I watched this on Netflix a couple times. I liked it both times. It has re-watch value. It's well-done. I would probably buy it on Prime Video soon if it were available. (And no, I don't have Netflix, currently.)
The acting is great. The dancing is great. There's no profanity (that means a lot to me). There's character development for most characters. I wouldn't call it cute, but it is beautiful, entertaining, and touching. It's not explicitly for little girls, in my opinion; I'd say ideally maybe ages 9+ for females and I'm not sure what age for males, but if they're averse to watching a movie that seems to be for girls, they might not appreciate the movie enough. The cinematography doesn't feel low budget. There's no CGI or anything, though, as far as I can tell. The music is great. It's a good movie. It's very emotional (not a comedy). I'd say it's a light-hearted (not dark, mundane, or scary), emotional, uplifting drama. There are no fantasy elements (e.g. magic and talking animals). There are some sad parts. There is some bullying.
The main character (whose name is Tutu) doesn't get everything she wants: the instructor has a very specific way of doing things, and contrasts a lot with how Tutu wants to do things. Tutu wants to wear her own stuff and dance her own way, but no. Her instructor won't have it. She has to wear a plain pink tutu and dance like everyone else (and not as a lead). She tries, but ...
Tutu's mom died (before the movie began). So, she's emotional about that, and she loves her mom. I believe her mom was famous for something or other, and I think Tutu wanted to perform like that with ballet.
Tutu has a hard time at ballet school sometimes, because of a bully, and the contrast with her instructor, and how she non-purposefully dances free-form at times. The bully comes around by the end of the movie and they're all on good terms by then. The bullying might seem extreme and vigilant for the age-group, and the activity, but stranger things have happened, and it's surprisingly normal in girls fiction (movies, TV, and books). Anyway, I'm reluctant to call it unrealistic when I'm not all-knowing myself, especially because my life would probably look less realistic to critics than this story.
There's a side story with the parents of the girls as they watch their daughters practice and perform. One or more of the parents isn't very fond of the behavior of another one of the parents, and expresses this (in a snobby and racist way), but Tutu's father (the only male parent) is very kind to the oppressed woman (and blatantly is unafraid to be kind in front of the woman who acted snobbish/racist). Tutu's father and the oppressed woman become good friends. He seems to become friends with all the women, though, but especially her. You'd think there'd be some romance between the two, but I don't know. I think they're just friends.
There's a nice girl who likes to spell things out loud in a semi-musical sort of way. This isn't explained much, but it's entertaining/quirky, at least, and she's lovable.
There are serious ballet competitions in this movie, which seems to indicate that the dancers are supposed to be pretty good.
I don't know why people have given this movie such harsh reviews. It deserves a lot better than that (much as does Jessica Darling's It List, but even more so). The movie has a lot of artistry and poetic style. It wasn't just thrown together overnight or such. Whatever imperfections it might have, it definitely makes up for them. If you don't care about interpersonal relations, friendship, training, and emotional goals, this probably isn't the movie for you, unless you really love dancing or something.
The acting is great. The dancing is great. There's no profanity (that means a lot to me). There's character development for most characters. I wouldn't call it cute, but it is beautiful, entertaining, and touching. It's not explicitly for little girls, in my opinion; I'd say ideally maybe ages 9+ for females and I'm not sure what age for males, but if they're averse to watching a movie that seems to be for girls, they might not appreciate the movie enough. The cinematography doesn't feel low budget. There's no CGI or anything, though, as far as I can tell. The music is great. It's a good movie. It's very emotional (not a comedy). I'd say it's a light-hearted (not dark, mundane, or scary), emotional, uplifting drama. There are no fantasy elements (e.g. magic and talking animals). There are some sad parts. There is some bullying.
The main character (whose name is Tutu) doesn't get everything she wants: the instructor has a very specific way of doing things, and contrasts a lot with how Tutu wants to do things. Tutu wants to wear her own stuff and dance her own way, but no. Her instructor won't have it. She has to wear a plain pink tutu and dance like everyone else (and not as a lead). She tries, but ...
Tutu's mom died (before the movie began). So, she's emotional about that, and she loves her mom. I believe her mom was famous for something or other, and I think Tutu wanted to perform like that with ballet.
Tutu has a hard time at ballet school sometimes, because of a bully, and the contrast with her instructor, and how she non-purposefully dances free-form at times. The bully comes around by the end of the movie and they're all on good terms by then. The bullying might seem extreme and vigilant for the age-group, and the activity, but stranger things have happened, and it's surprisingly normal in girls fiction (movies, TV, and books). Anyway, I'm reluctant to call it unrealistic when I'm not all-knowing myself, especially because my life would probably look less realistic to critics than this story.
There's a side story with the parents of the girls as they watch their daughters practice and perform. One or more of the parents isn't very fond of the behavior of another one of the parents, and expresses this (in a snobby and racist way), but Tutu's father (the only male parent) is very kind to the oppressed woman (and blatantly is unafraid to be kind in front of the woman who acted snobbish/racist). Tutu's father and the oppressed woman become good friends. He seems to become friends with all the women, though, but especially her. You'd think there'd be some romance between the two, but I don't know. I think they're just friends.
There's a nice girl who likes to spell things out loud in a semi-musical sort of way. This isn't explained much, but it's entertaining/quirky, at least, and she's lovable.
There are serious ballet competitions in this movie, which seems to indicate that the dancers are supposed to be pretty good.
I don't know why people have given this movie such harsh reviews. It deserves a lot better than that (much as does Jessica Darling's It List, but even more so). The movie has a lot of artistry and poetic style. It wasn't just thrown together overnight or such. Whatever imperfections it might have, it definitely makes up for them. If you don't care about interpersonal relations, friendship, training, and emotional goals, this probably isn't the movie for you, unless you really love dancing or something.