Directed by Carlos Saldanha, who also helmed global blockbuster animation films such as “Rio,” “Ice Age” and “Robots”, “Ferdinand” is a Blue Sky Studios feature that tells the unlikely and delightful story of a bull who prefers flowers to fighting. John Cena stars as the voice of the titular character, a peace-loving animal with no desire to battle matadors, like the rest of the herd, which makes him an outsider. At the ranch where he’s expected to train for the bullring, he meets Lupe, supposedly a calming goat, but in fact she is brash and feisty. The two become fast friends. Action-packed, funny and heartwarming, the film explores resonant themes of authenticity, courage and what home really means.
But everything changes when Ferdinand goes to a flower festival in the local town, where people mistake the massive bull as a vicious beast. Because of his cumbersome size, he creates havoc throughout the town and gets taken away from the family he loves.
The book’s message of amity and acceptance is as relevant today as it was when it first came out, and serves as the perfect opportunity for parents to share this moral with even the youngest of children.
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