Books on screen

The True Meaning of Smekday/Home

I suspected this movie would be a significant departure from the source material from the moment I read the description on the Netflix envelope (though I've read many a Netflix description that was a far cry from the movie's reality). I wasn't wrong. From the very beginning, the movie's entire focus is different than that of the book. Rex's original story focuses on Tip - her reactions, thoughts, feelings, and motivations. While these things have a role in the movie, they are more there as a lens for Oh (who is a far more bumbling, friendly, positive character in the movie). Even the plot is different. From the moment Oh fixes the car, the plot is a far cry from the book. They head to a different destination with an entirely different purpose. It's a nice movie, fun funny and well animated. Just a very different creation than the book was.