An animated adventure that flips the standard view of mythological creatures upside-down, 2018’s Smallfoot takes us to the Himalayas. In that location, yetis exist, and they view humans as fictional characters.

A few yetis think otherwise, and Migo (voiced by Channing Tatum) sees proof. Along with the “Smallfoot Expeditionary Force”, he meets a human named Percy (James Corden) and tries to use him to convince his clan that “smallfoots” are real.

As much as I enjoy animated films, I stayed away from Smallfoot theatrically, mainly due to my perception of it based on trailers. After decades of movie-watching, I know that promos don’t mean much, at least as far as a predictor of positive quality.

And that logically swings the other way as well, for some films that look bad turn out to be good. Given that trailers exist to sell movies, though, this occurs less often. We’re more likely to believe a piece of junk will entertain than to feel a quality flick will stink.

In the case of Smallfoot, something about the trailer left me disenchanted. The film got pretty good reviews and I almost went to see it, but my initial negative assessment kept me home.

Now that I’ve viewed the film, I think it exists somewhere between the two poles. While not a great animated adventure, Smallfoot manages to exceed my initial expectations.

At its best, Smallfoot brings a fairly lively mix of comedy and action, and it proves surprisingly willing to challenge the status quo. When the yetis belief system gets challenged, it seems easy to view this as a critique of religion.

No, Smallfoot doesn’t dig deep into this territory, as the way it challenges matters remains low-key. Still, it feels more ambitious than one would expect of a tale meant for the kiddies.

Beyond that unusual theme, Smallfoot does just enough to maintain a reasonable level of entertainment. As noted, it combines action and comedy, and it brings out both in a likable manner, though it never excels in either domain.

A good cast helps. As our leads, Tatum and Corden offer fine performances, and the supporting actors help flesh out their roles in a positive manner as well.

All of this leaves Smallfoot as a watchable and moderately engaging 96 minutes. Although I don’t think it turns into anything great, it does what it needs to do.

Footnote: a tag scene appears during the end credits.

Smallfoot appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. I expected a strong visual experience from Smallfoot, and the Blu-ray delivered the goods.

Sharpness remained positive at almost all times. A few slightly soft elements appeared on a few occasions, but those seemed minor. Instead, the movie mostly offered tight, concise imagery. Smallfoot opted for a fairly blue/teal palette to reflect the frozen environment of the yetis. A few other hues emerged as well – mainly oranges and purples - but those dominated, and the tones seemed well-depicted and rich.

Blacks were deep and firm, while shadows appeared clean and concise. I felt pleased with this appealing presentation.

I also felt the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio of Smallfoot seemed strong. Given its story, the movie didn’t offer constant action, but it boasted more than enough good sequences to make it engaging.

The track offered plenty of flight and other active material to create a broad, involving setting. It also contributed many other components that allowed it to open up the tale.

In addition, audio quality was strong. Speech seemed natural and distinctive, and music offered nice range and vivacity.

Effects came across as accurate and dynamic. They boasted fine punch and appeared concise and full. Although the audio didn’t always dazzle, it soared often enough to earn an “A-“.

As we shift to extras, we find a Sing-Along mode. As expected, this shows lyrics alongside the movie’s tunes. While this does nothing for me, kids may enjoy it.

A new “mini-movie” called Super Soozie runs two minutes, 22 seconds and features the adventures of a young female yeti. It brings us a cute enough short.

With Migo in the Secret of the Yeti Stones, we find a three-minute, 43-second reel. A storyreel, it gives us a summary. I guess this intended to be an alternate ending, and it seems moderately entertaining.

Next comes Imagining Smallfoot, a five-minute, 58-second featurette with writer/director Karey Kirkpatrick, writer John Requa, co-director Jason Reisig, and actors Channing Tatum, Gina Rodriguez, Jimmy Tatro, Ely Henry, Zendaya, Common and James Corden.

“Imagining” delivers a look at story and characters, music, design choices and cast/performances. It’s too short for much depth but it throws out a decent overview.

We also locate three music videos. We find reels for Niall Horan’s “Finally Free”, Cyn’s “Moment of Truth” and the film’s “Wonderful Life” in 28 languages.

“Free” presents a mix of concert shots and movie images, while “Truth” features the animated yeti character mixed with some recording studio shots. Both these songs and videos seem mediocre.

As for “Life”, it presents the expected multi-language reel. It works pretty well since we get some glimpses of all the singers as well.

Finally, we get a five bits under Promotional Materials. This includes “Turn Off Your Cellphone” (0:36), “Artifact #17” (0:25), “Artifact #31” (0:30), “Artifact #54” (0:30) and “Migonada” (0:54).

They offer brief clips meant to sell the movie, and they’re reasonably fun. “Cellphone” and “Migonada” fare best.

The disc opens with ads for Lego Movie 2 and Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. No trailer for Smallfoot appears here.

As a comedic fable, Smallfoot brings a decent animated tale. Though the film never becomes anything truly memorable, it turns into an above average experience. The Blu-ray boasts excellent picture and audio along with minor supplements. As family fare, Smallfoot succeeds.