“The Velveteen Rabbit” opens with a scene depicting a family moving to a new town and for anyone who experienced changing schools as a child, protagonist William’s sadness at leaving his school friends will resonate deeply. This is one of those stories crafted for children but carries a poignancy that may be too sad for younger audiences, making it more resonant for adult viewers seeking to reconnect with their childhood selves.
Directed by Jennifer Perrott, Rick Thiele, “The Velveteen Rabbit” is based on a book of the same name by Margery Williams. Phoenix Laroche plays William, a shy little boy who is too nervous to make friends at his new school, so he spends all his times with his stuffed rabbit. While William’s mother (Samantha Colley) begins to worry about his lack of human friends, William goes on the best imaginary adventures with his beloved toy.
With a 45-minute runtime, “The Velveteen Rabbit” is well-paced, starting off sweet and silly as William’s toys come to life, reminiscent of “Toy Story” despite Perrott’s work being much older, first published in 1922. Towards the second-half however, the movie ramps up it’s emotional quotient, taking on an almost tragic turn, which might just reduce younger viewers to buckets of tears. In between, there are also some animated sequences of William and his rabbit going on dangerous quests, although the artwork wasn’t captivating and looked quite dated. Besides, the animated William doesn’t have the cute charms of the real boy.
Phoenix Laroche’s portrayal of William feels like the little boy practically jumped out of the illustrated version of the book. Phoenix perfectly conveys William’s fear and isolation over moving to a new school and then smoothly switches to an excited little boy living in his own world of make-belief with his playthings. Alex Lawther lends his voice to the Velveteen Rabbit, giving it a curiously endearing personality of a toy that wishes to be real. While William’s family members have very small cameos, the story does serve as an important mirror for parents about the kind of impact moving homes can have on little children and that their silence could be a cry for help.
“Velveteen Rabbit” is a bittersweet little Christmas film about the importance of friendship and I think it might be a little too sad for kids below 8, but it’s definitely a good pick for family movie night.
Rating: 7 on 10. You can watch “The Velveteen Rabbit” on Apple TV.
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