Review: Toonstone

Posted on April 23, 2015May 9, 2019 by Tommy North

It took a few years, but we finally get to review the feature-length.

Growing up, Westerns were some of my favorite movies. Long before superhero movies and other blockbusters, they were the movies people rushed out to for an action packed movie going experience. While not as popular these days, there are still Westerns trickling onto the scene to satisfy audiences who want a taste of something from the Old West. Comedies on the other hand are just as popular today as they were in any other decade. Over the years we’ve seen many movies blend the two genres. “Blazing Saddles” is considered by many to be one of the great comedies. There was even one as recent as last year’s “A Million Ways to Die in the West”, which wasn’t as beloved by audiences, but still had it’s moments. Today I bring you a review of yet another Western-Comedy! And this one is animated!

Toonstone is set in the Wild West back in 1870 and revolves around a musician named Dalton who falls into the role of Sherriff for a town named “Toonstone”. Inexperienced and generally mentally unequipped to face outlaws, his friends help him be the Sherriff they know he can be.

If you’re familiar with the movie parodies “How it Should Have Ended” on Youtube, you’re already familiar with some of the work that some of this movie’s creators have worked on. Brent Triplett who voiced Iceman in the “Frozen” edition of HISHE is actually the director of this movie. He also directed many of episodes of “Battlefield Friends”. Many of the other guys from How it Should have Ended also came on to help write and do voice work for Toonstone.

Toonstone is filled with interesting and unique characters that bring a different comedic sensibility to the table. Dalton, our hero, usually uses observational humor when interacting with the crazy and weird characters that inhabit the world. There is a Native American character Acondo who is a sarcastic teenager, and my favorite character is a horse named McConaughorse who shares many mannerisms with Oscar winning actor: Matthew McConaughey. As a matter of fact, it will probably be the characters that stand out above every other aspect of the film. It isn’t that they are well written or developed, but they all have such fun and unique personalities that make them fun to watch.

Another strong aspect of the film is the interactions between those characters. The entire film doesn’t feel like one fluid film, it’s sort of feels like going from one sketch to the next. This is probably due to the shorter nature of the work the creative team is used to. But within those “sketches” is plenty of clever dialogue and awkward interactions. Not awkward in a bad way, it’s more about how different the characters are, it’s rare to fully see them on the same page.

Not all of the characters are great in the movie though. There are various outlaw villains who are all pretty interchangeable with one another. They are mean and menacing with little to no motivation, which itself isn’t mandatory for a character, but they aren’t funny at all either. They don’t contribute to the comedy of the movie. It’s as though they are there just to provide conflict for the heroes. The villains with the most personality are probably the Mexican Banditos who are actually aliens who travel in a wagon UFO. Definitely a play on the word “alien”. They’re hilarious who but they are in the movie for what feels less than five minutes.

The story isn’t the greatest. Like I mentioned before, the movie feels like a series of sketches. There is a thread that ties the entire movie together, but it seems the movie is just funny interactions and facing off against an evil outlaw every once in a while. There isn’t much to it, but you don’t really watch a movie like this for it’s deep narrative, so I wasn’t very disappointed.

The animation style is simple enough. Nothing too beautiful to look at, although there are some cool action sequences towards the end of the film.

Overall, the movie isn’t that great. It’s good for a laugh but they aren’t gut wrenching laughs. If you’re curious about the movie I suggest checking out How it Should Have Ended and if that kind of humor and character interaction is up your ally, I really think you’ll like this movie. The selling point of the film is the dialogue and characters. They are what made this movie as enjoyable.

Despite my issues with the film, I still found it sort of fun. The movie is available on Google Play for a $4.99 standard definition rental that lasts 48 hours. Is it worth your cash? It depends on what you like. I think this is best watched with a group of friends who have a taste for low-brow comedy. So if you plan on checking it out, make it a group event!