views. Can’t say the story is exactly wrong on that point. Exploiting nature for monetary gains is short sighted at best. The nature and belief aspect of the story is where it gets interesting since it involves very mystifying settings within the mountain and creatures that closely resemble other films and art where characters are having a psychedelic experience. The animation took some time to get used to as it seemed mid-budget at best but it grows on you after ten minutes or so. The acting was that of most family movies involving children as it felt forced and cheap at times. Overall, I probably won’t watch it again but it’s worth a view if you want something easy but adventurous to watch.
Watched on Netflix.
Grizzly Era Studios 