Altar Gang: Skiff & AJ's Fantastic Voyage
Skiff & AJ's Fantastic Voyage is an American Christian themed animated 36-minute long short film released on January 8, 2013 by Lumen Entertainment as part of their Altar Gang series. The film megan development and production in 2011, was completed by the end of 2012, and released at the start of 2013. Produced by Lumen Entertainment, the film also featured a team of artists who worked on Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002) for Big Idea Entertainment, Curious George (2006) for Universal Pictures, and two Pixar Animation Studios movies directed by Brad Bird for The Walt Disney Company, namely The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007).
The movie was broadcast on EWTN on May 9, 2014 following Life on the Rock. The film can now be viewed on the Lumen Entertainment website.
Plot
When inanimate objects Skiff (the incense boat) & AJ (the aspergillum) test-drive their homemade time machine, it shrinks them to a gnat size. After a pregnant lady mistakenly inhales the wannabe time travelers, the two soon encounter an extra-special being dwelling within. Skiff & AJ begin to communicate with, learn about, and start a new friendship with the baby in the womb. Without enough power to launch their ship back to the outside world, Skiff & AJ find themselves stranded. They make plans for a big escape- but to work, it'll take all they can muster. Can baby safely deliver them home from their life changing adventure? Embark on a FANTASTIC VOYAGE that's right under your nose (and left of the spleen)!
Why this film is more of a Boring Voyage than a Fantastic one
- This movie took elements from Disney and Pixar films like Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, and The Incredibles.
- The dad in this movie looks like a cheap rip-off of Bob Parr from the Incredibles.
- None of these characters are that interesting or likable, they're just so boring, especially Skiff and AJ themselves.
- This movie also attempts to be like VeggieTales, but it just comes off as pandering to Christians.
- The animation is absolutely terrible. It's bland, glitchy, and the rendering looks unfinished.
- Not to mention, there are times when footage from the film was used more than once in this film.
- This movie is said to feature a team of artists who worked on films like Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, Curious George, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille, yet it certainly doesn't feel like it. And come to think of it, it feels like they're ripping off Disney, Pixar, and Big Idea.
- Even as a movie inspired by the cult classic 1966 20th Century Fox film Fantastic Voyage, the idea of a fantastic voyage into the pregnant lady's womb actually can be creepy when you think about it.
- Yes, birth is a part of life, but even the idea of two altar objects making contact with the unborn baby can feel really creepy, especially when the baby is naked.
- The soundtrack is so bland, even for Christians.
- The pop culture references it had are so poorly executed, including the one with the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme playing in the background as Skiff and AJ finally discover an unborn baby in the womb.
- There's absolutely nothing funny about this movie, to the point where it makes Saturday Morning All Star Hits! look like something you would laugh at compared to this. Everything in this movie is so slow and boring.
- Think The Flintstones: On the Rocks, but for Christian children.
- "We're Under a Tack" has got to be one of the laziest jokes ever displayed.
- Give me all you can "mustard" is an absolute snoozefest of a joke.
- The voice acting is terrible.
- The human body city setting in this movie just looks poor, especially when compared to the setting in Osmosis Jones, which is a much better movie than this.
- Speaking of which, did you know both films share the same tagline "An Epic Adventure of Microscopic Proportions"?
Forgiving qualities
- The mom and dad do show that they can be genuinely good parents.
- The shrink time machine transformation did look pretty cool.
- The idea of combining the Fantastic Voyage trope with the time travel aspects does sound like a good concept.