Not sure what I expected. I mean a cartoon family called the “Louds” are going to be loud. That’s a given, right? I’m not allowed to stick my head in a cloud, nor have expectations plowed by a clan named “McLeod,” am I? Speaking of McLeods, the plot of this cartoon is an obnoxious family trip to Scotland. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Meet the Louds. The kids are Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lola, Lisa, Lily, and Lincoln Loud. That’s great if you want to catch “L.” And the girls are all spectacular at their given fortes, including the goth. How do you become a spectacular goth? Lawdy, I have no idea. So naturally, the story is about the only boy (Asher Bishop). What Lincoln lacks in talents, he more than compensates for in inferiority complex. And in the film we get to see Lincoln, the world’s nicest megalomaniac, in action.
You would think that the Louds would vacation away from Royal Woods in a place like Lima or London or visit Lollapalooza, and you’d be right; I’ll get to that. After charting and carting each of his successful sibs off to their respective trophy-winning competitions, Lincoln is frowny about his own empty award shelf and gets an idea from a baking friend that maybe he has an unknown ancestral trait he hasn’t yet explored. So the exceptional scientist among his sibs collects parental DNA (in the most roundabout ways, of course) and before ya know it, the whole goofy bunch is in Loch Loud, Scotland where they discover they are both heirs and doppelgangers for a family of castle-owning royals from 400 years ago. Naturally, the family moves in for a week and Lincoln decides he needs to be the Duke of Loch Loud. Really. And it gets to his head.
As parents, we understand how backwards the philosophy of our hero: Feeding your sense of self-importance by forcing your way in charge is both disturbing
and fascist. The “only I can fix it” line should have set off alarm bells for anyone who understands the cult of Trump. Sure, on the one sense, it’s “just a cartoon.” But in another very real sense, this is where your children are learning ways to cope with their world. At least a few children are going to look at Duke Lincoln’s power-hungry behavior in Act II and conclude: “It’s not that he was wrong; it’s that he never really got the chance to prove himself right.”
But I digress. Aside from Lincoln playing God, the adventures of the Louds are often both delightful and hilarious. Take, for instance the Loud family path to Scotland which included a hot-air balloon ride, a parachute into France, and a submarine hitchhike. I dunno which L is the goth, but I love that she got along with her centuries-old twin ghost so they could combine paranormal forces for good. For the most part, the film is cute and breezy and enjoyable. It was just presented at a time in which maybe we don’t see the humor of megalomania so much.
The Loud fam has an unusual shtick
All named with a similar harmonic
I see you adjectival Ls
And I say, “What the Hells?”
You missed Listless, Lamentable, and Lethargic
Rated TV-Y7, 83 Minutes
Director: Dave Needham
Writer: Kevin Sullivan, Chris Viscardi
Genre: Cartoon wackiness
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Big sibling family? Maybe you can relate
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People who dislike being taught lessons by two-dimensional creatures
