Everyone's Hero

Everyone's Hero **1/2

For the first time for as long as I can remember, all computer animated films-or even any animated film for that matter-has been about talking animals getting into wild and crazy adventures. It never ended. The last time there was an animated film about actual people was. . . .well, I can't even think of one. There is the exception of "The Incredibles," but they were superheros. I don't know if you should count that. "Everyone's Hero" is about people without any special kind of power, except the powers of having positive moral values, which touches into the moral of the entire thing. It's a childrens movie where the main character is an actual child. Sure, there is a talking baseball and a talking baseball bat, neither of which we ever actually find out why they talk, but for the most part, this movie is about people. For once, I was able to see animated human beings, in an average computer generated format, instead of having to sit through another film about a talking cow.

"Everyone's Hero" has material for kids and adults. You could probably even tell which one is which. The story is about Yankee Irving, a little boy with a heart of gold. All he wants to do is to be able to play baseball with the kids in the sandlot, but his problem is, he's not the greatest player in the world. When he is shunned by the kids yet again, he retires to his home, bringing out a dusty old baseball from under a beat up car. When he gets home, he learns that the baseball can talk, and it has the voice of Rob Reiner All the ball wants is to be able to go back to the sandlot to die in peace. "Baseball is a game about lost dreams", says the magical ball. His dream was to be a homerun ball, but it slowly failed once he was hit as a foul one. Yankee's dad works in Yankee Stadium, and while visiting one night, Dad takes him into the locker room, and leaves him alone with Babe Ruth's classic bat, Darling. The next day, the bat is missing, and Yankee is the prime suspect. However, something strange happened that night. Yankee was shooed out of the room by a security guard. However, it's not just any guard, it's a ball player for the Chicago Cubs, Lefty Maginnis. His team is playing the Yankees in the World Series, and he steals the bat so that they don't have a chance at winning. Yankee is on to the ball player, and goes on a journey by foot and by train to retrieve Babe's bat, who, surprise!, also is able to talk.

Yankee learns alot on his quest for Babe Ruth. He learns that it's not about how you play, but about the actual player itself. And sadly, he also becomes a bigger Yankee fan along the way, something that we really don't need more of in this world. "Everyone's Hero" gives the fathers and sons something to bond over. The son can enjoy the talking objects, which in reality don't talk, or even move without an outside force. And the father can enjoy the baseball element, unless he's a Red Sox or Mets fan. "Everyone's Hero" isn't a perfect children's flick, but it's tolerable, and it's not something that the older viewers will groan about. It's mildly entertaining, and slightly humorous. And like I said, I would like to see more animation about people, and less on the animals. Every single animated film with animals was starting to look exactly the same for a while. Part of this film was directed by Christopher Reeve, before he died, and once he did, it was taken over by Dana Reeve, who also died a few months later. I think they'd be happy with the result, because their labor of love turned into something entertaining, and a worthy addition into the world of cheap, modern animated films. It certainly does beat "The Ant Bully," and "Barnyard," and at least it tries to be different. And unfortunetely, I bet it stems a few new Yankee fans, but that's a battle for another day. . .