'Strike,' A Stop-Motion Film For The Whole Family, Tells A Fun & Heartwarming Story

From the producer behind Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends comes Strike, a stop-motion animated family film centered around the coming-of-age story of a small mole with big dreams. While Strike is undeniably a heartwarming and positive film about friendship, family, and coming together, at its core is a message about the importance of believing in yourself.

"When we all sat at GiggleFish and thought about Strike, there seemed to be one overriding theme that we all plugged into, which was 'believing in oneself,'' Strike director Trevor Hardy tells Romper. "If you want something bad enough, you have to work hard and get it, even when you're told it's unachievable."

Released in theaters across the United Kingdom in 2019, Strike gets a digital release in the United States on Tuesday, April 7, making it perfect for your family's next at-home movie night.

The film centers around Mungo, a young mole who dreams of becoming a soccer star despite his seriously poor vision (he is a mole, after all) and his family's long history of working in the town gold mine. But when an evil villain known simply as "The Boss" attempts to take over the mine, threatening the miners' way of life, young Mungo must save both his family and his dream of playing soccer above ground.

Thankfully, our heroic young mole isn't alone. In fact, it's one of Mungo's friends who invents a pair of special goggles that help improve the mole's vision in bright daylight and ultimately enable him to play soccer on a real team.

But don't let the fact that Strike is an animated film fool you; Hardy has assured Romper the film — which is not rated but is "probably worthy of PG status," according to The Dove Foundation — isn't just for children.

"We made a very conscious effort to layer the film, so that there is something for everyone," Hardy says. "Kids will love the interaction and friendship between the three main characters, and the whole family will enjoy the animation, storyline, adventure and action. Dads will also probably love all the nods to Bond and the bad guy stuff, while both mum and dad will laugh at some of the more risky jokes that go over their kids' heads."

Strike's April 7th digital U.S. release will enable families to catch the film on a number of digital platforms, including Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video, FandangoNOW, and more.

What's more, in an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how Strike animators developed the film's many characters shared with Romper, kids can get sense for how little Mungo came to be.

"Strike was always intended to be a fun, family film and we're excited to bring audiences exactly that," Hardy tells Romper. "We are so proud to have a film that carries so much positivity for kids, and we hope they understand the importance of sticking together and keeping hold of the most important thing they have — family."