Jun 25 2018

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – Y – Yu-Gi-Oh!

Animation

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Why I’ve Picked this choice – Yu-Gi-Oh! Burst onto the television screens in the UK after the Pokémon boom, for me it was an interesting show because it mixed two of my loves at that age, card collecting and monsters, seeing the different combinations characters used to win battles or to get the upper hand did make it more interesting than the Pokémon battles, while this show showed us a championship, I was never fully behind it, the games on the other hand were a fun play because we got to use the combinations we had learnt about. If you are looking for an anime to go and watch from start to finish, this is one if would be recommending to the fans out their.

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – X – Xi Bai Po

ABC Film Challenge Non-Review Selection

I won’t be doing reviews for everything letter, so here are my pick for today.

ABC Film Challenge

Animation

Xi Bai Po

Why I’ve Picked this choice – This is the only film I could find in the animated genre beginning with X, I see it is on Netflix and I will be suggestion this for people and you can see it there and let me know what it you think.

Jun 19 2018

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – S – Sing (2016)

Director: Garth Jennings, Christopher Lourdelet

Writer: Garth Jennings (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C Reilly, Taron Egerton

Plot: In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario’s attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists’ find that their lives will never be the same.

Tagline – Auditions begin christmas

Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Delightful Animated Musical

Story: Sing starts as we follow a hustling theatre owner Buster Moon, looking to save his career, we follow the other animals in the city including say home mother pig Rosita, an underachieving musician mouse Mike, punk rocker porcupine Ash, gorilla about to enter the world of crime Johnny and shy elephant Meena, that enter this competition that Buster moon hosts with a prize of $100,000.

While Buster needs to find a way to make the money for the prize the talent continues to build their performances, learning how the breakout of their average lives being the best they could ever be.

Thoughts on Sing

Characters – Buster Moon is an ambitious but unsuccessful theatre owner, who has always dreamed of putting on a show everybody would love. He is quick thinking when it comes to getting him out of trouble, he is also ambitious enough to try something new and motive people to try. Rosita is the mother pig of 25 piglets, she has always dreamed of singing but lacks the charisma until Buster gets hold of her. Mike is a wise cracking mouse that is always looking for a quick buck. Ash is meant to be a teenage porcupine that is a punk rocker that needs to change her style to make the impact she deserves in music. Eddie is the only friend Buster has in the theatre, his family has helped fund Buster mad cap ideas before, he is the only one that will stand by him. Johnny is a gorilla that is destining to follow his father in a life a crime, even though he wants to be a singer, he faces the decision to whether to turn his back on his father or not. Meena is the shy elephant with the voice of an angel, she needs to learn to come out her shell to show the world her talent.

Story – The story follows the group of everyday people, well animals getting a chance to follow their dreams in the music industry from an ambitious theatre owner. While you can look at the story in two directions, one would be poking fun at these countless talent shows on television now and the other being showing people how to follow their dreams however hard they seem to be, if you have the talent you will get the chance. it is sweet and simple story that can be enjoyed by everyone who watches.

Comedy/Family/Music – The comedy is clear to see in how either the animals could be known for certain types of music or how they act to become something. The family should all enjoy this movie to be honest and the music include has something for everyone, from pop songs to classics, it should check the boxes for everyone.

Settings – The fantasy settings feels like it is a version of LA with the animals included, it works for the ambition the characters are showing.

Animation – The animation style used works and never looks out of place for the film, could easily be up there with the best.

Scene of the Movie – The grand show.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Too much Mike, because he does feels like one of Seth MacFarlane creation.

Final Thoughts – This is an easy to watch and enjoyable throughout, it is something I can see many people get a smile from.

Overall: Enjoyable throughout.

Rating

Jun 17 2018

ABC Film Challenge – Animated – Q – The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot

ABC Film Challenge Non-Review Selection

I won’t be doing reviews for everything letter, so here are my pick for today.

ABC Film Challenge

Animated

The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot

Why I’ve Picked this choice – The letter Q is always going to be a challenge and with help from Twitter, this is one of the only one I could find, I couldn’t find time to watch it, so I will be suggesting this movie, which plays into the king Arthur and Camelot legacy. Voice talents including Cary Elwes, Gary Oldman and Pierce Brosnan should be appealing too.

Jun 16 2018

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – P – Pom Poko (1994)

Director: Isao Takahata

Writer: Isao Takahata (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Shincho Kokontei, Makoto Nonomura, Yuriko Ishida, Norihei Miki, Nijiko Kiyokawa

Plot: A community of magical shape-shifting raccoon dogs struggle to prevent their forest home from being destroyed by urban development.

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Strong Animation

Story: Pom Poko starts as we meet the racoons that have lived on farm land for years, but lose their home to the humans whose development has destroyed large amounts of their forest homes. Now the racoons must put their difference behind them to fight back against the humans to keep their homes.

This involved learning how to transform into humans to enter the human world to bring it down from the inside even though this is against their lazy nature.

Thoughts on Pom Poko

Characters – The characters we meet are different racoons, the have the elders who come up with plans to keep their lands, the young ones that are developing their skills to play the pranks on the humans. We also have the transformation master that are entering the battle in the real world as humans.

Story – The story follows the racoons that want to keep their land from being taken over by human development. We get a bigger message about taking the land of wildlife for our own development. This works for the story because it has fun at the struggles the racoons must go through and balance this against the serious elements of the film. we do have similarities to The Watership Down too in this one.

Comedy/Family/Fantasy – The comedy is typical animated comedy, we get moments of slapstick as we tell of the training in the most part. The family could enjoy this one and learn important lessons too and the fantasy comes from the idea racoons can transform into humans and other creatures.

Settings – The settings show us the countryside the racoons live in that is being destroyed by the humans and the human world the racoons enter. This keeps the settings simple but effective.

Animation – The animation fits the typical Ghibli style which works to tell the story well.

Scene of the Movie – Transformation training.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is slightly too long.

Final Thoughts – This is a sweet little Ghibli movie, it does send important messages about how wildlife and humans must learn to live together.

Overall: Sweet little animation movie.

Rating