‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’ welcomes little moviegoers with positive messages

One of the most attentive audiences I’ve seen this year probably couldn’t read the credits of the movie.

‘Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie’ (IMDb)

They were too young.

“Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” held the attention of its little viewers – roughly between the ages of 2 and 6 – who often sang with and responded to the main character of Gabby (Laila Lockhart Kraner) when she broke the “fourth wall” between the audience and the film.

The movie is based on the series that has enchanted tykes since it first aired on Netflix in 2021.

Gabby has magical cat ears that shrink her down to the size of the toys in her dollhouse so she can share their adventures.

Gabby spends some time with her Grandma Gigi (a delightful Gloria Estefan) in Cat Francisco. That’s where, because of the shenanigans of one of the toys, the beloved dollhouse takes off on its own, rolling toward its final stop where it is spotted by a villainous cat lady named Vera (Kristen Wiig,) a goofy grownup who has forgotten how to play and considers all toys collectibles.

Naturally, Vera commandeers the dollhouse when she first sees it, and now it’s up to the toys and Gabby to figure out how they can work together to reunite.

There’s a lot of music, bright colors, animation, live action, and feel-good high-jinks as Gabby and friends try to get the better of Vera.

The show is recognized for its positive messages, and the movie is no exception. Does growing up mean that you stop playing? I’m sure this will resonate with the grownups in the audience as well as the little ones.

Not surprisingly, cat shapes adorn nearly every inch of the dollhouse – even the elevator buttons are feline in appearance. Just looking for cat shapes in the environments is fun – just check out those heels on Vera’s boots!

This is a rare “G”-rated movie, with nothing offensive for the intended audience. There’s a little surprise at the end that expands the Gabby universe, which means we might be in for another treat on the big screen.

3 stars

Running time: One hour and 38 minutes.

Rated: G, with nothing offensive for any audience.

In theaters.

Watch the trailer here.

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