Apple TV+’s new animated children’s movie “Luck” follows Sam (Eva Noblezada) after finding a lucky penny on the ground leads her to befriend a talking black cat named Bob (Simon Pegg). While following Bob, Sam finds herself in another world where good and bad luck creatures work to pump all forms of luck into the human world.

The main issue with “Luck” occurs in the movie’s many plotlines. It haphazardly wraps up one plotline just to jump to a new issue within the story, making for random introductions to characters and important objects, such as a lucky basketball machine, that further complicate and mold the story into an amalgamation of confusion. 

That being said, not every plot point feels poorly planned. One great storyline involves a drone going to the human world to retrieve a lost lucky penny. It offers comedic beats, excellent levels of suspense and a great bond between three of the movie’s characters while utilizing each of their personality traits. Besides that plot point, most of the storylines lead the audience toward the resolution, just for the goal posts to suddenly be pulled farther back. While it fits the film’s theme of good and bad luck, it certainly makes for an unpleasant viewing experience.

Typically, the quality of animation is a moot point in the modern era of filmmaking due to the increased amount of technological advancements, but the film’s animation felt fake and rubbery. Though ultimately passable, “Luck” will leave audiences feeling as if something was off during the production process. However, in the grand scheme and execution of the animation, the particle effects and environment building of the surrounding world have plenty of time to shine and create the most impressive and grandiose part of the movie’s animation. 

The relationships between characters make “Luck” worth audiences’ time — particularly Sam and a little girl named Hazel’s (Adelynn Spoon) relationship. Sam and Hazel live in an orphanage, waiting to find their forever families. However, Sam is told to leave once she turns 18, leaving behind Hazel, the person she cares about most. Throughout the movie, two families cancel on meeting Hazel, so Sam becomes determined to get luck to Hazel so she can find her forever home. Sam’s selflessness will tug at the audience’s heartstrings in a way no other part of the movie does. Sadly though, even the storyline’s fullest moments feel short lived and swept to the side. Luckily, they remain shining pennies in a sea of oxidized pennies.

Though not a horrible movie, “Luck” doesn’t have much to offer for a majority of audiences and struggles to understand what it wants to do with itself. Kids will find it entertaining, but anyone looking for much deeper stories would have better luck elsewhere.

2 lucky pennies out of 5