DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year (2016, 76 minutes)

Plot: The heroines at Super Hero High team up to stop an invasion by Dark Opal and Eclipso.

Source Material: This is a brand extension of DC’s Super Hero Girls line of toys, clothes, and pretty much every kind of merchandise possible. So it’s not based in the comics as much as a corporate attempt at reaching girls. That said, there’s still a lot of references to the DC Universe.

Animation: It’s cute. It’s also honestly hard to even say it deserved a physical release. It’s very webtoon level and nothing more. The animation is very bland and cheap with character designs that scream corporate mandates. Colors are all bright and shiny. There’s virtually no hard lines.

Script: I really don’t know what to say about this script. It’s not for me in the least. If you are the target audience, I’m sure it’s a plus. But really, it felt padded and dull to me with very familiar messages. Kids takes always cram messages in I can’t stand admittedly. This is…ok.

Voice acting: A rather solid array of voice actresses deliver rather solid work here. Nobody really stands out aside from Tara Strong killing it as Harley Quinn but nobody does less than decent either. Though why were Crazy Quilt and Dark Opal flamboyant? Like, why?

Final Verdict: This was not meant to be watched by me. At all. It’s meant for the Monster High audience and as an intro to DC for them, it’s actually quite solid. There’s a lot to hook a new fan with. I can dig what they’re trying to do here. It’s in no way a movie as I define it, more of a bloated tv special. But it’s not for me. If you’re in the target audience, watch it. If not, skip.