San Sebastian Review: The Treasure of Barracuda is a seaworthy adventure, and then some

I'm a simple man: if a movie has pirates in it, there's a good chance I'm going to like it. If it's an animated movie, that obviously also gets it bonus points. So going into director Adrià García's The Treasure of Barracuda, which is playing at San Sebastian this year, I was feeling pretty good. Even so, I wasn't prepared for just how delightful the adventure that lay ahead of me would be. But as soon as the movie started, it was clear. From the animation, to the music, to the characters, to the (really great) English dub, I knew I was in good hands. Or maybe a good hand and a good hook?

The Treasure of Barracuda does a great job of feeling like a well-loved classic while also putting its own fresh spins on a pirate tale. There are beats and characters here that will make you feel right at home within the territory: a stowaway joining the pirate's life, various crews waging war with each other on the high seas, a fabled treasure hidden behind a string of clues and secrets. So much of the stuff that makes me so excited for a story about pirates, and feel right at home. But it never feels too familiar, or like we've been there and done that. Not that you'll necessarily be surprised by how it plays out. That all feels quite clear. But there's a sweetly beating heart that serves as the engine to all the recognizable trappings, and makes this movie stand out.

Captain Barracuda is a burly brute of a pirate with a loyal crew, and they're eager to find the fabled treasure of John Phineas Krane, a boon that sounds like it would give the One Piece a run for its money. As the movie starts, his crew finds the key to the treasure: a book. Which would be great if any of the pirates could read.

Enter Anabel, a spunky orphan girl who is determined to make it to Barbados. She lost her parents in a shipwreck and landed in an orphanage run by evil nuns (evil nuns are always a plus in my book), who are eager to give her away as a servant to an undeserving family. Instead, Anabel runs away, and accidentally ends up as a stowaway on Barracuda's ship. She's discovered by Whale, the hulking man who works in the ship's kitchen, who helps Anabel disguise herself as a boy, since girls and women are considered bad luck at sea. Even in disguise, Anabel isn't welcome, but she's saved by a skill she has that no one else does: her ability to read and write.

So she slowly becomes part of the colorful crew, and boy, do I mean colorful. Maybe my favorite thing about this movie is the character designs, which are so creative and diverse that every new character that was introduced made little hearts appear in my eyes. I just loved seeing who else would pop up next. Whale is a gentle giant, Barracuda's massive beard leaves a lasting impression, and the villainous Fung Tao (who wants to rule over all the pirates, in a bid to save the pirate way of life from extinction) is appropriately scary-looking. There are all sorts of proportions and body types, a big nose here, a long neck there. It's fantastic work.

And that vibrance carries over to the animation at large. The line work throughout is so vivid, playful, exciting. This is, simply, one of my favorite-looking movies of the year. It has a bit of a storybook feel, maybe a little Cartoon Saloon influence, while also feeling like its carving out its own nice little aesthetic niche. It's gorgeous.

And just as the characters are a delight to look at, so, too, are they a delight to spend time with. While you might not end up catching every pirate's name, they're all going to leave an impression on you. There are so many silly little bits, great throwaway lines, clever jokes, and fun camaraderie with this crew. When Anabel is roped into teaching her crewmates to read, a hilarious sequence ensues where every newly-introduced letter throws the pirates into a panic because they look like dangerous items (like a bomb, a serpent, or a...shower). I really fell in love with this cast, especially Whale (whose special bond with Anabel is a big part of the film's emotional core) and Barracuda. The latter is a tough nut to crack, so as he slowly warms to Anabel, and later starts thinking more about his crew than his riches, it's really satisfying to see.

Which also speaks to how great this English dub is. The whole cast delivers strong work, especially all of the main players. There were times when I felt like the sound mix was a little off, with some dialogue getting drowned out a bit by music and sound effects, but that could've just been an issue with my screener. And since there were Spanish subtitles, I could usually somewhat catch what I was missing (pero, solo hablo un poco español).

For a story about pirates braving the high seas, facing off against dangerous enemies, and searching for a legendary treasure, The Treasure of Barracuda ticks every box. And then it goes above and beyond by injecting so much humor and heart into its proceedings. There's just enough lore, just enough action, just enough comedy to make this story of found family and hidden emotional depths sing. I really couldn't have asked for more.

The Treasure of Barracuda is playing at San Sebastian International Film Festival on Saturday, September 20.