Film

Spark: A Space Tail

Name: Spark: A Space Tail
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Science Fiction
Released: 2016
Cast: Jace Norman, Jessica Biel, Susan Sarandon, Patrick Stewart, Hilary Swank

Action
Light-hearted

A colorful animated adventure about a teenage monkey and his crew fighting to reclaim an alien planet from a tyrant. Spark is energetic, silly, and packed with quick jokes that land best for kids—though adults won't feel talked down to. It's the kind of film that moves fast enough to hold attention and doesn't mistake loudness for humor.

TMDb rating

2.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like giddy, cartoonish space capers where a scrappy band of misfits carries the story and the gags come thick and fast.

Skip it if you want a story with real weight or emotional complexity, since this stays bright and breezy and rarely lets its stakes sink in.

What it asks of you: Ninety-one minutes, brisk from the start, with a steady stream of banter and action and little room for quiet moments.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

How to Train Your Dragon2010

A young outsider discovers an unexpected gift and bonds with a misfit creature to save his world. Beautifully animated, funny, and genuinely moving—it balances humor and heart better than most family films.

But The plot beats are familiar to anyone who's seen a coming-of-age story before. It's well-trodden ground, just executed very well.

Zathura: A Space Adventure2005

Kids and their friends get swept into an escalating sci-fi adventure with real stakes and clever worldbuilding. It has that same energy of young underdogs solving problems through ingenuity and teamwork.

But The effects are early-2000s CGI, which shows its age. Some of the tone shifts feel uneven if you're watching as an adult.

Big Hero 62014

A ragtag team of misfits becomes a family while stopping a villain. The character dynamics are genuinely touching, the action is clear and fun, and it never sacrifices heart for spectacle.

But It's more visually stunning than Spark, so you'll notice the gap if you're comparing them directly. Some may find it slightly generic in setup.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Spark: A Space Tail

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power2018

Both center teenage heroes assembling a misfit crew to fight an oppressive force. Both prioritize character bonding over plot complexity, and both find humor in quick character moments rather than slapstick.

A superhero team-up show that's built entirely on character relationships and found family. Colorful, funny, surprisingly emotionally complex, and animated with real artistry. Each season deepens the stakes and stakes without ever losing its warmth.

But It reframes a 1980s toy property into something more explicitly queer and political than the original—if you're expecting nostalgic retro content, you'll be surprised. The early seasons have rough animation in places.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power poster

The Lego Movie2014

Anarchic, fast-paced, crammed with jokes aimed at adults and kids separately. It moves like Spark—no scene overstays its welcome, and the humor comes in rapid bursts.

But The frenetic pace is exhausting if you're not in the mood for it. Some find it too clever for its own good.

Kung Fu Panda2008

Funny and absurd, with a clumsy hero becoming unexpectedly capable. Gorgeously animated, and the action sequences are easier to follow than the plot requires them to be.

But Jack Black's performance is divisive—some find his voice work grating when it's in constant use.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part2019

Doubles down on absurdist humor and meta-jokes while maintaining genuine warmth toward its characters. Better constructed than the first, with surprising emotional beats.

But If you're not already on board with the LEGO movie's sensibility, this will feel exhausting rather than fun. It doesn't make converts.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part poster

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted2012

Pure comedy energy with a wildly inventive circus setting. The jokes come faster than most kids' films attempt, and they're aimed at different age groups simultaneously.

But The plotting is thin as tissue. It's vehicle for jokes rather than narrative, which works if you're along for the ride.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted poster

Megamind2010

A supervillain trying to be good, with witty dialogue and genuinely clever inversions of hero-story tropes. Better written than most animated comedies and surprisingly touching.

But The pop-culture references will feel dated now. The emotional turn in the third act may feel unearned if you're watching cynically.

The Angry Birds Movie2016

Fast, silly, and doesn't pretend to be anything more than a bright, loud joke machine. Released the same year as Spark, it's cut from similar cloth.

But There is genuinely almost no story. It's an extended gag stretched to feature length, which works only if you're in a forgiving mood.

Klaus2019

Despite the tonal difference, both are stories about outsiders and outcasts creating community through action and loyalty. Klaus does it tenderly; Spark does it loudly. Same skeleton, different voice.

A hand-drawn animated film that looks like a storybook come to life. A cheerful, unexpectedly generous story about an orphan and a recluse forming an unlikely friendship—it's about kindness as a revolutionary act, with gorgeous visuals.

But It's a Christmas origin story for Santa, which sounds saccharine, and it occasionally verges on that. It's also deliberately quieter and more contemplative than Spark—a very different rhythm.

Cyber City Oedo 8081990

Both follow misfits forced into reluctant teamwork in a sci-fi setting. Both are carried by character chemistry rather than serious plotting. But Cyber City is the aesthetic shadow of Spark—the neon-dark version of the bright adventure, showing what that same DNA looks like in an entirely different context and era.

A 1990 anime OVA—three episodes, ninety minutes total—about three criminals forced into cyborg police work in a futuristic city. Neon-soaked, kinetically animated, hilarious in unexpected ways. Feels like nothing else: pure 90s Japanese sci-fi fever dream.

But It's unpolished compared to modern animation, sometimes incoherent, and deeply weird. The dub is dated. It has no narrative arch because it's episodic, and the humor is sometimes crude and dated. It's a cult object for a reason.