In a world of animated films, be like Rumble. The underdog sports flick overcame delays and the pandemic to finally see the light of the day, and viewers will not be disappointed with its late arrival.

Set in a world where ‘monster wrestling’ is a global spectator sport and monsters (not scary ones) are superstars, a teenage girl sets out to save her world by coaching a lovable underdog monster into a champion.

Based on Rob Harrell’s 2013 graphic novel Monster on the Hill, the animated film takes place in Stoker, a town known for its iconic monster-coach duo of Rayburn Sr and Jimbo Coyle. The story begins years after Rayburn and Jimbo disappear and are presumed dead. The champion that emerges in the post-Rayburn era, decides to abandon Stoker for a better town. He is part of the plan where the beloved stadium of the people is going to be turned into a parking lot. The only way things can be reversed is by coming up with a champion of its own.

Here is when Jimbo’s daughter Winnie (Geraldine Viswanathan) picks the long-lost son of Rayburn, to fight for survival. Voiced marvellously by Will Arnett, underdog monster ‘Steve’ is a born loser. On the one hand he has to come out of the shadow of his father, while on the other he has to start winning. How he manages to do both things is what makes the film worth your while.

The antagonist of the movie is a shark-headed Tentacular (voiced by footballer-turned-actor Terry Crews) who decides to change loyalties and move to Slitherpool, a town where he can have an identity of his own.

The movie is about the testing time faced by an aspiring monster coach and her huge, yet clumsy, candidate for the ‘title’. Together they join hands to reclaim the town’s pride as well as the match. The way Rayburn Jr, a.k.a. Steve, and Winnie bone in the 90-odd-minute movie is reminiscent of the way Max and Atom gelled during Hugh Jackman’s live-action sports film Real Steel (2011).

There are a number of lessons this film imparts to the audience, and each of them will make you want to be a better person. It teaches you that no one is a born loser and always gets their due, and even the most egoistic of the lot falter one day. It also makes you realize that living in someone’s shadow is not a crime, and can actually help in developing your own persona.

On the whole, Rumble is a fun movie for the entire family and is a ‘not to be missed’, at any cost.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 12th, 2022