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This charming and likable but unoriginal animated film comes at just the right time for the lunar new year and February school break. It’s like a store-bought char siu bao, overly sweet but still satisfying: a Chinese-inspired comfort food in movie form. The plot, based on a novel by Laurence Yep, follows teenager Tom (voiced by Brandon Soo Hoo) as he lives with his grandmother, Amah (voiced by Tan Kheng Hua), in San Francisco. Amah is a quirky old lady who covers their 19th-century house in so many good luck charms that people mistake it for a shrine and leave oranges on the doorstep.
Amah is the protector of a purple stone that has the ability to transform into a phoenix. This stone is the main magical object that the villain, Loo (played by Michelle Yeoh), is seeking in order to carry out her malicious intentions. Fortunately, Amah has a close relationship with a group of animal-human hybrid beings, similar to the Avengers. These characters can shift between human and animal forms at will. The most prominent member of this group is Hu (played by Henry Golding), the tiger referenced in the title. In his human form, Hu is a handsome, bearded father figure. However, as a strong-willed and independent feline, Hu must learn how to be a better mentor to his new apprentice, Tom, in order to stop Loo’s evil plans. It is clear that this film was created by individuals who are all proponents of Team Cat.
The remaining eleven animal-human hybrids in the Chinese zodiac are featured in the movie, including Pig (Deborah S Craig), Dog (Patrick Gallagher), Snake (Poppy Liu), Horse (Diana Lee Inosanto), and others. However, they are imprisoned because of Loo, leaving the tiger, dragon (Sandra Oh), rat (Bowen Yang), monkey (Sherry Cola), and rabbit (Greta Lee, underused) to assist with Tom’s training and fighting against Loo. Tom also has a human love interest named Rav (Leah Lewis), who is skilled in skateboarding and guitar playing, adding to the already diverse cast. While it is satisfying to see the iconic Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper destroyed in the end, the overall visual style of the film is quite generic.
Source: theguardian.com
