Giuseppe is a man existing in his own little world where his current obsession overrides everything else. However, that doesn't mean he is selfish or cruel—it's more like a sickness he has no control over. Moreover, his obsessions often lead to wonderful results (for him personally, at least). He's an Olympic-level jumper, wonderful singer, and a polyglot who can speak over 15 languages—including the language of rats, as it turns out.

He's also eager to let others partake in his current obsession. Most of the time, this turns out to be his best friend—his pet rat Cielo. Given that Cielo, the talking rat, is not only a main character but the narrator of the film, you'd be correct in thinking this is a light-hearted, silly movie in many aspects—a fairy tale set in a more modern age. Thus, the first act of the film is almost entirely comedy as Giuseppe meets and becomes obsessed with Pechka—befriends her and uses his numerous past obsessions to make her life better.

What makes Giuseppe a complex character is that he recognizes that he is obsessed with Pechka rather than in love with her. He wants no credit for all he does for her nor does he expect anything in return. He knows his actions are based on his own selfish wants. The trick is, in this case, what he wants is to see her truly happy. In this way, the film explores the relationship between selfishness and selflessness as well as that between obsession and love.

While this film could have easily taken the obvious path with its story—to have Giuseppe move on to another obsession and have Pechka deal with the fallout of that—the film's second act instead goes in a different direction. The tone of the film becomes much darker as Pechka's tragic backstory is revealed and Giuseppe encounters a problem that can't simply be solved through one of his past obsessions—or even through new ones. The best he can do is alleviate her pain—but in doing so, causes great harm to himself. It's beautifully tragic, watching Giuseppe go down the obviously wrong path while understanding his all-too-normal desire to see the one he cares about smile without even a hint of sadness.

Unfortunately, the film somewhat drops the ball with its resolution. Giuseppe never comes to regret what he has done to himself, and Pechka accepts it all happily despite the mental abuse she has inadvertently suffered. Because of this, the film misses whatever moral it was aiming for.

Adding to this on a plot level, the climax ends in a surreal moment that hand-waves away the self-destructive danger of what's actually happening for the sake of a happy ending. You see, The Obsessed is an animated musical. Giuseppe, Pechka, and Cielo each break into song more than once during the film. However, it's shown early on that during surreal musical moments, Giuseppe is actually singing and dancing around like a madman. While what he sees is metaphorical, he is still performing similar actions in the real world. With this in mind, it feels like both Giuseppe and Pechka should logically die (or at least be critically injured) at the climax of the film—and the surreal musical nature of the film is used as a crutch to avoid this while still benefiting from the tension and danger caused by the situation.

As for the music, a hit Broadway musical this is not. The opening song, is frankly, discordantly atrocious. The rest of the score, while better in comparison—and not as irrelevant as songs are in jukebox musicals—are more about the general theme of what a character is feeling than the actual characters or specific situations they are facing. Moreover, while they're not badly performed nor hard to listen to, there aren't any earworms present either.

The other potential sticking point for the film is in the visuals. On one hand, we have the background and location art. It's beautifully realized with tons of detail and a watercolor aesthetic. Moreover, the surreal visuals are both creative and look great. However, on the other hand we have the simple fact that the characters look like they're drawn by a literal kid. While this does fit with the idea of a more modern children's book fairy tale, that doesn't mean it looks good—and will likely turn off more than a few people who would otherwise enjoy this film.

While not without its issues, The Obsessed is a film well worth watching. It's full of fun, silly, moments and yet manages to delve into true human tragedy as well. This feels more like a classic Disney movie than anything else and is likely a good watch for families. Just be sure to watch it yourself before showing it to your kids—it might be a bit too dark for young or particularly sensitive children.