Whenever a traditionally animated movie miraculously makes it’s way to theatres, I will almost always check it out. There is an unbeatable satisfaction about watching 2D animation flourish on the big-screen that CG-animation could never achieve. That being said, CG-animation is obviously stunning in it’s own way but it should go without saying that both styles should co-exist in the theatrical space. Usually, nowadays the only theatrically-released, traditionally animated movies from the west are those based off of pre-existing cartoons. Every few years, one of these movies comes out and it does okay at the box-office considering it’s target audience and usually they are a delightful treat not only for the fans but to animation lovers in general. Watching ‘Teen Titans Go! To The Movies’ in cinemas a few years back was actually very rewarding and fun and with ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’, I can happily say that it’s honestly, genuinely one of the best movies of the year.

mild spoilers for ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’ are featured in this review.

This could’ve very easily been a feature-length episode with little to no justification for its existence but the truth is that ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’ is anything but ordinary. This brightly coloured, stunningly animated gem of a movie is actually a murder mystery musical! We find the Belchers running against time to save their beloved restaurant from a string of horrible events and they get through it through the power of family and the occasional musical number. Prior to watching this movie, I more or less knew what I was getting into, I love the show and the Belchers, I was ecstatic waiting for the lights to turn off in that theatre. However, while I knew the style of humour, I didn’t know how I would feel about the musical numbers and when the first one popped up, I was genuinely surprised by how well it fit the movie. It worked for a number of reasons actually. The effort put into the animation was insane, it was hypnotizing at times due to how smooth and fluid it was. It genuinely took me by surprise and it made the movie all the more enjoyable. Another reason is the characters themselves, this voice-cast knows these characters like the back of their hand so hearing them sing as these characters was in and of itself a joy to behold every single time. It also helps that the melodies were very catchy and upbeat. The moment the first musical number, ‘Sunny Side Up Summer’ starts, it’s like the movie becomes alive, radiating with infectious exuberance. Each number fit the respective character perfectly and was done so well that the movie simply wouldn’t work without them and for a non-musical cartoon to accomplish this, is no small feat.

‘Bob’s Burgers’ is in the same realm as ‘The Simpsons’ in that children could technically watch it but they won’t really get the most out of it because the humour is more verbal than physical. Seeing as how this is an animated movie, I figured that families would show up to watch ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’ and I could honestly not tell if the parents brought their children as an excuse to watch the movie in theatres or if they genuinely enjoyed it more than their own children. It was actually pretty hilarious that in my screening, the adults were constantly laughing out loud yet the children were acting as if their parents were possessed and didn’t know what to do so they just went along with it. One kid yelled ‘DINOSAURS!’ when they showed the ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ trailer and I think that’s the most fun he had in those two hours. I went to watch it with my 15-year-old brother and we both couldn’t stop laughing. I was expecting to chuckle here and there but I genuinely didn’t expect myself to be in tears from laughing so hard at times. It is truly one of the most feel-good movies I’ve ever seen.

On that note, it’s important to note why this movie has such a profound effect on me. I’ve been noticing a pattern in this year’s movies recently and it’s that some of them just want to have fun and I for one, genuinely appreciate that. While I love a dark and brooding action-heavy epic (aka ‘The Batman’), I personally found movies like ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ and ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’, hell even the new ‘Doctor Strange’ movie to be the movies that stuck with me the most. These are the movies I’m going to recommend to people because you get so much out of them. They not only look fantastic, once again praising the animation here because it is truly gorgeous but they have great emotional depth. All of this while maintaining great pacing and being visually compelling. Yes, this is ‘Bob’s Burgers’ so how much emotion do you think a feature-length movie can pack in? Surprisingly an effective amount. I love the journey every Belcher took in this movie, it gave the movie a purpose and gave the fans a push forward in a story that doesn’t necessarily need to go anywhere. Family truly is at the forefront here and it’s honestly the greatest strength of the show. You feel like this is a true family, the way they interact with one another not only from a comedic standpoint but also from a relatability standpoint, the Belchers are just as good and deserving of a movie as the Simpsons and they truly knocked it out of the park.

Overall, ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’ is a smashing hit in my books. I cannot wait to rewatch it all summer long. It’s the type of movie that I knew was going to become a new comfort movie while watching it for the first time. Everything from the animation to the surprisingly great musical numbers make this cinematic adaptation an incredibly delightful treat. I truly have nothing bad to say about it, it’s genuinely one of my favourite movies of the year and I hopefully managed to get you to watch it by the end of this review.

‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie’ is in theatres now.