Ryan Reynolds is one of the world’s most popular onscreen performers, but has also given his voice to a number of animated efforts. And one of the less-remembered of these, Turbo, is now finding a new audience on Netflix, as it’s currently the 6th most popular film on the global chart.
The story revolves around an average garden snail obsessed with racing, who refuses to accept the hand that nature has dealt him and dreams of competing in the Indy 500. When a nocturnal crawl of despondency leads to him being sucked into the engine of a street racer’s car, a blast of nitrous oxide imbues him with super speed, as well as a few other car-related features periodically brought up for comic effect. After being found by a taco street vendor who’s just as much of a dreamer, he then becomes a sensation when his powers are revealed to the world and gets the chance to live out his fantasy.
Turbo features a number of messages appropriate for children’s films, such as that following your dreams should be encouraged no matter how humble your beginnings and not accepting the limitations others put on you, and that maintaining relationships with your friends and family is just as important. Of course, it also makes the point that you shouldn’t need special abilities to become the best version of yourself and treat any advantages as being ultimately unreliable, with your strength of character and self-reliance being far more significant than any transitory outside aid you might receive along the way.
Turbo could easily have been a one-note joke of an animal whose very name is a byword for dawdling inactivity being able to move at the speed of a race car, but its straightforward and engaging tale, as well as Ryan Reynolds’ charisma being evident even in vocal form, make it well worth checking out on Netflix for audiences of all ages.