Combat Wombat is the new superhero – review of the movie “Combat Wombat”

The title of the Australian animation with the graceful title Combat Wombat was translated in Polish distribution to What animals dream about today. Is it good translation? And what is this story about? You can read it in our review!

Family Movie

Maggie, the main character of the story, is an ingenious wombat who lives peacefully with her husband Bradley. Even though they are both rather introverts, this state of affairs suits them. Unfortunately, one day a tragedy occurs – Maggie’s husband dies in mysterious circumstances, saving his partner from inevitable death. This experience changes the protagonist who closes herself to the outside world. It is only when she meets the inconspicuous Puff, a charming furry man, that he notices that life has some meaning, if you can help others. She fulfills the dream of her new friend and becomes a superhero – she turns her pajamas into a costume, puts on a mask and goes to town! Although her main task is to help others, deep down she believes that she will also find her lover, Bradley. Knowing the plot (or at least part of it), the question is – what are the dreams of this animation? The creators’ approach is multifaceted, which can be seen, among others, in the number of threads, but I cannot help feeling that it is too confusing for a young audience.

Is it for everyone?

The animation begins with a touching scene. Then viewers will meet Maggie and her husband Bradley, but… oh hey! Initially, there is no superhero cinema. The heroine’s dream is for her husband to return home. The viewer doesn’t look back and she suddenly becomes a (great) Combat Wombat. However, this is not the biggest problem with animation. Contemporary animals are characterized by different desires – about freedom, respect, love, not about being a super baby. The creators made the subject of dreams of non-human beings very shallow. In addition, unfortunately, the animation has been enriched with many scenes that may turn out to be simply scary for younger children. Every parent knows their child best, but you should consider reading reviews (also on foreign portals) to avoid stress to the youngest. I think,

Similarities and differences

Some time ago, in 2020, I reviewed another animation – The Wishmas Tree , the title of which is similar to the proposal from 2021 (It is misleading in polish because the titles of those two movies are: O czym marzą zwierzęta and O czym dzisiaj marzą zwierzęta, the only difference is the word “dzisiaj” in Combat Wombat which means “today”), which may mislead the recipient (Google is playing tricks on us when we enter the title of the animation …). The subject of the films, however, is completely different, although the appearance of the characters coincides – not very Disney-like (in What do animals dream about today,   they resemble their real counterparts). To sum up, the animation directed by Ricardo Cussó, prepared according to the screenplay by Matthew James Kinmonth, will not impress with plot solutions, but selected audiences may like it due to the dynamics of the action.

We would like to thank the Cinema City network for the opportunity to watch the movie Combat Wombat!