Epic the Movie Is Magical and Mystical

As a child, did you ever look for hidden treasures in your backyard? Opening today, Epic is a story about the magic of the forest, based loosely on William Joyce‘s book called “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs.” It’s a mystical fairy tale adventure without the fairies. Epic is directed by Chris Wedge of “Ice Age” for Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios.

There’s much to enjoy here in this tale of a teenager who is sent to live in the middle of nowhere with her scientist father, whom she hardly knows. To make matters worse, he’s studying what he is convinced is a secret world of diminutive, fairy-like creatures living in the woods surrounding his house. Through the help of a little forest magic that shrinks her down to size, she realizes that her father is actually right. She is thrown into a world of an epic struggle between the noble Leaf Men — guardians of benevolent, life-giving forest queen Tara — and the Boggans, an army of savage, rot-causing creatures under the command of the hateful Mandrake.

Epic will entertain boys and girls alike. For the girls, there’s the female protagonist, a beautiful forest queen and talking flowers. For the boys, there’s are bugs, slugs and an army of noble warriors unafraid to indulge in outbursts of action. Add some humor, and your family will be entertained for a couple of hours.

Epic is a kind-hearted, kid-friendly adventure, which boasts some beautifully animated forest scenes. I enjoyed the lessons revolving around family, reconciliation and being environmentally-friendly. As the Leaf Men say, “We’re all individuals, but we’re still connected.”