Flora & Ulysses is a comedy-adventure based on the Newbery Award-winning book by Kate DiCamillo about 10-year old Flora, an avid comic book fan and a self-avowed cynic, whose parents have recently separated. After rescuing a squirrel she names Ulysses, Flora is amazed to discover he possesses unique superhero powers which take them on an adventure of humorous complications that ultimately change Flora’s life–and her outlook–forever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05F8MmsiLQs
I had the opportunity to screen the movie and I have to tell you, it’s a love story, a few love stories, actually. It chronicles the love between the mother played by Alyson Hannigan and the father Ben Schwartz as they both struggle with life, and trying to find their purpose in life and to find their way back to what they once had in their marriage.
It also shows the friendship type of love between Fora and her new friend William Spiver played perfectly by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth who is just coming off of The Haunting of Bly Manor. Most of all, it shows the love between Flora & Ulysses, the purest love story in the film.
Matilda Lawler plays Flora Buckman wonderfully, she is just perfection in this role. She and Ulysses capture every scene they are in together. Speaking of Ulysses, he is so adorable that he makes me want to go outside and befriend a squirrel! Seriously, what they can do with movie magic these days is magical.
“I used to think that life was a comic book too, full of magic and wonder but it’s not, there is no magic, we just want there to be so the world doesn’t feel so hopeless.”
Ben Schwartz as the dad, George Buckman was great, he was funny and I just loved that he was an adult struggling to find his way. We all struggle and this film gave us insight into both his and Phyliss’ struggles that made them very relatable.
The film is very heartwarming and I really, really enjoyed it. There were some definitely laughs, especially at the expense of Danny Pudi who played the Animal Control Officer who was trying to capture Ulysses. His scenes were gold.
Every superhero comes to us with a purpose, we don’t always see it at first, because we don’t always know where to look.
As far as anything scary, I didn’t think it was scary, but I did get emotional at a few of the scenes concerning Ulysses being taken away, so if you have a child that is sensitive to animals like I am, just be aware.
Flora & Ulysses streams on Disney+ February, 19th.
