Movie Review: Under the Boardwalk 7-21-25
When timid Jersey crab Armen meets bold tourist sea crab Ramona, it causes shell-shocking tension within the community. When Armen and Ramona are swept away by a storm, they embark on a journey to find their way home. Can Armen and Ramona make it back to the beach before the other hermit crabs kill each other?
Under the Boardwalk can be described with one word: Surprising. This movie is a great family film to watch on a summer night with surprisingly good animation, songs that have no right to be as good as they are, and a relatable protagonist.
There’s also a good representation of the deaf with Shelley, Ramona’s younger sister. In fact, the filmmakers got on board a group of deaf and ASL (American sign language) consultants to make sure Shelley was portrayed accurately!
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| It must've been hard for the DNEG animators to do sign language without fingers. |
If I were to make a nitpick, as well as having story beats too similar to other animated movies, I don’t like the design of Anemone, a sea anemone that lives in Armen’s shell in the first act. He looks and behaves more like a worm than an actual anemone!
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| Does this look like a sea anemone to you? |
In conclusion, Paramount had no right to sweep Under the Boardwalk under their rug and make it VOD (video on demand). If I were in the executive’s shoes, I would’ve released the movie in theaters in either Fall 2022 or Spring 2023. Yes, it wouldn’t stand a chance against The Super Mario Bros Movie, but at least people would have the opportunity to see it on the big screen.
Rating: 3.6 star out of 5.
