Summer of Strawberry Shortcake: A Berry Grand Opening and Sky's the Limit
A Berry Grand Opening very much feels like a pilot. It does a good job of introducing us to the world and the characters that inhabit it, though at only 12 minutes we don't get to know anyone all that well. But there are definitely things you can tell were not going to be sticking around, like the berrykins talking in rhyme (though that wouldn't entirely go away) and Strawberry "smelling" things like trouble and a plan. Still, it's a fun watch. And it is so, so good to hear actual voice actors again.
The animation is decent for mid-2000s CG, but the colors are kind of muddy, which is a little distracting. Fortunately, that's not the case for Sky's the Limit, but unfortunately, the CG is not much better. The models are a little awkward, though I really only thought about that when I wanted to take screenshots. The plot moves along at a good clip, so it's easy not to think about that and just follow the story.
It's been a while since I watched the whole thing, so I had forgotten how much action there was, and how intense some of the scenes were. And just how somber the third act is, when the girls learn the truth, that the macguffin they thought would save their home was a fake and they have to pack up after all.
Unlike the pilot, the movie has ample time to give each girl a couple of character moments, and I like how they all come together at the end, with the girls using the things that happened on their journey to bolster each other, and then to help Strawberry regain her confidence. They're believable as a group of friends without making a big deal about it.
As for the other characters, I was not a huge fan of Mr. Longface Caterpillar, but I didn't dislike him as much as I did when I first watched this movie (knowing he basically disappears after the first season of the show helps make him more tolerable, I suppose). I'd forgotten that Princess Berrykin sometimes talks in rhyme, though I think that's only in this movie. We didn't get to see too much of her, or the other berrykins, but the series more than makes up for that.
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