It is five stars TO ME. And that’s what matters. Craig of the Creek is in many ways my platonic ideal of a cartoon, proudly influenced by 2000s predecessors like EEnE and KnD in the outrageous or surreal gravity given to kids’ imagination, and by 2010s fare like AT and SU in its attention to diversity and its surprising amount of serialization and emotion. This movie has all of that. It’s a laugh out loud good time, and for fans of the show especially extremely heartwarming seeing where these characters start and knowing how they end up. The animation gets a boost in fluidity, Rosenstock goes all out on the music, and while all the cast are as fantastic as ever, special attention must go to Ortiz. They nail Serena as the perfect kind of threat for this show: intimidating on the scale of childhood, but still a child dealing with her own storm of emotions. They put a ton of heart into the performance, so much so I hope Serena returns in this last season.
I could go on about other things, like the little details of Craig’s relationship with his sister and mother, but suffice it to say Before the Creek lives up to what is, in my opinion, the best and most consistent capital C Cartoon of the 2020s, and one of the best ever. It’s easy to get caught up in the unfairness of its cancellation. But we can be grateful for the past without getting stuck in it. And we can appreciate this movie for existing.
Review by JCVIP 4BlockedParent2023-12-17T00:55:36Z
It is five stars TO ME. And that’s what matters. Craig of the Creek is in many ways my platonic ideal of a cartoon, proudly influenced by 2000s predecessors like EEnE and KnD in the outrageous or surreal gravity given to kids’ imagination, and by 2010s fare like AT and SU in its attention to diversity and its surprising amount of serialization and emotion. This movie has all of that. It’s a laugh out loud good time, and for fans of the show especially extremely heartwarming seeing where these characters start and knowing how they end up. The animation gets a boost in fluidity, Rosenstock goes all out on the music, and while all the cast are as fantastic as ever, special attention must go to Ortiz. They nail Serena as the perfect kind of threat for this show: intimidating on the scale of childhood, but still a child dealing with her own storm of emotions. They put a ton of heart into the performance, so much so I hope Serena returns in this last season.
I could go on about other things, like the little details of Craig’s relationship with his sister and mother, but suffice it to say Before the Creek lives up to what is, in my opinion, the best and most consistent capital C Cartoon of the 2020s, and one of the best ever. It’s easy to get caught up in the unfairness of its cancellation. But we can be grateful for the past without getting stuck in it. And we can appreciate this movie for existing.