Being called beautiful is not just being pale anymore. Beauty comes in all different forms and colors, especially in film.

The new animated film by DreamWorks Animation, “Home,” focuses on the consistent motif of its namesake. The story revolves around an alien named Oh (voiced by Jim Parsons), his species the Boov and their alien invasion of Earth. From there, Oh meets Gratuity Tucci, or Tip (voiced by Rihanna), a human girl who is on the search to find her mother, who was relocated by the Boov. The rest of the film plays out like a typical road trip film, with minor dramatic scenes and lots of jokes thrown at the audience.

The high points of the film come from its creative and bright animation as well as the voice acting. Rihanna’s performance as Tip is particularly enjoyable, and the character is delightful to watch as she attempts to explain to Oh the nature of the human race. The fast animation lends itself well to comedy, allowing it to tell a lot of jokes without being too overwhelming.

The pacing, however, is extremely fast and a little distracting for an older audience. While the plot itself is simplistic, the execution goes by very quickly, and it makes it difficult to make emotional attachments, at least for an older child or an adult. Young children should react to the fast pace just fine.

However, despite the film’s flaws, it can be safely said that DreamWorks has taken an enormous step in representation, not just in animation but in film itself for placing a young black girl as the main lead and mascot. Representation is so important in the film industry, and seeing little black girls identify with Tip in her character design alone makes a huge difference.

There is one moment in particular where Tip’s mother is describing Tip as having “beautiful brown skin.” That moment is so crucial in an animated film marketed for children. In today’s media, more people of color are being arrested and portrayed as harmful and dangerous individuals. This can be very damaging for an African-American child to witness. So, to see a film represent a black child not as a stereotypical side character but as a main lead shows so much progress.

Overall, DreamWork’s “Home” is a cute film that should be talked about. While the plot and characters are a little simplistic and the pacing is very quick, the film should be recognized for its extraordinary representation of African-Americans. The movie is not as thought-provoking or mature in its story as DreamWorks’ other works such as “How to Train Your Dragon,” but it should still be watched. There need to be more films like this where the representation is properly displayed.