In 2007 an animated feature based on the biblical tale of Noah’s Ark was released. Shout Factory now has the film available on DVD. Putting it in my player I was presented with two English and one Spanish audio option. Selecting one then kicked the film into gear with auto-play. Oh dear. This doesn’t bode well. There’s not even a menu or chapter selection?
A combination of hand drawn and computer animation tell the tale from three different points of view. There’s Noah and his family, the animals, and finally God. Actually a lot of the story revolves around the animals led by Zero, the young prince lion chosen to lead the animals. Alright, getting past the stereotypical “king of the jungle” trope there’s the whole “new king is vain and an idiot” story that leaves him open to a coup.
We all know how the story ends. This isn’t going to radically change the story, but it does offer an interesting take on things. By featuring three different sub-plots it feels more original. This version of Noah’s Ark isn’t without problems though.
Here are a few of the anachronisms and plot holes. There’s more than two chickens in the coop. Noah wears glasses? A daughter-in-law with a painfully stereotypical New York Jew accent? A son that sounds like he’s been taking lessons in speaking Jive. When the steering wheel breaks the humans worry about sailing without a rudder. But the rudder isn’t broken, the steering wheel is. In the climactic dance scene there are three rhinoceroses.
The Orangutan adviser/friend to Prince/King Zero is doing a great Charles Nelson Riley impersonation. That felt out of place.
A few kind of scary sequences, toilet humor and some gentle sexual situations with the animals makes this film definitely not appropriate for all ages as the case suggests. I won’t be showing this to my 3 year old. I’ll let my 6 year old watch Noah’s Ark. I don’t expect him or my other kids to watch it more than once though.
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