Snowtime!
Shout! Factory | Release Date: February 19, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago Sun-TimesMiriam Di NunzioFeb 18, 2016
Sophisticated in its look and feel on the one hand (the warm hues and tones evoke a warmth that defies the wintry cold), it’s almost too retro for its own good on the other. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerFeb 18, 2016
The colourful film of course is allegorical: Peace is tough and tedious; war is an easy solution. And while the kids’ enthusiasm for battle wanes, pint-sized audiences will likely remain engaged. Read full review
70
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerFeb 18, 2016
It is aimed at younger children and includes pretty songs, but it doesn’t soft-pedal anything. Its low-key story is about friendship, but it’s also about loss, which should leave pint-size viewers with plenty to think about. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenFeb 18, 2016
Though the story’s midsection, with its shifting alliances and reversals, feels distended, the movie offers well-defined characters and an inventive sense of earthbound fun, as well as poignant moments. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenFeb 18, 2016
Snowtime! is by turns ribald (there’s a flatulent dog), boisterous (there’s charging through the snow with wooden swords wildly waved), tender (there’s a boy grieving quietly for a father killed in a real war) and, yes, tragic. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloFeb 18, 2016
Dialogue is witless (though at least there are no pop-culture references), and the kids are all generic types with pre-packaged personalities. Read full review
50
VarietyScott TobiasFeb 18, 2016
Covering the emotional spectrum between dog farts on one end and tragedy on the other reps a tonal challenge that Showtime! can’t pull off, despite a gentler touch than most kiddie fare of its kind. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanFeb 18, 2016
A startlingly inappropriate tragedy in the final act drives home the film’s pacifist message, while virtually ensuring that the youngest and most sensitive viewers will be left in a puddle of tears. Read full review
40
Village VoiceChris PackhamMar 1, 2016
Co-directors Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson progressively heighten the scale of the battles, but the emotional tenor is pitched at innocence and fun. The filmmakers attempt a transition toward a more bitter rivalry, but they just don't have the heart to make this children's war ugly. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesCharles SolomonFeb 18, 2016
Directors Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson fail to organize the material into a coherent story or strike a consistent emotional tone. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeTom RussoFeb 18, 2016
Despite a few diverting moments and some ambitiously dramatic themes, this one is simply too uneventful and too populated by thinly sketched characters to keep its target audience engaged. Read full review
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