For more than a century, movies have been adapted from novels, plays, television shows and real-life historical events.

But recently, cinematic spectacles have derived from board games, toys, emojis – and now biscuits. Dream Animals: The Movie is a colourful, family-friendly animation inspired by the Japanese snack of the same name.

The bite-sized animal-shaped cookies emblazoned with words such as “lion”, “monkey”, and “rabbit” – in English – have been a beloved confection around the world since they were first launched by Japanese food giant Ginbis in 1978.

Until now, they have existed solely as a snack, but writer Tetsuhiro Ikeda and director Hitoshi Takekiyo have conjured up an entire action-packed universe for these animal crackers to inhabit.

Read my full South China Morning Post review here