TL;DR – For what is essentially one big ad, it is still charming to boot.     

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

The Boy & the Octopus Review –

Can an advertisement have artistic merit? That is the question that we are asking today as we explore a short Christmas film from Disney that is crammed with product placement to the point of rupture. But does that make it not worth the watch?

So, to set the scene, one day, a small boy (Solomon Horta) went swimming in the reefs and found an octopus friend who refused to leave his head. Even when they fly home, it is still there. Now, it goes with him wherever he goes, including the Christmas markets.

Now, we do have to make it clear that this is essentially an advertisement for Disney dressed up as a short film, and with some respect to the company, they don’t really hide that fact. The music is an instrumental rendition of Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. We get shots of Lightsabres, Toy Stories, and Marvel, just to name a few. They even cut the eyes out of  Mickey Mouse’s beanie, so the Octopus could hide and see what was going on, which took on a very surreal effect.

However, even with all that, it was still charming to boot. Part of that comes from the design of the Octopus. Those giant eyes are filled with wonder and all the emotions that go with it. Solomon Horta does a great job of being the focal point of the story, as there really isn’t any dialogue, and you are just going on vibes. Also, it does not outstay its welcome at any stage of the proceedings.

In the end, do we recommend The Boy & the Octopus? Well, it is both very much an ad, and it is also a charming little film. Oh, and it is only four minutes long. I mean, you can watch it right here.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched The Boy & the Octopus?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Boy & the Octopus
Directed by – Taika Waititi
Written by – Darren Beresford
Starring – Solomon Horta with Solaya Sang, Samuel Fernandez & Miluse Sedlaczkova   
Rating – Australia: G

Disney