Releasing on Paramount+ the week before Lunar New Year, The Tiger’s Apprentice is an animated adaptation of Laurence Yep’s 2003 novel of the same name. The kids’ movie features a star-studded cast of Asian actors including Henry Golding (Mr. Hu), Michelle Yeoh (Loo), and Sandra Oh (Mistral). The film follows a Chinese American boy named Tom Lee, voiced by Brandon Soo Hoo, who suddenly must take over for his grandmother as the Guardian of the magical phoenix egg. Under the guidance of Mr. Hu, a man who can also transform into a tiger, Tom begins to come to terms with his newfound powers.
Along with Mr. Hu and the other Zodiac Guardians, Tom attempts to retrieve the phoenix egg back from Loo, who has stolen it for her own malicious intentions. The story follows a typical hero’s journey, while showcasing an experience many first and second-generation immigrant children go through — growing up and learning to embrace their heritage. Disappointingly, The Tiger’s Apprentice merely scratches the surface of this theme. The story does contain some heavy topics, such as death, but the writing shies away from the opportunity to explore them with nuance, barely lingering more than a few moments before moving on to the next scene. Considering the silly jokes, choppy flow, and somewhat stilted dialogue, the movie clearly caters to younger kids.
The animation style in The Tiger’s Apprentice is a mixed bag. The art for the fantastical characters, from the Zodiac animals to Loo’s demonic hench-creatures, are fluid and dynamic in movement. The environment art depicting the sights of San Francisco, and especially Chinatown, is vibrant and colorful. During the scenes that feature more fantastical realms, the art becomes wispy like watercolors in old Chinese paintings, a unique take on representing a more ethereal world. However, where the animation falters greatly is for the human characters. The lack of emotion in their facial expressions leads to an uncanny valley feeling and definitely feels out of place in today’s world of advanced animation.
The main cast’s performances did help bring more realism to the characters. The villain, Loo, is a male character in the book version but in the movie is an evil witch-like figure played by Michelle Yeoh, whose voice performance makes Loo a genuinely terrifying enemy. Props also goes to Brandon Soo Hoo, who pulled off the angsty teenage tones as Tom, and Henry Golding with his gruff but fatherly role as Mr. Hu. The interactions between the Zodiac animals are fun and light, but the scenes with Loo, Tom, and Mr. Hu in particular had the more interesting exchanges and character development. Unfortunately, even with some solid voice acting, the less than stellar writing and animation means this film doesn’t quite live up to the original novel.
The Tiger’s Apprentice is available for streaming on Paramount+ on February 2, 2024.
