It’s not easy being Loud.
Well, maybe it is. Especially when you’re a family of 13. But the point I’m trying to make is that it’s not always easy being Lincoln Loud.
I mean, Lincoln is a great brother, a super organizer and a good all-around kid. But compared to his 10 vivacious, talented and generally spotlight-worthy sisters, he’s kind of a less-than-special-but-right-about-average boy.
The Loud family’s house may be chock-full of trophies and ribbons, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one with a boy’s name on it. And when neighbors step up to pat Mr. or Mrs. Loud on the back and praise them for their kids’ accomplishments, “You must be proud of your girls,” is what most often comes out of their mouths.
Don’t think Lincoln hasn’t noticed.
Lincoln’s best friend, Clyde, tries to pooh-pooh the idea of having to be special. Still, the fact is that Clyde is pretty special at baking. When Clyde attributes his gifted abilities to his family coming from a long line of bakers, however, a light bulb lights up in Lincoln’s head.
What if he could dig into his dad’s family history? There’s bound to be something that male Louds have been good at. Maybe that’ll help Lincoln find his special niche.
And before you can say “Caledonia,” the whole Loud clan is packing up and heading off for a vacation in Dad’s ancestral homeland of Scotland!
Lincoln hopes he might find some genetic connection to being really good at, oh, I don’t know, dragon hunting or bell tower-building. But what they find is something altogether unexpected. They stumble upon a town called Loch Loud—a whole town with their name on!
Not only that, but the townsfolk become pretty excited when they learn who’s arrived for a visit. Turns out the Loud family is nothing less than direct relations to the royal family that founded Loch Loud. They’re royalty, by gum! And young Lincoln, why he’s nothin’ shy of a duke.
Now, that’s special. And as the Louds move in for a stay at the nearby castle, Lincoln can’t help but think of what he’ll need to do to make this duke thing stick. I mean, as an honest-to-goodness royal he could do … duke stuff: dub knights and junk. That may be exactly what he was born to do.
Hey, it’s cooler than building bell towers.
Lincoln, really, really, really wants to be as extraordinary as his sisters all seem to be. But through the course of the film, he gradually learns that it’s OK when your siblings land in the spotlight of public attention more than you do (especially if they deserve it). Supporting, organizing, and encouraging are all very important and incredibly helpful activities, too. And they require a special set of skills.
Conversely, the movie suggests that sometimes people can do foolish, and even harmful, things when they selfishly seek attention or power. And that can be destructive and hurtful to others as well as to the people who make those kinds of choices.
After a few self-serving stumbles, Lincoln makes wise choices; his sisters, parents, and others praise him for those thoughtful decisions. They also rally together to help Lincoln when he’s in need. The family members also enjoy one another and express their love for each other.
By movie’s end, a good and loyal servant is justly rewarded with the authority and power that others seek.
Lincoln’s sister Lucy is generally bleak and grim, and her interests are as gloomy as her perpetually black wardrobe. She’s a member of the Junior Morticians, for example, and we see that she sleeps in a coffin (which also happens to house a few bats).
All of that dark, deathly focus leads to Lucy sitting in a ring of candles while in the Scottish castle, calling out to past Louds who once walked those hallways. (We see an ancestral family portrait and the earlier Louds looked like exact doppelgangers of the current Loud family.)
Lucy then meets her ghostly family counterpart, Lucielle. She helps Lucy and Lincoln figure out some of the deceit being carried out by the current caretaker, Morag. And later, the ghosts of all of the members in the ancestral Loud family portrait show up.
The caretaker, Morag, digs up a diary of her great-great-grandmother; it reveals how that woman ran the original Loud family off some 400 years ago using a magic gem. Morag uses that same gem to hypnotize a dragon and cause havoc in the local town (blaming it all on Lincoln).
Lincoln’s sister Leni meets a young boy in Scotland (coincidentally named Scott), and they take a shine to each other. Eventually she gives him a light peck on the cheek.
Morag uses a magic gem to control a large dragon and causes it to demolish the town. Buildings and bridges are smashed and singed by dragon’s breath.
Characters get tossed about from time to time, or tumble around in slapstick falls. And Morag threatens people with her control over the massive dragon and its fiery breath.
No foul language. But people do cry out exclamations like “stupid phone,” “you fool” and “ninny!” And others make some exclamations such as “Blow me bagpipes” and “What the … sheep!”
None.
There’s potty humor scattered throughout this animated flick. Lincoln’s baby sister and her regularly dirty diaper get quite a bit of screen time, for instance. Morag gets hit in the face with one of those soiled missles, while also falling into a wheel barrel full of fertilizer.
Another example of that brand of humor includes Lincoln coming out and striking what he assumes is a royal pose. His siblings ask what he’s doing. “I’m dukeing,” he replies. “Right in front of us?” one sister asks. “You know we have our own bathrooms now,” another snorts. (One could read a smidgen of innuendo into that last exchange.)
We also see Morag deceive people and boldly lie to people’s faces.
It’s not easy to be the only brother in a huge chorus of female siblings in the Loud homestead. But it’s kinda fun to sit back and watch them all sing and dance about.
Based on a Nickelodeon series that’s run for five seasons now, The Loud House Movie is a nicely balanced musical that somehow gives all of the kids—with their distinctive personalities and quirks—a moment to shine. All the while, it also delivers a rollicking, giggle-packed tale of castles, dragons and backstabbing caretakers.
There is quite a bit of potty humor here, however. It ranges from dirty diaper splats to giggles over smelly athletic supporters and the like. There’s also a dark magic gem in the story mix. And one sister, Lucy, who’s obsessed with death and darkness, stirs up the ghosts of her deceased Loud ancestors. It’s all done with a cartoony glee, but moms and dads may find some of those mild caveats a little too frown worthy.
For families that choose to talk through those issues, there’s quite a bit to enjoy and appreciate in this full-voiced little musical. That includes some rambunctious celebrations of family life and sibling love, and a few solid encouragements to serve others and put their needs before your own.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
