Miraculous: The Movie, Now Streaming on Netflix

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When the televised French cartoon Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir found such a big audience in America, it was no surprise that a movie would follow. Miraculous: The Movie, now streaming on Netflix, delivers the full story of how Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste became superheroes and saved Paris from a plague of evil villains created by Hawk Moth (who is also renamed Shadow Moth in season 5).

As the film begins we see Marinette rushing into the streets of Paris to save a child from a bully. In the process she stumbles on a elderly man who is being attacked by another villain and instinctively saves his life. The older man is the guardian of a miracle box that contains gems that release Kwamis, little magical talking animal-things that endow the chosen ones with powers. Upon taking the gems, Marinette is granted the ability to transform into Ladybug. The evil Hawk Moth then recruits more villains to wreak havoc. Marinette and Adrien, now teamed up as the superheroes of Ladybug and Cat Noir, must band together to fight them all.

The movie is filled with action, comedy, and romance. The animation is beautiful and the characters are well rounded. It is also worth noting that there are some scenes that might be upsetting to young children. This includes the death of the mother of Adrien and his grief over her loss. There are also references to the loss of a friend of Marinette’s who committed suicide. Despite these minor flaws, it is still an entertaining movie for all ages.

Aside from a precarious second colon in its title, Miraculous: The Movie is an engineered spinoff to both kowtow to diehard fans and draw in newcomers. It succeeds at both, though some of the film’s songs seem to be inserted to push the plot forward as opposed to being purely for entertainment purposes. This could be seen as a drawback, especially considering how the chemistry between Ladybug and her love interest Adrien isn’t quite captured as well in this film.

The most important thing to remember about this movie is that it is a standalone story and should not be viewed as a sequel to the series. This movie should be watched on its own and it is a great way to introduce the world of Miraculous to anyone who may not have had the chance to see the show. Then, when you are ready to move on, the series is there for you.