Very much a kids movie, but one which could be enjoyed by adults as well. This Christmas fantasy's strengths include impeccably detailed, sumptuous set design and set decoration; beautiful costume design, very colorful and imaginative - I'm not usually the kind of viewer that notices costume design but it's really spectacular here; good choreography and enjoyable songs - some of them are a bit too much of what you would expect from this kind of movie, but enjoyable nonetheless; excellent vocals and casting from top to bottom - I never knew Forest Whitaker could sing! Netflix clearly invested heavily in the project. The special effects are excellent and production values are high, and it certainly is good to see such a movie with a Black cast dominating all of the lead roles.
The story does rely too much on the "all you have to do is believe" trope, which is repeated over and over again, and certainly the conflict and character development are utterly two-dimensional. But then again, that's not the point of this movie. It's a fantasy, very much along the lines of Peter Pan, and achieves what it sets out to achieve. It's an entertaining, escapist holiday fantasy.
The story does rely too much on the "all you have to do is believe" trope, which is repeated over and over again, and certainly the conflict and character development are utterly two-dimensional. But then again, that's not the point of this movie. It's a fantasy, very much along the lines of Peter Pan, and achieves what it sets out to achieve. It's an entertaining, escapist holiday fantasy.