The Sloth Lane (U)
Cast: Olivia Vasquez, Benjamin Gorrono, Teo VergaraGenre: Action
Author(s): Tania Vincent, Erica Harrison, Ryan Greaves
Director: Tania Vincent, Ricard Cusso
Release Date: 14/02/2025
Running Time: 90mins
Country: Australia
Year: 2024
A devastating storm rages through the town of Tropicasa, destroying the Esto Es Vida! restaurant run by green-fingered father Luis, forgetful mother Gabriella, lazy son Mani and impatient daughter Laura. The clan hit the road in a "rusted hunk of junk" taco truck and resettle in Sanctuary City, home to cheetah entrepreneur Dotti Pace and her rapidly expanding chain of Zoom Fuel fast food outlets. Gabriella's home-cooked Mexican fare outshines Zoom Fuel's unappetising signature burger.
LondonNet Film Review
The Sloth Lane (U) Film Review from LondonNet
A family of Mexican sloths shift into top gear in an Australian animated adventure directed by Tania Vincent and co-directed by Ricard Cusso, which grazes in the same universe of anthropomorphic do-gooders as Combat Wombat and Daisy Quokka. Even more than its light-hearted predecessors, The Sloth Lane attempts to emulate the animal magic of Zootropolis, which featured a three-toed sloth named Flash, whose disposition was hilariously ill-suited for a job at the Department of Mammal Vehicles…
In Vincent and Cusso’s gently paced picture, the youngest member of the Romero Flores family is determined to disprove the theory that sloths are the slowest, laziest and most boring members of the animal kingdom. Consequently, young Laura races through life and barely pauses to smell the roses… or any of the flowers in her horticulturalist father’s lovingly tended garden. A freewheeling script co-written by Vincent and Ryan Greaves delivers a predictable lesson about “more haste, less speed” before a hare-brained heist that dominates a frenetic final half-hour that opts for a different form of zombification to the mind control practised in Combat Wombat: Double Trouble.
Vocal performances are as consistent and solid as the tempo, leaving American stand-up comedian and actress Leslie Jones little room to twirl whiskers as the “spotted maniac” responsible for lacing fast food with a hyper-caffeinated additive that temporarily boosts productivity. The Sloth Lane doesn’t deliver the same jolt of energy to audiences.
A devastating storm rages through the town of Tropicasa, destroying the Esto Es Vida! restaurant run by green-fingered father Luis (voiced by Ben Gorrono), forgetful mother Gabriella (Olivia Vasquez), lazy son Mani (Facundo Herrera) and impatient daughter Laura (Teo Vergara). The clan hit the road in a “rusted hunk of junk” taco truck and resettle in Sanctuary City, home to cheetah entrepreneur Dotti Pace (Jones) and her rapidly expanding chain of Zoom Fuel fast food outlets.
Gabriella’s home-cooked Mexican fare outshines Zoom Fuel’s unappetising signature burger, which is pumped full of a patented ingredient that turbo-charges customers for the rest of the day. Dotti is determined to get her greedy paws on the Romero Flores family’s cherished recipe boo. She appeals to youngest child Laura, who is stuck in the kitchen when she would rather be playing cricket with pals Arlo (Matteo Romaniuk) and Kayleigh (Evie). “With my name and your recipes, we can conquer the whole ecosystem!” says Dotti excitedly.
The Sloth Lane accelerates gradually then finds a sudden burst of speed for its madcap resolution. Young audiences will savour the colourful visuals and broad visual gags but parents largely go hungry for 90 minutes. The thorny issue of Gabriella’s faltering memory is addressed lightly to avoid distress. A protracted subplot introduces Laura’s newfound love of cricket. Howzat? Unnecessary narrative padding.
– Sarah Lee
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