Abominable has charms to soothe the savage child.

Abominable delivers all the notes you expect from family-friendly animation these days. And, thankfully, a little bit more.

The winning, warm nature of this China-set family film can’t be denied, and for all its predictable elements, Abominable is still well worth the trip.

The movie is gentle enough for younger kids, but doesn’t feel obligated to play straight to a 5-year-old’s sensibility. For the first time in a while, DreamWorks seems to be trusting its filmmakers with a semi-original idea, rather than racing breathlessly to the finish line.

The second half’s series of hollow visual spectacles foreground the film as a corporate product.