Visually, "My Life as McDull" is extremely innovative, blending 3D computer animation with 2D images and even live action. The film's dialogue and events are also fascinatingly idiosyncratic.
McDull is, true to his name, dull-witted, but the authority figures who govern him--his mother, the headmaster, his teacher, his bun-snatching coach--are all incompetent and selfish. The film sharply criticizes the assumption that adults are smarter and superior to children, yet its oddness keeps it from ever becoming preachy.
Consider the narration by the adult McDull. He may be smarter than his childhood self, but he regrets what he's learned, speaking mainly about how unhappy he is. "My Life as McDull" is as perceptive in its portrayal of childhood and aging as any film I've seen.
McDull is, true to his name, dull-witted, but the authority figures who govern him--his mother, the headmaster, his teacher, his bun-snatching coach--are all incompetent and selfish. The film sharply criticizes the assumption that adults are smarter and superior to children, yet its oddness keeps it from ever becoming preachy.
Consider the narration by the adult McDull. He may be smarter than his childhood self, but he regrets what he's learned, speaking mainly about how unhappy he is. "My Life as McDull" is as perceptive in its portrayal of childhood and aging as any film I've seen.