It’s no surprise that ‘‘Whale Rider’’ — a coming-of-age drama of ethnic female empowerment that’s neither formally nor thematically challenging — was adored by audiences at the Sundance and Toronto film festivals.

As the successes of ‘‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’’ and ‘‘Bend It Like Beckham’’ have proved, art-house crowds can be as predictable in their tastes as the teenage boys who haunt the multiplexes. They love feel-good stories about intergenerational ethnic conflict, and with an effective marketing campaign, they’re going to love this one.

Which is not to suggest that writer/ director Niki Caro had this in mind when she made ‘‘Whale Rider’’; there’s not a drop of cynicism in this honest, earnest movie.

But she’s a filmmaker of elementary gifts, and she leans on them to tell a story wanting for complexity. A formula is a formula, no matter how modest the budget or exotic the setting — in this case, the Maori community of New Zealand.

‘‘Whale Rider’’ follows Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes), a 12-year-old Maori girl who fancies herself the savior of her people — a descendant of her tribe’s original ancestor who, according to myth, arrived in their village on the back of a whale. That doesn’t sit well with her grandfather, Koro (Rawiri Paratene), who insists their new leader must be male.

As far as Koro is concerned, his true heir was Pai’s twin brother, who died at birth along with her mother. Pai’s father, traumatized by the death of his wife, has run off to Europe to pursue an art career.

The butting of heads between Pai and her grandfather intensifies after Koro begins teaching the boys of the community the ways of the ancient Maori warriors. Pai isn’t allowed to participate because of her gender, even though she’s far more interested than her listless male peers. So she sneaks a look at Koro’s lessons and picks up fighting techniques from her uncle.

There’s no ambiguity for the audience as we watch this conflict unfold: We remain squarely on Pai’s side. Paratene, while an intense and believable actor, is never surprising, and his gruff paternalism becomes repetitive and wearying.

‘‘Whale Rider,’’ though, is never less than pleasurable to watch, thanks largely to the charming, unguarded performance of young Castle-Hughes, who propels this predictable movie to a few truly powerful moments.

'Whale Rider’
Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene
Playing: Opens Friday exclusively at Camelview in Scottsdale
Rating: PG-13 (profanity, drug references)
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Grade: B-