A creature that only responds to song instead of words sounds like a joke premise until you watch the Cures actually figure it out. The movie knows exactly what it is: a chance to let loose with animation and character moments instead of dragging a thin plot across 90 minutes. If you want Precure doing what it does best without pretending the setup is deeper than it is, this delivers.

A mysterious creature called UMA turns up inside Lala's gummy case and soon uses its power to carry the Star Twinkle Precure off to a distant place. Words fail as a way to talk with their new companion, but singing gets through. UMA turns out to matter enormously to the universe, and a band of alien hunters is determined to capture it. If they succeed, the whole universe will be at risk. The Precure take on the job of keeping UMA safe and driving the hunters back, in a magical girl film where music becomes the bridge between the girls and the strange visitor.