El rey de la granja (The King of the Farm) is a film from my childhood that I recently re-watched. Although I remember liking it as a kid, I didn't really retain much memory about it. I only remembered that there was an alien who mistakingly disguised himself as a 2D animated chicken, which, if you think of it, is quite a bizarre plot for a movie. I didn't even remember the name and had a hard time finding it later. Honestly, I thought it was a trashy children's movie and watched it out of sheer nostalgia, but then I understood I was underestimating this film.
First, although its plot may seem strange at first glance, it is quite logical and coherent. It follows an alien, who with the help of his friends steals a mind-controlling orb from the tyrant of their planet. The tyrant's minions start chasing him, and he ends up landing on Earth, where he loses the orb. It is found by a boy, whose parents have sent him to some sort of summer camp where children learn about farming. This triggers the following events of the film. After watching this film, I don't remember any gaps or mismatches in the plot, and I think we should give this film credit for it.
Also, despite the fact that the film doesn't seem to be anything more than an entertainment for children, it actually explores the problem of power. It is shown that the mind-controlling orb (which is, by the way, called Neuronia) is something that may be dangerous when falls into the wrong hands. I think it might be a valuable lesson for kids and give them some food for thought.
Let us be honest, if you are an adult and you haven't seen this film before, you're not going to enjoy it. But there is nothing wrong with this movie, and it can be shown to kids as it is totally safe for them to watch it. They'll like the funny cartoon chicken and probably will learn something good from the story.
