Tag: Animation

Categories
Movie Review

Teen Titans GO! to the Movies (2018) Movie Thoughts

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – T- Teen Titans GO! to the Movies (2018)

Teen Titans GO! to the Movies Poster

Director: Aaron Horvath, Peter Rida Michail

Writer: Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, Hynden Walch, Will Arnett

Plot: A villain’s maniacal plan for world domination sidetracks five teenage superheroes who dream of Hollywood stardom.


Tagline – Because if Aquaman can get a movie, anyone can.

Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Teen Titans GO! To the Movies starts as we meet the Teen Titans, Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire. Who are all trying to be taken seriously by the world and the more famous superheroes, including Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.

As the teens look to find their own arch-nemesis, they are caught up in the middle trying to get their own movie. Which will test their own friendship before finding their own place in the world.

Thoughts on Teen Titans GO! To the Movies

Teen Titans GO! To the Movies is a movie that will bring together plenty of the humour with the target of the younger audience, as well as having plenty of adult humour and winks to the DC universe and even the Marvel. We do get a clever story on how one of the sidekick characters who was desperate to have his own movie, poking fun at the over saturated superhero movie market.

There is a big heart about staying close to friends over one’s own success, each character is full of delightful entertainment, that will play into everything we have seen, getting laughs and showing a different side to characters we might have seen before.

Final Thoughts – Teen Titans GO! To the Movies is a fun animation that gets to poke fun at the superhero movies of today.

 

Categories
Movie Review

Racetime (2018) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – R – Racetime (2018)

Racetime poster

Director: Benoit Godbout, Jean-Francois Pouliot, Francois Brisson

Writer: Claude Landry, Maxime Landry, Paul Risacher, Lienne Sawatsky, Daniel Williams (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Lucinda Davis, Dawn Ford, Don W Shepherd, Tod Fennell, Angela Galuppo, Sonja Ball

Plot: Ready, Set, Snow. Frankie and Sophie challenge newcomers Zac and Charlie to an epic sled race, only to break down right before the finish line. Convinced that Zac cheated, Frankie demands a rematch and raises the stakes by betting his team’s clubhouse. Frankie and the gang build a spectacular new race track and the stage is set for the biggest race of the season.

Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Racetime starts as we meet a community of young snow sled racers. Frankie being the best designer and Sophie being the best driver. They have a clubhouse which will see all the kids in the community come together for entertainment to make and compete friendly with each other.

When new kids Zac and Charlie arrive in town, they get challenged by Frankie and much to Frankie’s surprise. Winning leaving Frankie investigating what happened, believing Zac cheated. Frankie challenges Zac to another race, one with bigger stakes, the clubhouse.

Thoughts on Racetime

Characters

Frankie spends his time designing sleds to use in races, he prides himself on being the best working with the community, even with his short temper. His competitive side will always get the best of him, putting his friendships on the line.

Zac is the new kid in town that has been working on trying to make an impact in the town. He does use cheating tactics, but he is filled with a loneliness that only one of the other kids gets to learn about.

Sophie and Charlie are the hotshot racers that often have the guys around the town doing anything for them. The supporting cast is filled with many different supporting characters. Each one will have their place in group, showing their importance to the friendship between the people in the town.

Story

The story follows a group of snow sled racers that have friendly competitions between each other. Until a new kid comes to town and offers up a new challenge. One that will push one kid Frankie to the limit of what he is willing to do to become the best in town.

This is a story that shows the importance of friendship while growing up. Showing people will make mistakes that can cause pain to each other. It is learning to adapt to mistakes that brings people together. We do also get the message that cheating never prosper. It is told in a nice way that will appeal to a younger audience, while still having a few adult jokes along the way.

Themes

Racetime is a family animated movie that has a wonderful design to make this enjoyable to watch. The different racecourses being involved in the races. Different character designs that will show the importance of friendship and understanding other people’s hardships. It does have something for everyone, even if it is targeted to the younger audience.

Racetime is a fun animated movie that family can all enjoy.

Categories
Movie Review

Trolls World Tour (2020) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – Q – Trolls World Tour (2020). This is under Q because of the many different Queens in the film.

Trolls World Tour poster

Director: Walt Dohrn, David P Smith

Writer: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky, Elizabeth Tippett (Screenplay) Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, James Corden, Ron Fuches, Kelly Clarkson

Plot: When the Queen of the Hard Rock Trolls tries to take over all the Troll kingdoms. Queen Poppy and her friends try different ways to save all the Trolls.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Trolls World Tour starts when the rock troll queen Barb wants to take over the whole world of music from each troll kingdom. Making rock the dominate music between the trolls. Poppy the queen of the pop kingdom wants to find a peaceful solution. Believing music will bring the kingdoms together, only to learn the truth about her own kingdom, while learning about the different kingdoms choice in music.

Thoughts on Trolls World Tour

Trolls World Tour will bring the characters from the first film back to learn of the much bigger world they live in. Where different types of music are in different kingdoms, with one wanting to make the whole world like their music.

The story will surprisingly get very deep, dealing with a dominant group who have shut down others in the past. Needing to learn not to make the same mistakes as the past. The different music inclusion will offer something for everyone to enjoy even if there is a certain music you might not normally like. This is one that will offer something for the whole family to enjoy. With the non-stop music and big messaging about letting people or in this case trolls be whoever they want to be.

Final Thoughts – Trolls World Tour is a family friendly music experience.

Categories
Movie Review

Planes (2013) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – P – Planes (2013)

Planes Poster

Director: Klay Hall

Writer: Jeffrey M Howard (Screenplay) John Lasseter, Klay Hal, Jeffrey M Howard (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Plot: A crop dusting plane with a fear of heights lives his dream of competing in a famous around-the-world aerial race.

Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Planes starts as a crop duster Dusty, dreams of being a racing plane. Turning to a former fighter plane Skipper to learn how to be fast and smoother in the sky.

After Dusty qualifies for the world aerial race. He must train to compete in the competition. Where the more prepared planes look to stop Dusty making an impact within the race.

Thoughts on Planes

Planes is an animated adventure movie that takes place above the Cars world. Whereby we get an unlikely hero needing to fight for their place in a race that doesn’t realistic stand a chance in this style of race. Meanwhile the experienced racers spend more time trying to take out Dusty, than just being the better racer.

This will fill out everything you should expect from an animated movie that wants to tell the story about fitting in and chasing your dreams. This isn’t going to be the most interesting, but it will entertain for the most part.

Final Thoughts – Planes is an easy to watch animated movie.

Categories
Movie Review

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – O – One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

One Hundred and One Dalmatian Poster

Director: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman

Writer: Bill Peet (Screenplay) Dodie Smith (Book)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Rob Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, J Pat O’Malley, Martha Wentworth, Ben Wright, Cate Bauer

Plot: When a litter of Dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella de Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.

Runtime: 1 Hour 19 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: One Hundred and One Dalmatians starts when dalmatian Pongo looks to help his owner Roger find love. Which they pair do with Perdita and Anita. As the love blossoms, Pongo and Perdita have a litter of puppies. One that Cruella De Vil wants for herself, but Roger and Anita won’t sell them to her.

After Cruella arranges for the puppies to be stolen, Pongo uses the twilight call for help. Which will see the dogs from across the country coming together to save the puppies from her evil plan.

Thoughts on One Hundred and One Dalmatian

One Hundred and One Dalmatians is an animated movie. Showing the impossible journey that parent dogs will go on to save their stolen puppies. Using the communication between dogs to make the rescue.

This an enjoyable, while dark tale, with Cruella De Vil being one, if not the scariest villain in animated Disney movies. Showing her pure evil with what she wants to do with the puppies. This does have the animation style, which does work for the wild adventure. Which will give plenty of laughs along the way, mixed in with all the peril involved.

Final Thoughts – One Hundred and One Dalmatians is an enjoyable animation filled with laughs and peril.

Categories
Movie Review

Mr Peabody & Sherman (2014) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – M – Mr Peabody & Sherman (2014)

Mr Peabody & Sherman Poster

Director: Rob Minkoff

Writer: Craig Wright (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Lauri Fraser, Guillaume Aretos

Plot: The time-travelling adventures of an advanced canine and his adopted son, as they endeavor to fix a time rift they created.


Tagline – He’s leaving his mark on history.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Mr. Peabody & Sherman starts as we meet Mr Peabody, a genius dog that was created and achieved everything in life. His grandest achievement being adopting a young boy Sherman. The pair travel through time, where Mr Peabody will teach Sherman about history.

Sherman is facing his biggest challenge alone, school. Where he becomes the victim of the bully Penny, leading to his reputation needing Mr Peabody wanting to fix things. This will only make things worse as Penny goes through time with Sherman, with Mr Peabody needing to rescue them.

Thoughts on Mr Peabody & Sherman

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a wild animated adventure movie. It will see the unlikely couple of the world’s smartest ever dog teaming up with a young boy to travel through time. Hoping of learn in a way unlike anything seen before. The pair must work together to rescue a classmate of Sherman’s. Which will bring the pair through their toughest father son relationship to date.

It will have the messages about needing to let your children make their own mistakes in life. Letting them learn and experience the world in a way that only they can, not holding them back from their potential. The journey through time will bring us to different locations where major conflict takes place, showing the lighter side of the darker moments in history. This is ultimately a very fun animation adventure that will have plenty of laughs along the way for every member of the family to get a kick out off.

Final Thoughts – Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a truly enjoyable animation movie with plenty to enjoy throughout.

Categories
Movie Review

Latte & the Magic Waterstone (2019) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – L – Latte & the Magic Waterstone

Latte & the Magic Waterstone

Director: Regina Welker, Nina Wels

Writer: Martin Behnke, Andrea Deppert (Screenplay)

Cast: (Voice Talents) Ashley Bornancin, Danny Fehsenfeld, Daniel Amerman, Julian Grant, Carter Hastings, Leslie L Miller

Plot: Follows the journey of a young hedgehog who wants to save the forest and its inhabitants from a horrible drought by reclaim a magical waterstone from the bear king.

Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Latte & the Magic Waterstone starts as young hedgehog Latte accidentally loses the critters water supply. Being joined by her squirrel Tjum, the pair go on a dangerous mission to find a waterstone.

The unlikely pair head into the dangerous area, searching for the waterstone. They will need to learn about friendship and working together. Something Latte has always struggled with.

Thoughts on Latte & the Magic Waterstone

Latte & the Magic Waterstone is an animated adventure. Following the animals searching for the essential water. Seeing the different animals interact with each other. Each species has their own skills to outsmart the others, with the predators hunting down the pair.

The journey does have a big message about the water supply getting short. Working together would help solve the problems the animals would face.

The animation involved brings the animals to life, giving them all unique characteristics. The stubborn hedgehog and the overly friendly squirrel work well together. The wolves relaxing waiting for their chance and the bears being the kings.

Final Thoughts –Latte & the Magic Waterstone is a fun little animated movie.

Categories
Movie Review

Klaus (2019) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – K – Klaus (2019)

Klaus Poster

Director: Sergio Pablos, Carlos Martinez Lopez

Writer: Jim Mahoney, Zach Lewis (Screenplay) Sergio Pablos (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Will Sasso, Neda Margretha Labba, Sergio Pablos, Norm MacDonald, Joan Cusack

Plot: A simple act of kindness always sparks another, even in a frozen, faraway place. When Smeerensburg’s new postman, Jesper, befriends toymaker Klaus, their gifts melt an age-old feud and deliver a sleigh full of holiday traditions.

Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Klaus starts when a young postman Jesper is forced to leave his privilege home to head to a small town Smeerensburg. Where the residents don’t communicate well, because of a rivalry through the town.

It doesn’t take Jesper long to learn that this isn’t going to be a easy job. He meets reclusive toy maker Klaus, which sees the two make a connection. As they teach the children of the town to write letters, asking for toys. Seeing the dark town, get filled with a sunlight. As the children look to help change the opinions of the residents, creating a new tradition.

Thoughts on Klaus

Klaus is an animated movie that will look to dive into the history of Christmas. Bringing out a new idea of where it could have come from. Showing how it could have brought people together in life. Klaus is a movie that will look to pull on the heart strings. When it comes to seeing how and why Klaus has stepped away from the life with people. While Jesper is a character that has come from everything, looking to get back there at any means necessary.  

Klaus is filled with plenty of messages about making life better for the people around you, which deep down in the meaning of Christmas, coming together for the people we see the most in life. If we are going to put this in the conversation for best Christmas movies, it would become a welcome addition to this conversation, getting deeper down with meaning of what it is all about.

Final Thoughts – Klaus is a delightful Christmas movie, filled with so much heart.

Categories
Movie Review

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Animation – J – Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013)

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart Poster

Director: Stephane Berla, Mathias Malzieu

Writer: Mathias Malzieu (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Mathias Malzieu, Olivia Ruiz, Grand Corps Malade, Jean Rochefort, Rossy de Palma

Plot: A 19th-century drama about a man whose heart was replaced with a clock when he was born. The situation dictates that he should avoid feeling strong emotions — love, most of all — but he just can’t keep his feelings under wraps.

Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart starts when Jack is born with a frozen heart. Madeleine needing to fix the problem, giving him a cuckoo-clock heart, with three simple rules. 1. Never touch the hands in the clock, 2. Don’t get angry and 3. Never fall in love.

Jack is raised by Madeleine after his mother left him, with a growing boy wanting to see the world. Which starts with Edinburgh, seeing Jack meet Miss Acacia in town, falling in love. He ends up wanting to find Miss Acacia. Which will see him needing to travel around Europe to win her heart, risking his own life to do so.

Thoughts on Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart

Characters

Jack is a young boy born with a frozen heart, replaced with a cuckoo-clock. That keeps him alive, he must abide by a strict set of rules to survive. never touch the hands on his clock. Never get angry and never fall in love. Once he goes out into the world for the first time, he instantly falls in love. Nearly breaking his heart and after in incident. He must go on the run, searching for the woman he has fallen in love with. This is a character that will do anything for love no matter what happens to him.

Miss Acacia is the singer that Jack meets in his first visit to town. Her performances bring the city to a standstill, but her vision isn’t strong. Not remembering what she saw in Jack. She has her own tragic story of her time in Edinburgh, with her own defensive change. Jack has people help him along the way, with Madeleine being the person who helped raise him. Melies help him on the journey with his own dream of invention and Joe the love rival for Miss Acacia, who will do anything to stop Jack.

Story

The story follows us into the world where a baby is born with a frozen heart, having it replaced with Cuckoo-Clock. With rules to follow to stay alive, when Jack doesn’t follow the rules. He will end up falling love, putting his own life at risk, but winning a heart will come at a cost, as the journey will take Jack across Europe.

This is a beautiful story about love. Turning the idea of different mechanical additions to people to show the pain of emotions the character must go through. Jack with his cuckoo-clock heart is just one, showing us just how painful love can be. The journey to find love is brilliant. Showing us just how far people will go to find love in a world that is so easily to take us everything from us.

Themes – Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart is an animated movie that has a beautiful art design. Bringing this fantasy world to life in a way that you will be left in awe of the beauty created. The adventure takes us across Europe in the late 19 hundreds, with technology just starting to be used more in life, even if we go way past anything we would naturally see.

 

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart is by far one of the most beautiful animated movies you will ever see.

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart Rating