Thor: Tales of Asgard (Animated) Review

I recently purchased the new Marvel animated film, Thor: Tales of Asgard. I end up owning every Marvel movie, good or not.

A young Thor

Marvel animation has produced some quality work lately - Hulk Vs Wolverine and Next Avengers were both good. But sometimes they're a little off like with their recent Doctor Strange and Iron Man animated features. I was dubious about Thor - clearly this is an attempt to promote/capitalize off of the recent live action film.

I was pleased with the result. The story is remarkably similar to the live action film's plot (it involves Thor, Odin, Loki, the Warriors Three, Sif, and the Frost Giants) but it has a teenaged looking Thor and doesn't involve Earth at all - this is all Asgard. The quest involves a search for the Sword of Surtur. Characters are portrayed closely to their comic book equivalents which for me is a plus. I'm not sure if this film is supposed to be in continuity or not with the live-action movie but I think their characterization of Loki and Odin in particular are aligned perfectly.

The animation itself was very well done. The fight sequences were interesting but perhaps not up to the standards of DC animation. The effects were, for the most part, good. The style is at times influenced by anime - Loki's design in particular.

The voice acting is unnoteworthy except for Odin. They got some dude to speak normally for Odin but what I really want to hear is a thunderous, deep voice ringing out with power and majesty.

I actually enjoyed the Avengers Bonus Episode under Bonus Features more than the main movie. This Avengers episode basically tells the same story (Thor, Frost Giants, Loki, Odin) but involves the Wrecking Crew, Enchantress, and Executioner. Plus the Avengers episode has a much faster pace and is exceedingly well animated. Very impressive! I'm going to have to buy the Avengers disks for my collection.

Final analysis: 16 out of 20 - It's a Hit! Check out this animated feature for some more Thor goodness!