Parents, occasionally I like to share with you movie reviews when I think they are worth a few minutes of your consideration. Smallfoot is a 3D-animated movie (comedy, musical) by Warner Bros. Pictures (Warner Animation Group) based on the book Yeti Tracks by Sergio Pablos, released September 28, 2018. No doubt it will become a classic for many as it includes great animation, a compelling story, and catchy music.
For the Christian parent, I encourage you to read the review below by pastor and former student Ryan King. He took his children to the movie and was surprised by some of its thematic content. Plus, I have linked to another excellent article by the Gospel Coalition below as well. Here’s the skinny… before you take your children to this movie, please be ready to either have a pre-conversation and/or a post-conversation with them related to some of the movie’s themes.
Smallfoot final movie preview
Smallfoot, Big Problem
by Ryan King
A cute new movie came out that I decided to take my kids to. You see, I live in Colorado and I am 6’8” so I feel something in common with Bigfoot (wearing a size 16 shoe helps with that too). Anyway, my father-in-law and I took my two oldest kids and three others to see the new animated movie Smallfoot.
Smallfoot is a movie about a town of Yeti creatures that live in perfect harmony, never asking questions, and always obeying the rules. These rules are taught by the “stonekeeper” (do laws written on stones remind you of anything?), and he is the ultimate authority in the town. Many of these rules or truths are plainly ridiculous or absurd. One such rule that plays a clear role later in the movie declares the town gong must be rung every day to bring the sun up.
In short, a yeti discovers that people, “smallfoots,” exist and tells the whole town. He is banished because the stones say that there is no such thing as a smallfoot. He then goes on a quest to prove he is right and, in so doing, finds a society of yetis (SES: “Smallfoots Exist Sucka” or “Smallfoot Exploration Society” depending on who is saying it) including the stonekeeper’s daughter that also believe in the existence of the smallfoot.
He finds and brings a human back to his town, thus beginning a renaissance of sorts, because people stop doing their required tasks and step outside of the rules and start inventing and creating. The stonekeeper then brings the discovering yeti into his secret chamber and informs him that the leaders have known all along that the smallfoot exists but, since they previously tried to kill the yetis, the yetis moved to an altitude where humans couldn’t exist. He explained all the meaningless tasks they were told to perform were actually to drive a giant machine that created a steam cloud around the mountain so they couldn’t see the humans below.
This movie is both funny and driven by a strong storyline that highlights truth and integrity over fame and fortune. One message it teaches is to tell the truth even if it is scary or hard to hear. These are certainly admirable traits in the movie, but, for Christian parents, there are a number of issues to consider.
Reason as the source of truth:
The big point of the movie is that if something observable contradicts what is stated as truth in a sacred writing that the observable event is true and the writings are not. This poses huge problems for Bible-believing Christians. The biblical worldview holds that Scripture, correctly interpreted through sound exegesis and in proper context, is always true even if observation suggests otherwise (Psalm 18:30). Humans are deeply flawed. The fall has corrupted human reason so even when we do not understand how two things fit together or seems contradictory, we trust the gracious Father who made us and take Him at His perfect and holy word. The Bible is God’s Word given to mankind as the authoritative, true, and sufficient guide for all human beliefs and conduct (John 17:17; 2 Tim 3:16-17). Smallfoot promotes reason above all else. As Christians we are certainly committed to truth and the pursuit of knowledge, but everything is weighed against Scripture. In this regard, the movie seemed to take pretty clear aim at the biblical worldview.
The truth is made up by people who want to control us:
The argument that the Bible was written by men of old to control people or get rich or be famous is not a new one. In Smallfoot, the stone laws were written progressively by stonekeepers of old to control people whenever it was necessary. While this may be consistent with some world religions, the Christian Bible was written by men who benefited only in the life to come. This life contained only suffering and death for these men. Whereas, in the movie the stones were written to control and coerce, the Bible was given by God through men as they were moved along by the Holy Spirit for our benefit, not to control us (2 Tim 3:16, 2 Pet 1:21). The main difference here is inspiration. Although many in the world do not believe that the holy, perfect, infallible God gave us a book full of His loving truth, for the Christ-follower, they depend upon the Bible to live a God-honoring life. The Scriptures are the Christian’s continual measuring stick, our standard for life against which we can judge all other things, given by God, in love, for our benefit and joy.
If you hold to an established truth you are small-minded:
In the scene where the stonekeeper is enlightening the discovering yeti, he says they tell “good lies to protect our world.” He also conveys the idea that the stonekeepers control the flow of information. “Protect the lie, protect the village.” The yetis in the village are somewhat like lemmings that just follow along and are told to “push the questions down.” The main character is said to have awakened the other yetis to the truth and just has to keep going until everything is made right. Those that follow the rules are not portrayed as intelligent but fearful, dumb, or just insignificant bystanders. The Bible tells us that it is a light to us, not something that keeps us in darkness (Psalm 119:105). God made people to glorify Him and to know Him. Holding to the Truth makes us more logical, more wise, more enlightened, not small or simple.
Foolishness to the wise:
We expect this kind of thought pattern from the world. We know that they think of Christians many times as fools, lemmings, or dimwitted for following the Scriptures. Biblical Christians know that we are far worse than fools, but it is not because we follow the Bible, it is because we are fallen creatures. Our hope is not in more knowledge, more discovery, or more “truth.” Our hope is in Jesus Christ. We will not have peace because we are “woke,” there will only be peace because Jesus paid for it with His blood.
My goal in this review is not to bash the movie. If you have older kids, it might even be something good to watch with them and talk through later. I just did not expect to have to walk through these kinds of issues with my 4 and 7-year-old children this afternoon.
If you choose to go see this movie, be ready for some discussions that will likely be unavoidable.
Parents, for another excellent movie review of Smallfoot, consider this one from the Gospel Coalition.
About the Author:
Ryan King, MDiv, MABC (Baptist Bible Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO), is the associate pastor at Mesa Hills Bible Church and is an ACBC certified counselor. He, his wife Amanda, and their three children live in Colorado Springs, CO.
KevinCarson.com | Walking together through life as friends in Christ sharing wisdom along the journey
Appreciate the critique and insight. Although I most likely will not go, seeing my kids are out of the house, I may hear about it from teens or younger children.