From the same studio that brought us PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Paramount Animation kicks off 2024 with their latest film, The Tiger’s Apprentice.
Based on the popular children’s book series by Laurence Yep, The Tiger’s Apprentice follows Tom Lee (Soo Hoo), a Chinese-American teenager whose life changes forever after a major discovery. He isn’t an ordinary teenager, he’s part of a magical lineage of protectors known as the Guardians. Under the tutelage of a mythical tiger named Hu (Henry Golding), Tom hones his skills to take on the evil Loo (Michelle Yeoh), who wants to destroy humanity.
His best chance at defeating Loo is to reunite the Zodiac warriors, which brings about our first problem. The second is trying to understand the power dynamic between Loo and the Zodiac animal warriors. First off, there are 12 Chinese Zodiac animals to remember. So here, we have a tiger, rat, ox, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. That’s a lot of animals and a lot to keep up with. Without much backstory behind powers and a lot of references, there’s plenty of room for confusion. 12 different sets of names, voices, and abilities can be a lot. Thankfully, Loo has a handful of them caught in a magical umbrella that makes them disappear. Only their silhouette appears on the outside.
Thankfully, the story isn’t what saves this film. The best part about it is the visual effects. It’s the colors, the transitions, and how the characters appear. That and a loaded cast that boasts the likes of Lucy Liu, Michelle Yeoh, Sandra Oh, Leah Lewis, Henry Golding, Diana Lee Inosanto, and more. With a cast like that, it isn’t the blockbuster you’d expect, but it gets the job done. This also marks the third time that Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh have worked on the same film (Crazy Rich Asians and Last Christmas).
The Tiger’s Apprentice gets a 7 out of 10. With so many characters in the mix, you’re guaranteed to find at least one that you like. I think children will have a fun time with it. I was in second grade when I was introduced to the Chinese Zodiac. The majority of my class was born the year of the dog, but, if you were born the following year, that was the year of the pig. It was something innocent and fun to point out as a kid. Add that with the epic visuals this film has to offer and the scenes with Tom’s grandmother and you have the perfect family film for the weekend.
The Tiger’s Apprentice will stream exclusively on Paramount+ on February 2.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures