Ferdinand
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: December 15, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Washington PostJane HorwitzDec 13, 2017
The film incorporates the book’s story arc, with stylistic nods to Robert Lawson’s drawings of Spanish scenes and people. But it also adds new incidents, characters and depth, with a contemporary wit that doesn’t coarsen the story — or not much, anyway. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeDec 7, 2017
In what’s been an underwhelming year for big-studio animation, it’s the best of the bunch: sincere, likable, surprisingly funny, and overall true to its source material. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla MeyerDec 14, 2017
There’s real artistry to Ferdinand. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaDec 14, 2017
What is truly amazing about this film is how thoughtfully Ferdinand questions male gender expectations. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesBill ZweckerDec 13, 2017
Along with charming animated visuals, spot-on voice talent and nicely paced direction, Ferdinand incorporates themes that are very relevant and much-needed for our time. Read full review
75
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeDec 7, 2017
If you can get through the excess of characters, and the requisite butt jokes, car chase and tween pop songs, the film does keep both the physical and the verbal comedy coming at a steady pace. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Fraser AbeDec 15, 2017
Ferdinand is not going to be the next "Frozen" or "Lion King" or even the fourth or fifth "Ice Age" movie, but there's a reason the story is still being told some 81 years after it was first published. Its lessons – be true to yourself, go your own way, and don't let society tell you what you should or shouldn't be – are just as applicable today as they were then. And that's no pile of bull. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTom RussoDec 13, 2017
The good news is that while the movie is susceptible to some pandering, it also takes the story’s charming core elements and gives them a contemporary luster. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenDec 13, 2017
The humor is broad and obvious (yes, Ferdinand winds up in a china shop, with predictable results), but there are a number of scenes that hit the mark. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 13, 2017
The extraordinary third act arrives, and the movie finds its heart and its message. Read full review
60
IGNAlex WelchDec 21, 2017
With a funny set of side characters and a lovably kindhearted lead, Ferdinand finds a way to promote being kind to others without becoming an afterschool special. Granted, it doesn’t ever go out of its way to be very unique or surprising, but for what it sets out to do, Ferdinand is altogether successful. Even if that means it doesn’t end up being much more that. Read full review
60
EmpireJames DyerDec 12, 2017
Inoffensive fun, but unlike its paperback forbear, the cinematic Ferdinand is unlikely to stand the test of time. Read full review
60
Screen DailyWendy IdeDec 7, 2017
When writers find it necessary to beef up a screenplay with that tiredest of factory-farmed animated trope, the comedy dance off, one wonders whether a more organic approach to script husbandry might have been preferable. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyDevan CogganDec 13, 2017
Unfortunately, Ferdinand buries the original story’s message under frenetic action scenes and grating sidekicks, turning a classic tale into just another flat animated comedy. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshDec 14, 2017
With a lovely voice performance from Cena, the spirit of Ferdinand does shine through. But the rest of the story filler is mostly forgettable. Read full review
50
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergDec 14, 2017
Ferdinand, the new computer-animated adaptation from Carlos Saldanha (the “Ice Age” movies), speaks to its own time in a different way, dutifully adhering to the template for contemporary children’s films while avoiding much personality or distinction Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubVikram MurthiDec 13, 2017
Ferdinand’s most saccharine moments end up being its most potent, even if they’re often more cloying than emotional. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEric HendersonDec 13, 2017
Any potential subtext of Munro Leaf's children's book has been bleached out in the marketplace-oriented Ferdinand. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenDec 7, 2017
Manages to squeak by with enough charming set-pieces and amusing sight gags to compensate for a stalling storyline. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovDec 13, 2017
While Ferdinand isn’t a train wreck by any means, it does come off as an also-ran in a year now dominated by the truly marvelous "Coco." Read full review
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