"a surprisingly good movie that with a simple plot and great comedy timing is capable to bring to the screen a story that can both entertain and teach valuable lessons for both children and adults"

Created and directed by a Spanish production, Capture the Flag can be considered an admirable, entertaining and hilarious animation made to entertain the whole family.

The plot is quite simple: Mike is a clever kid who has a nice family and great friends. His father is a pilot for NASA, like his father before him. Unfortunately, Mike's grandfather, Frank, doesn't talk with his family anymore and doesn't want to spend time with them. The reason behind Frank's isolation goes back to his days as an astronaut when he was set to land on the moon, but unexpectedly was dropped just before the departure.

When the snooty, overbearing and selfish billionaire Richard Carson announces that he will land on the moon to prove that the first landing wasn't real, Mike finally finds the only thing that will help him reunite his family: a mission to save the American flag from Carson's hands.

Throughout the last decade the production of animated films has been flourishing with original ideas to entertain children and also give great lessons to their parents. Capture the Flag is exactly this. Although the images are not manufactured with the same flawless quality of Disney or Pixar's, the rounded lines, small flaws and bright colours make the characters feel more real. The animation process to add facial expressions to the characters is brilliantly done, down to every small detail, making it easier for the audience to empathise with the story and make an instant connection with them.

Throughout the movie, the positive message that family and friends are all everyone needs, especially in the toughest moment, comes across effortlessly. The story flows easily and the comedy aspect of the movie is ever-present, making the audience crack a smile or laugh-out-loud throughout the movie.

What is obvious from the beginning of the film, is the fact that Capture the Flag, in many ways, wants to show a parody of our reality. For instance, the villain in the story is the exact representation of any politician that only wants to exploit the economy for his own gain. Richard Carson is easy to hate. He fits perfectly with the standard ideas of a bad guy in all the cartoons, or in real life for that matter: full of himself, an attention seeker and ultimately not so bright at all.

Especially hilarious is the use of other characters inspired by many other famous figures in America. Starting from Jay Lemmon, clearly inspired by the American comedian Jay Leno, to Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, who in the film become Carson's sidekick Steve Gigs and Bill Gags, all these characters are parody representations of their real life counterparts creating funny sketches that entertain children and made every adult in the room laugh.

Even though Capture the Flag is filled with hilarious moments, the messages that the film wants to convey are loud and clear throughout. In fact, not only does it want to teach children the valuable lesson to always remember that family is the most important thing in everyone's life, but it also wants to remind them that no matter how many times you try and fail, you always have to stand up again and try one more time. Mike's perseverance in keeping his family together makes him do the impossible and, thanks to the help of his friends, he is able to succeed with his personal mission. Moreover, Capture the Flag also highlights how being different does not always mean being wrong.

On the contrary, it shows how special and important someone can be. All in all, Capture the Flag is a surprisingly good movie that with a simple plot and great comedy timing is capable to bring to the screen a story that can both entertain and teach valuable lessons for both children and adults.