Ferdinand (2017)

December 9, 2017 (US) • Animation, Family, Adventure, Comedy • 108m

Overview

Ferdinand, a little bull, prefers sitting quietly under a cork tree just smelling the flowers versus jumping around, snorting, and butting heads with other bulls. As Ferdinand grows big and strong, his temperament remains mellow. But one day five men come to choose the "biggest, fastest, roughest bull" for the bullfights in Madrid— and Ferdinand is mistakenly chosen.

Director

Carlos Saldanha

Writers

Robert L. Baird, Tim Federle, Brad Copeland

Top Billed

John Cena

Keywords

friendship spain madrid, spain europe anthropomorphism remake bull based on children's book capture 3d animation joyous adoring assertive cheerful empathetic enthusiastic excited

Where to watch

Free / Included

HBO Max Amazon Channel

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

John Cena

Ferdinand (voice)

Kate McKinnon

Lupe (voice)

Anthony Anderson

Bones (voice)

Bobby Cannavale

Valiente / Valiente's Father (voice)

Peyton Manning

Guapo (voice)

Gina Rodriguez

Una (voice)

Miguel Ángel Silvestre

El Primero (voice)

David Tennant

Angus (voice)

Flula Borg

Hans (voice)

Jerrod Carmichael

Paco (voice)

Daveed Diggs

Dos (voice)

Raúl Esparza

Moreno (voice)

Gabriel Iglesias

Cuatro (voice)

Juanes

Juan (voice)

Boris Kodjoe

Klaus (voice)

Karla Martínez

Isabella (voice)

Sally Phillips

Greta (voice)

Jeremy Sisto

Ferdinand's Father (voice)

Lily Day

Nina (voice)

Colin H. Murphy

Young Ferdinand (voice)

Julia Scarpa Saldanha

Young Nina (voice)

Jack Gore

Young Valiente (voice)

Nile Diaz

Young Bones (voice)

Jet Jurgensmeyer

Young Guapo (voice)

Richard Gould

Additional Voices (voice)

Carlos Saldanha

Screaming Matador / Additional Voices (voice)

Luis Carlos de la Lombana

Ranch Hand #1 (voice)

Rafael Scarpa Saldanha

Ice Cream Boy (voice)

Jordi Caballero

Balloon Vendor / Additional Voices (voice)

Maria Peyramaure

Tall Nun / Additional Voices (voice)

Nazanin Homa

Short Nun / Police Officer #2 / Additional Voices (voice)

Andreas A. Esparza

Police Officer #1 / Additional Voices (voice)

James Palumbo

Village Tourist / Additional Voices (voice)

Bernardo de Paula

Animal Control Officer / Additional Voices (voice)

Belita Moreno

Shopkeeper (voice)

Tim Nordquist

Maquina / Additional Voices (voice)

Alvaro Mendoza

Ranch Hand #3 (voice)

Carlos Reig-Plaza

Ranch Hand #2 / Additional Voices (voice)

Cindy Slattery

Bunny / Additional Voices (voice)

Jason Fricchione

Madrid Tourist / Additional Voices (voice)

Susana Ballesteros

Newscaster / Additional Voices (voice)

Ana Patricia Gámez

El Primero Fan (voice)

Laura Bayonas

Additional Voices (voice)

Susana G. Esteban

Additional Voices (voice)

Johnny Gidcomb

Additional Voices (voice)

Adrian Gonzalez

Additional Voices (voice)

Andrea Lareo

Additional Voices (voice)

Andre Robinson

Additional Voices (voice)

Carter Sand

Additional Voices (voice)

Julian Zane

Additional Voices (voice)

Crew

Carlos Saldanha

Director

John Powell

Original Music Composer

Renato Falcão

Director of Photography

Lori Forte

Producer

Bruce Anderson

Producer

Harry Hitner

Editor

Christian Kaplan

Casting

Thomas Cardone

Art Direction

Tansal Arnas

Production Supervisor

Robert L. Baird

Screenplay

John Davis

Producer

Joel Gotler

Associate Producer

Lisa Marie Stetler

Producer

Chris Wedge

Executive Producer

Vincent Di Nguyen

Color Designer

Randy Thom

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Randy Thom

Sound Designer

Randy Thom

Supervising Sound Editor

Batu Sener

Additional Music

Batu Sener

Music Score Producer

Jamie Branquinho

ADR Editor

Jamie Branquinho

First Assistant Sound Editor

Lisa Allen

Animation

Leff Lefferts

First Assistant Sound Editor

Leff Lefferts

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Tim Nordquist

Additional Editing

Anthony B. Willis

Additional Music

Paul Mounsey

Additional Music

Gary Rizzo

Additional Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Johnny Gidcomb

ADR Voice Casting

Adam Strick

Animation

Alexander Snow

Animation

Andy Cox

Animation

Brent Dienst

Animation

Brock Boyts

Animation

Christopher Silva

Animation

Cristin McKee

Animation

Dan Segarra

Animation

Dave Vasquez

Animation

Edward Fornoles

Animation

Elena Ortego

Animation

Emanuele Pavarotti

Animation

Eric Anderson

Animation

Josh Slice

Animation

Julen Santiago

Animation

Justin Weg

Animation

Ken Huling

Animation

Ken Kaiser

Animation

Louaye Moulayess

Animation

Matthew Hasselmann

Animation

Michael Berardini

Animation

Mikee Sevilla

Animation

Pako Bagur

Animation

Patrick Giusiano

Animation

Paul Downs

Animation

Richard A. Fournier

Animation

Ricky Renna

Animation

Roy Stein

Animation

Scott C. Lemmer

Animation

Stephen Dahler

Animation

Theresa Adolph

Animation

Todd Elliott

Animation

Tom Grevera

Animation

Trevor Young

Animation

Daniel Ible

Assistant Editor

Sophia Ohara

Assistant Editor

William Michals

Assistant Editor

Gina Grasso

Assistant Production Manager

Devon Kelley

Assistant Sound Editor

José Manuel Fernández Oli

Character Designer

David V. Mei

Character Modelling Supervisor

Catherine Olazabal

Craft Service

Ferris Webby

Creature Technical Director

Ozgur Aydogdu

Creature Technical Director

Paul Ohrt

Executive In Charge Of Production

John Roesch

Foley

Shelley Roden

Foley

Chris Manning

Foley Editor

Christopher Barnett

Foley Editor

Qianbaihui Yang

Foley Editor

Drew Winey

Lead Animator

Graham Silva

Lead Animator

Patrik Puhala

Lead Animator

Dinis 'Dennis' Morais

Modeling

Jonathan Lin

Modeling

Motoko Wada

Modeling

Tom Carlson

Music Editor

Julianne Jordan

Music Supervisor

Andrew Synowiec

Musician

Brandon Gilliard

Musician

George Doering

Musician

Nick Ariondo

Musician

Serena Göransson

Musician

Andrew Kinney

Orchestrator

John Ashton Thomas

Orchestrator

Jon Kull

Orchestrator

Pete Anthony

Orchestrator

Rick Giovinazzo

Orchestrator

Baraka May

Playback Singer

Edie Lehmann Boddicker

Playback Singer

Fletcher Sheridan

Playback Singer

Randy Crenshaw

Playback Singer

Diana Rivera Vera

Production Coordinator

Effie Fradelakis

Production Coordinator

Glen Young

Production Coordinator

Rachel Stevens

Production Coordinator

Luana Hakes

Production Coordinator

Victoria Clougher

Production Coordinator

Sean M. Murphy

Production Manager

Jason Fricchione

Production Supervisor

Diane Howard

Publicist

Carrie Perry

Schedule Coordinator

Shawn Murphy

Scoring Mixer

Jeremy Bowker

Sound Designer

E.J. Holowicki

Sound Effects Editor

Pascal Garneau

Sound Effects Editor

Alec Moore

Sound Recordist

Lora Hirschberg

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Chip Lotierzo

Supervising Animator

James Bresnahan

Supervising Animator

Scott Carroll

Supervising Animator

Dmitri Makarov

Supervising Dialogue Editor

Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

Supervising Sound Editor

Joe Bonomo

Systems Administrators & Support

Christopher Moore

Technical Supervisor

Anthony Fung

VFX Artist

Francesco Giroldini

VFX Artist

Kirk Garfield

VFX Supervisor

Peter Chan

Visual Development

Peter de Sève

Visual Development

Aimee Johnson

Visual Effects

Danny Speck

Visual Effects

Mark Adams

Visual Effects

Yaron Canetti

Visual Effects

Will Ralston

ADR Editor

Tom Brown

Music Arranger

Michael Tanzillo

Visual Effects

Nick Jonas

Songs

Justin Tranter

Songs

Nick Monson

Songs

Scott Farrell

Lighting Artist

Kevin Temmer

Animation

Mike Safianoff

Visual Effects

Tim Federle

Screenplay

Brad Copeland

Screenplay

Ron Burch

Screenstory

David Kidd

Screenstory

Don Rhymer

Screenstory

Munro Leaf

Book

Robert Lawson

Book

Reviews

John

⭐ 8/10

April 7, 2021

A fun movie for the kids with a pertinent message about winning a fight without fighting.

Vinicius Monteiro

⭐ 6/10

May 29, 2026

How do you turn a five-minute classic short story into a feature film without losing its core essence? "Ferdinand" tries to answer that question with a mix of visual charm and divisive narrative choices. If you've ever felt pressured to fit into a mold that wasn't meant for you, this story will definitely resonate. But does the movie's execution actually live up to the greatness of the original message? Get ready to unpack the ups and downs of an animated movie that entertains and touches your heart, but also stumbles on its own ambition to please everyone.

Visually speaking, the movie carries Carlos Saldanha's undeniable and colorful signature. The rural Spanish landscapes are painted with warm, earthy tones that contrast beautifully with the vibrant red of Ferdinand's flowers. The character design is round and friendly, perfectly tailored for kids. However, I feel like the animation, while well done, plays it a bit too safe. When you compare it to Pixar's hyper-realistic textures or the groundbreaking styles popping up around the same time in movies like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Ferdinand's look feels too conservative—pretty, but a little generic.

Where the movie really hits the bullseye is with its main character. Casting John Cena (for the original voice acting) was a stroke of genius. The meta-joke of having a massive pro wrestler voicing a giant bull who hates fighting adds a delightful layer to the story. Cena brings a genuine vulnerability and sweetness that makes us root for Ferdinand right from the start. It’s his journey—trying to stay true to his gentle nature in a world that demands aggression—that grounds the movie and keeps it from going off the rails.

How do you stretch such a quick children's read into a nearly two-hour movie? The studio's workaround—fleshing out the protagonist's backstory and adding subplots—is hit or miss. The first act works well in setting up Ferdinand's childhood and building empathy. But the second act definitely drags. The pacing drops hard, and the plot seems to spin its wheels, making up minor conflicts that don't add anything to the main story just to justify a feature-length runtime.

If Ferdinand is the best part, the added supporting cast is where the movie struggles the most. Characters like Lupe the goat (voiced by Kate McKinnon in a way that borders on exhausting) and the trio of hedgehogs really divide opinions. For me, they cross the line from charismatic to just plain annoying. You get the distinct feeling they were drawn up in a corporate marketing meeting just to sell plush toys and launch spin-offs. They suck up precious screen time that should have been spent entirely on the bull's inner struggles.

Looking at the movie's structure, it feels like the director took the path of least resistance. The script leans way too hard on the old "misfit proves their worth" trope. In an attempt to modernize the story, the movie relies on repetitive slapstick humor and jokes that take you right out of the moment. The peak of this lazy writing is, without a doubt, the long "dance battle" between the bulls and the German horses. It’s pure cringe, coming off as a desperate, dated, and uninspired attempt by the studio to manufacture an instant viral meme.

Another really mediocre and problematic aspect of the movie is its struggle to handle the heavy, real-world themes that ground it: bullfighting and the slaughterhouse. There’s a clear clash in tone. When the characters end up at the slaughterhouse (the "meat factory"), the movie suddenly gets very dark—almost terrifying for younger kids—creating a heavily tense vibe. On the flip side, the actual cruelty of bullfighting in the arena feels way too sanitized. This hesitation to either fully embrace the seriousness of the message or just soften it completely makes the movie feel indecisive, lacking the emotional depth and mastery you’d expect from more mature scripts.

All in all, "Ferdinand" is an average experience that shines when delivering a deeply valuable message about self-acceptance, respecting differences, and non-violence. But it ends up shooting itself in the foot with commercial clichés, exhausting side characters, and hit-or-miss humor. Even though it lacks the sophistication and boldness of today's animation masterpieces, the undeniable sweetness and good intentions of its lead character manage to hold everything together. Yes, it’s a flawed piece of entertainment, but it has a huge heart. Because of that, I highly recommend watching it with an open mind and seeing for yourself: dive into Ferdinand's flowery pastures and decide if the charm of this timeless message makes up for the creative stumbles in the arena.

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