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Important note: This is a review covering the 2014 English dub by GKIDS.

As innocuous as they come, Ernest & Celestine is a safe, predictable and familiar affair. It will entertain the kids easily enough, thanks to slap-sticky antics and silly characters, but teens on up may find themselves racing to their DVD shelf for the nearest Pixar film. Because while Ernest & Celestine isn't without charm, it lacks the heart, humor, and depth of its animated peers.

The film takes place in a world of anthropomorphic bears and mice. The mice live underground, while the bears roam above them. They do not interact with each other, as both sides believe the other species to be dangerous or frightening. But after a little orphan mouse named Celestine is rescued, by happenstance, by the hungry bear Ernest, the two become unlikely friends. Yet, both Ernest and Celestine are on the lam for various crimes, and must evade the police.

The entire film seems to cut-and-paste scenes and ideas from other animated films. A scene where Celestine props open an umbrella for the enormous Ernest reminds of My Neighbor Totoro. A montage involving sketches and music recalls the "tasting" scenes from Ratatouille. And the entire premise of two species living afraid of each other seems to come straight out of Monsters, Inc. Bits of Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wall-E and The Iron Giant find their way into the picture as well. Even the pretty animation just reminds me of the "Charmin" toilet paper commercials (also featuring bears).

The attempts at relevancy feel half-hearted. Themes of racism (most notably), art, social standards, and the like are simplified to be understood by the youngest in the viewing audience. The humor is merely perfunctory - occasionally stealing grins, but usually foreseen before the punchline hits.

The voice cast features impressive names, and most of them manage to give unrecognizable performances. The highlight of the cast is Mackenzie Foy as Celestine, though she is blessed with the only character in the film that doesn't feel like a caricature. Forest Whitaker is perfectly lovable as Ernest, while Jeffery Wright portrays a judge who's character design is more memorable than the understated performance. Most of the other cast members (including Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti, Megan Mullally, and Nick Offerman) are a bit grating thanks to shrieky, tiring characters.

The score, composed by Vincent Courtois, is exactly what you would expect from an animated indie film. Quirky, small, and fun to listen to. It's not anything outstanding, but it's engaging at times when the film isn't.

Ernest & Celestine is cutesy and fluffy, and told in a tidy 80 minute runtime, insuring that young children won't be squirming in their seats, waiting for the movie to end. But their parents will simply be reminded of other, better animated films. It's completely inoffensive (the PG rating is largely attributed to one very brief nightmare sequence), but that's also part of it's problem. Ernest & Celestine is cute and cuddly enough, but it could have used some sharper edges.

Score: 6/10