Tag: Animation

Categories
Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Catch Up 2020 – O – Onward (2020) Movie Review

Director: Dan Scanlon

Writer: Dan Scanlon, Keith Bunin, Jason Headley (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez, Kyle Bornheimer

Plot: Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there.

Runtime: 1 Hour 42 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Pixar 101

Story: Onward starts as we enter a world that was once filled with magic, which slowly got replaced with science, creating the world we know, only with the fairy tale characters including the elf family the Lightfoot’s, student Ian, his older brother Barley, that is always trying to remember the past and their mother Laurel.

Being Ian 16th birthday his late father left the boys a gift, to use magic to bring him back to life for one day, only for Barley to interfere causing him to come back as just legs. The brothers must go on an adventure to complete the spell before time runs out and they lose him forever.

Thoughts on Onward

Characters – Ian Lightfoot is the younger of the two brothers, he is a shy student that hasn’t ever fit in at school and has wanted to meet his father his whole life, on his 16th birthday he learns that he has the power of magic and can bring their father back to life for a day, he must learn to overcome his own fears on this adventure to understand what he could become in life. Barley is the older brother that has played games studying the ancient ways, using his own faith to lead the adventure, despite having a screw up mentality to the rest of the town. Laurel is the mother that has always scared for her boys, encouraged them and now is in search for them after they vanish. The Manticore was once a monster of fear that unlocks the quest while trying to recapture her past glories.

Story – The story here follows two brothers who get a chance to spend one day with their father through magic, only for things not to go to plan, with the two needing to go on an adventure to complete the spell. This is a story that is looking to turn into a big heart, with the two brothers needing to look at themselves and understand the truth about themselves to get through this day. We see how even if people are going on different paths, they can always be there for each other. We try to dive into a world of magic once lost, which seems to be a clear reflection on how the human society has started to get lazier and forget where we came from, but it just doesn’t hit that level on a strong enough note.

Adventure/Comedy – The adventure is the two brothers travelling to try and find an item that could bring their father back, it takes them to locations, only for everything to not seem that worth it, because the adventure is learning about the two of them, with most of the comedy coming off very weak for a Pixar movie.

Settings – The film uses a mix of the modern ideas for homes, with how the historical ones are now modernised, along with a typical quest route.

Animation – The animation standard is never going to be question when it comes to a Pixar movie, you know it will look perfect in every frame.


Scene of the Movie – The realization.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The comedy seems weak.

Final Thoughts – This is one of Pixar’s weakest movies, that isn’t saying it is bad, it just doesn’t reach the heights that the others have in the past, lacking the true heart the rest achieved.

Overall: Typical Pixar Film.

Categories
Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Catch-Up 2020 – F – Frozen II (2019) Movie Review

Fun Fantasy Family

Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Writer: Jennifer Lee (Screenplay) Hans Christian Andersen, Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, Marc Smith, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Sterling K Brown, Evan Rachel Wood

Plot: Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa’s powers in order to save their kingdom.


Tagline – Find your strength. Face your fears.
Runtime: 1 Hour 43 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Forced Sequel

Story: Frozen 2 starts as Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven living in peace in Arendelle until a story the girls parents told them, comes to them, leading them to an adventure into the enchanted forest, a location that has long been unenterable.

Once in the forest, Anna and Elsa find themselves in the middle of the battle they once heard about, when Elsa goes in search of voice that is calling for her, one that could explain more about her own powers and heritage.

Thoughts on Frozen 2

Characters – Anna is still doing everything to protect her sister without having any of the magic Elsa possess, she mostly goes against the traditional Disney Princess, without being anything else in the film. Elsa is still looking to control her powers, with her being drawn towards the voice from the distance, a place where she could learn more, she wants to learn more, she will hold back from letting anyone else get hurt along the way. Olaf is the comic relief snowman, who does seem to be held back form the levels he had in the first film, while Kristoff is trying his hardest to propose to Anna, never getting to the time he would like to ask the big question. We do get glimpses of the characters from the past, with the people the girls grew up believing were legends in their history, while also seeing the people of the forest, who were once considered an enemy.

Story – The story follows Anna and Elsa as they look to learn about their past with one of the stories of their childhood, only to learn the truth about the story and go in search of fixing the mistakes of the past. This does feel like a story that has been thrown together to try and build on the universe the first one built, by mixing a moment of the past, with the reality of the future, we get to see how changes can be made by people in power to help everyone, not just themselves. It tries to tug on the heart strings more than you would expect, but it doesn’t feel like it is as deep as it deserves to achieve.

Adventure/Comedy – The adventure side of the film shows us how the five will go on journeys to fix the future, by learning about the past, seemingly holding off on the comedy for the most part of the film.

Settings – The film continues to rebuild the world around Arendelle, becoming what we would expect to see in the fantasy universe of magical kingdoms.

Animation – The animation looks perfect, we wouldn’t expect anything less from Disney though would we?


Scene of the Movie – Discovering the truth.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – No catchy songs.

Final Thoughts – This is a forced sequel with plenty of heart, it is one that can easily be watched without being anything that will make the greatest Disney films list.

Categories
Movie Review

Soul (2020) Movie Review

Soul – Lacks the Spark & Heart

Director: Pete Doctor, Kemp Powers

Writer: Peter Doctor, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Brage, Richard Ayoade, Pyhlicia Rashad

Plot: A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.


Tagline – Everybody has a soul. Joe Gardner is about to find his.

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Soul starts as we meet jazz musician teacher Joe who has reached the point in his life, where an offer for a fulltime teacher is the smart option, but when one of his former student Curley gets him an audition with famous musician Dorothea, a job he gets, only he dies.

Joe’s soul ends up on the path to the light, where all lost souls go, trying to find his way back to his body, but he must mentor a new soul first, one which needs guiding, only not everything goes as planned.

Thoughts on Soul

Characters – Joe was raised on jazz, plays jazz and dreams of being a big jazz musician, he hasn’t found fame yet, turning to teaching to make a living, at a crossroads of his life, teach the next generation or take on the one last shot given to him, only not everything goes to plan, after he dies. He is taken to the place where souls are created and pass over, he is left to mentor a soul, which will see him needing to try and get back to his body and find his true calling. 22 is the soul that has been partnered with some of the biggest names in history to try and guide them, which shows how they are reluctant to learn more about what might be coming, they help Joe get and learn what they want most out of their own potential new life. We do get the counsellors named Jerry who are the guides for the souls, they do come off like babysitters for the developing souls and the people that Joe has been helping throughout the years.

Story – Soul follows a musician that is looking for his big break or settle on his teaching job, only for him to die, which will see his soul trying to return back to his body before his big break, where he will learn a bigger lesson on life. This story could have been a lot bigger and better, because we dive into the idea of potentially getting a second chance to live life, we do get stuck in the idea that Joe has always been waiting not taking chances, certain parts of the story feel like something we have seen before, giving little life to the ideas, even if the big heart is trying to come through hard here.

Themes – Soul is an animated movie, which looks beautiful like every Pixar movie does, it has basic comedy down well, holds back on more of the pop culture jokes and relies on the fast talking nature of Tina Fey for the laughs. We get to see the world of jazz through the eyes of somebody who holds a big passion for the music and shows us how being put into a world where life is one and done, means you need to find what makes you happy, not what you believe is important to you.

Final Thoughts – Soul wants to have a big heart, only it seems to get caught up in trying to be funny instead of serious, which many other Pixar films have managed before.



Categories
Movie Review

Space Dogs: Return to Earth (2020) Movie Review

Director: Inna Evlannikova

Starring: (Voice Talents) Mauriett Chayeb, Maria Anonieta Monge

Plot: When a mysterious and dangerous whirlpool phenomenon appears in the tropics of the Atlantic Ocean, Belka and Strelka, the first astronauts on their way back from a mission to Saturn, are sent to investigate. As they venture down into the swirling ocean depths, they discover a mysterious UFO attempting to steal all of Earth’s water. With the help of their good friends, Belka and Strelka once again perform a heroic mission to save both our planet and the distant home of their new alien friends.

Runtime: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Space Dogs: Return to Earth starts when space dogs Strekla and Belka are called back from their mission on a Saturn moon, to investigate a series of cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, meanwhile there rat best friend Lenny is looking to get to the cyclones too, traveling to Cuba in an attempt to solve the mystery.

The three will look to meet up and try and save the world from an unknown threat while dealing with their own weaknesses.

Thoughts on Space Dogs: Return to Earth

Thoughts – Space Dogs: Return to Earth is a family friendly animal animation that will put different animals from the lead dogs, a rat, cockroach, jellyfish, elephant and many more into an adventure to save the planet from a new invader that wants the water from the ocean. This is one movie that will play into the family audience with ease, you will get some laughs, deal with the teamwork, as both Belka and Strelka will both have weaknesses the other will cover up and help them through. We do have a small message about the importance of the world’s water sources are, but it isn’t thrown down our throats. The musical numbers work well through the film, while the animation looks great for the world created.

Final Thoughts – Space Dogs: Return of Earth is an enjoyable family film that will get laughs along the way.

Signature Entertainment presents Space Dogs: Return to Earth in Cinemas 11th December

Categories
Movie Review

The Red Turtle (2016) Movie Review

Director: Michael Dudok de Wit

Writer: Michael Dudok de Wit, Pascale Ferran (Screenplay) Michael Dudok de Wit (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Emmanuel Garijo, Tom Hudson, Baptiste Goy, Axel Devillers, Barbara Beretta

Plot: A man is shipwrecked on a deserted island and encounters a red turtle, which changes his life.

Runtime: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Beautiful

Story: The Red Turtle starts when a man gets washed up on a desert island, alone he looks for the essentials, water and food, before trying to figure out how he can get off the island. First, he builds a raft, which only fails his escape plans.

Once the man learns that he is being followed by a mysterious red turtle his whole life on the island changes in a way her would never have imagined.

Thoughts on The Red Turtle

Characters – This is a film where the characters have no names, only roles, the man is the one that gets trapped on the island, looking for a way to find rescue, shelter and survival, something he can manages, before setting off on his own voyage of self-discovery on the island. The Red Turtle seems to be holding the man on the island before giving him a gift which will change his life.

Story – The story here follows a man that becomes stranded on a desert island where he searches for a way off, looks to survive, only to clash with a mysterious creature that seems to be holding him to the island. This is a story that is all about the visuals we see, it could easily be reflected into the garden of Eden that the man has been given with different aspects of survival involved, be it from needing food, drink or shelter or one’s own mental ability of being alone. This is a story that could also be look at in different ways by different people, which only enhances this to new levels.

Adventure/Fantasy – The adventure side of this film shows just how one man makes a life out of his time on the island, this does get mixed with the fantasy elements of the film too.

Settings – The film is set on one desert island which does have a lot to survive with, only it has no escape from. It looks beautiful while feeling empty.

Animation – The animation is amazing too, with the different lighting to show different times of day, weather conditions and environment changes.


Scene of the Movie – The Full Life.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing.

Final Thoughts – This is a beautiful animation that shows the importance of life, happiness and survival.

Overall: One of the most beautiful animations ever.

Categories
Movie Review

The Legend of Santa (2021) Short Movie Review

Director: Andrew de Burgh

Writer: Daniel Colyer (Screenplay)

Plot: When a compassionate bishop sees that his woodcarving hobby has the ability to brighten a poor girl’s life, he sets out on a journey to see that children everywhere have the same opportunity.

Runtime: 6 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Legend of Santa starts as we see how a kind-hearted Bishop Saint Nicholas used his woodcarving hobby to help put a smile on a young girls face, seeing the delight on her face, he decides to help his whole city, before going on his own journey to help children around the world.

Thoughts on The Legend of Santa

Final Thoughts – The Legend of Santa is a short animated movie that does rely on the music to move the story along, we get to see one man who wanted to make a difference with a good gesture rather than for their own benefit. The animation technique is different to most you would have seen, which helps make what looks like a tale told through generations that would slowly start to lose part of its reality helping with the faded animation vision. Like I always do with short movie, is ask the question, could this be a full feature and the simple answer is yes, this could tell the same story with a bigger emotional impact. We could easily watch this before a full feature too, with the calming presence before the big story.



Categories
Movie Review

Wolfwalkers (2020) London Film Festival Movie Review

Director: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart

Writer: Jericca Cleland, Will Collins (Screenplay) Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Sean Bean, Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Simon McBurney

Plot: A young apprentice hunter and her father journey to Ireland to help wipe out the last wolf pack. But everything changes when she befriends a free-spirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumored to transform into wolves by night.


Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Wolfwalkers starts as a hunter Bill and his daughter Robyn have moved from England to an Irish town that is surrounded by wolves, Bill is hired to help eradicate this problem, with Robyn desperate to help him in this work.

After Robyn gets caught outside the wall, she finds herself coming face to face with a pack of wolves, with the leader being a Wolfwalkers Mebh a young girl that transform into a wolf, looking to protect the forest from destruction.

Thoughts on Wolfwalkers

Characters – Bill is Robyn’s father, he has moved her to help a city with a wolf problem outside the walls, his hunters skills are considered the best in the land, only he wants to work alone and the wolves seem to be staying ahead of him, as he never wants to believe any of Robyn’s stories. Robyn is the daughter of Bill’s who along with her bird Merlin hasn’t settled in the new city, she wants to help her father hunt, which sees her meeting a young girl roaming the forest, here she learns more about the world outside of the walls and that nature can live next to the civilization. Mebh is a young girl living in the forest, she has the ability of a Wolfwalker, being about to transform into a wolf while sleeping, she leads the wolves in defending the forest, while waiting for her mother to return, she shows Robyn the way, when she becomes one and will do anything to bring her mother back, while deep down being so alone in the world. Lord Protector runs the city, he expects everyone to follow his orders and will kill any wolf that gets in his way, a truly cold-hearted figure.

Story – The story here follows a city believing they have a problem with wolves outside of the walls, when a young girl that wants to explore the world finds herself in the middle of the battle between the two sides, one which could be kept in peace, showing that nature is innocent in what it wants in the world. The story here has clear messages about living together with nature, while not blindly destroying it around you, while having the heart of a family trying to rediscover themselves after losing a loved one, add in the need for friendship and it coming from a place you wouldn’t expect, we have a nearly perfect movie her with a story that can be enjoyed by all and is the closest you will find to anything that could ever compare to the heart of a Pixar film and the beauty of a Studio Ghibli Film.

Adventure – The adventure side of the film takes Robyn out of her trapped life in the city, to the open world which could offer her so much more than she ever expected, once she opens her eyes to it, filled with peril along the way.

Settings – The film uses the two main settings, the dark city, which is filled with the depressing colours, playing perfectly off the pure beauty of the outside nature world.

Animation – The animation style is absolutely beautiful to see, with the different style used for the human form or the wolf form, each colour plays into the nature theme throughout the film.


Scene of the Movie – Running with the wolves.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is flawless.

Final Thoughts – Wolfwalkers is easily going to walk away with the best animated movie this year, the pure beauty of every scene brings animation to a new level, we haven’t seen before, simply stunning.



Categories
Movie Review

The Elfkins (2019) Movie Review

Director: Ute von Munchow-Pohl

Writer: Jan Strathmann (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Jella Haase, Louis Hofmann, Leon Seidel, Detlef Bierstedt, Elke Heidenreich

Plot: The legendary Elfkins (Heinzelmännchen) of Cologne were gnomes secretly helping craftsmen at night until they were ousted by a tailor’s malevolent wife 200 years ago. This is the story of their return.

Runtime: 1 Hour 18 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Elfkins starts as we meet the Elfkins, a society of gnomes secretly living under the city, where they once help humans secretly, now they hide from them, Helvi wants to prove herself as a craftsperson, only her inventions always fail causing trouble with her people, which sees her turning to her best friend Butz, to escape and discover a human to learn a craft.

When Helvi, Butz and Kipp find themselves in a bakery, Helvi decides she wants to help the baker Theo who is about to lose his bakery, learning her true skill here once and for all.

Thoughts on The Elfkins

Characters – The Elfkins, Helvi is the one that has always wanted to fit in, have her own craft, but she is ends up causing trouble more than helping her people, she leaves up the community in search for her skill, wanting to break the traditions and learn of a human, which sees her looking to do the right thing, helping a down on his luck baker. Kipp is the smartest of the Elfkins, he will always invent thing to help them, one that Helvi will turn to for help. Butz is the best friend of Helvi, he will follow her on her adventures. Theo is the down on his luck baker, that is about to lose his bakery, he is the man that the Elfkin are drawn towards to help, with his brother Bruno being the one that wants to take his bakery.

Story – This story follows a group of Elfkins that go against what they are expected to do, by staying away from humans, by visiting the surface and doing what they always thought they were meant to do, help people. This is a feel good movie showing us that you need to believe in myths and legends, despite the modern world wanting us to ignore the important parts of life. Regardless of the species, the idea that someone will want to fit in, is still strong in this story and the biggest message looking to be sent to the audience.

Action/Fantasy – The action in the film does rely on how the Elfkins need to try and escape trouble, or make things happen in the bakery, with the fantasy elements of the film coming from seeing how the Elfkins are part of this world.

Settings – The film is set in a German city, which you can tell from certain architecture we see around the city.

Animation – The animation in the movie looks beautiful, bringing to life the different colours, where we see the bright positive side of Helvi, contrast with the darker side of the world where Theo is.


Scene of the Movie – The grand opening.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We could have seen more from the Butz character, he seems to be caught between best friend and comic relief and not completely either.

Final Thoughts – This is a fun family animation that has a big heart that will get the biggest message across.

The Elfkins is in Cinemas from 2nd October

Categories
Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – # – The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) Movie Review

Director: Chris Renaud, Jonathan del Val

Writer: Brian Lynch (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart, Harrison Ford, Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate, Tiffany Haddish, Lake Bell (The Summering)

Plot: Continuing the story of Max and his pet friends, following their secret lives after their owners leave them for work or school each day.


Tagline – They still have their secrets.

Runtime: 1 Hour 26 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Simple Sequel

Story: The Secret Life of Pets 2 starts as we see how Max and Duke are adjusting to having a kid in their lives, with Max feeling the stress of protecting him, which sees the whole family have a weekend away in the country, Snowball and Daisy end up trying to release a tiger from a circus, giving Snowball a chance to be the hero he wants to be.

Back in New York Gidget gets involved in her own adventure, trying to recover the lost toy from an apartment filled with cats all before Max returns and learns his friend has lost his prized toy.

Thoughts on The Secret Life of Pets 2

Final Thoughts – When it came to the first Secret Life of Pets, we got to see the adventures of the pets in New York as they deal with changes in their lives, this story does take everything to the next level for Max, shows Snowball on yet another wild adventure and puts the rest of the characters in a position where they must do the right thing for the animals. This is one that the kids will get the enjoyment out of, though the more adult audience will struggle to get behind the bland characters that are mostly forgettable by the end of the film. The animation still looks incredible, though certain actions are very worrying to see, even if this is only added for slapstick.

Overall: Basic Animation.