Tag: Animation

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Movie Review

Luca (2021) Movie Review

Director: Enrico Casarosa

Writer: Jesse Andrews, Mike Jones (Screenplay) Enrico Casarosa, Jesse Andrews, Simon Stephenson (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Saverio Raimondo, Maya Rudolph, Marco Barricelli

Plot: On the Italian Riviera, an unlikely but strong friendship grows between a human being and a sea monster disguised as a human.

Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Luca starts when a young sea creature Luca finds his daily underwater routine getting boring, until he finds a human item in his home, leading him to investigate more of the surface, where he meets Alberto, who has been living on the surface for years now.

When Luca gets caught out in his surface activities, he decides to runaway to the local Italian town with Alberto, where they must learn to be around humans, making friends with Guilia, helping her prepare for a local race. The pair must keep the truth about themselves hidden, from a town that has been hunting for them for years.

Thoughts on Luca

Thoughts – Luca is an animated movie that will continue to give the life lessons about trying something new, learning to accept people who are different and most importantly, the importance of friendship. The movie will use the Italian culture to help show the traditions between the food, the buildings and the fears of the unknown within the waters, with sea creatures. The movies will beautiful, just like any of the Disney movies, giving us a visual treat from both one and under the surface. This is one of the most popular recent movies from Disney movies, one that is filled with all the heart of soul needing to make it stand out for years to come.

Final Thoughts – Luca is an enjoyable addition to the Disney animation world.

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Movie Review

The Castaways (2020) Movie Review ‘Enjoyable Animation’

The Castaways – Enjoyable Animation

 

Director: Francesco Dafano, Luca Della Grotta

Writer: Francesco Dafano, Andrea Nobile (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Rossy de Palma, Dave Willis, Marc Thompson, Tyler Bunch, Sam Haft, Billy Bob Thompson

Plot: Boxes, bottles, cans. Garbage. Abandoned, ignored, inert. Until nightfall. Slim is a resigned cardboard box. but his fate changes when a kid toy box, Spark, involves him and his pals in an adventure that will change their life forever.

Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Castaways starts when a new piece of garbage Spark, finds himself needing to learn quick of Slim about the world that he has found himself in, and when the suckers turn up, they go out of the safety of the kitchen they hide in, the find themselves in the open streets, on the run.

Slim reluctantly looks to help Spark find a safe place, a fable place, where he will need to fight against the Predators who hunt around for trash to destroy.

Thoughts on The Castaways

Thoughts – The Castaways is a fun little animation movie that dives into the magic of Toy Story, with the idea that trash items will find themselves needing to fight for their lives despite being thrown out by humans. Creating an underworld society there they look to get on with their lives, but know the dangers if they are caught. This is told in a way that will give us an unlikely group of characters coming together for the better good, while the evil figures might well look like a traditional big shader figures. With each location we get to enter into a location where the strangest places to find trash hiding away from the world. This is a story that has everything going for it with the journey being made, characters filled with good, to create a film that the whole family can enjoy and get the message about recycling in.

Signature Entertainment presents The Castaways on Digital Platforms on 15th November

Final Thoughts – The Castaways is an animation movie the whole family can enjoy.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Adventure – D – Dragon Rider (2020) Movie Review

Director: Tomer Eshed

Writer: Johnny Smith (Screenplay) Cornelia Funke (Book)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Felicity Jones, Freddie Highmore, Patrick Stewart, Nonso Anozie, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal

Plot: A young silver dragon teams up with a mountain spirit and an orphaned boy on a journey through the Himalayas in search for the Rim of Heaven.

Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Dragon Rider starts when the humans start to move closer to the hidden dragon world, young dragon Firedrake wants to help find safety for the dragons, leaving with his best friend Sorrell in search of the Rim of Heaven. The adventure takes them to London where they find Ben an orphan who is on the run, who pretends to be a Dragon Rider.

The reappearance of a dragon has grabbed the attention of mechanical dragon Nettlebrand who has been waiting to feed on the dragons, leading to a race against time to save the dragons before it is too late.

Thoughts on Dragon Rider

Characters – Firedrake is the young dragon that has always dreamed of seeing more of the world, he wants to prove himself to his kind and when the humans start getting close, he decides to try and find them a new home, he is naïve in nature, too welcoming to the human and must learn to be the brave hero he was always meant to be. Sorrell is the brownie that joins Firedrake on the adventure, she is a tough fighter despite her size and doesn’t trust Ben at any stage of the adventure. Ben is the orphan that is on the streets committing crimes, who pretends to be a dragon rider to escape and along the way he learns about moving on from the tragedy he has been through. Nettlebrand is the mechanical dragon bulit to fight and destroy dragons, he has been waiting for years to find a new victim and chases Firedrake around the world for more dragons.

Story – The story here follows a young dragon that goes in search of a new home, wanting to prove himself to elders, in an adventure that takes them around the world, while being hunted by a dragon eater. This is a nice story about finding your place in the world, mixing the idea that the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ movies happened in this world, without people knowing the dragons are real. We do get a host of mythical creatures that Firedrake meets along the way, showing us that not everyone is the evil as they believe them to be. We get to learn that not everybody is who you think they are, and opening up can help find peace.

Themes – Dragon Rider is an animated adventure film that will take the mythical creatures around the world in search of a new home, on a journey which will let them meet other mythical creatures along the way. If you are a fan of learning about the creatures that might well have once lived, this will give you stories about them still being around.

 

Dragon Rider is a fun family adventure film that will get laughs and an enjoyable number of mythical creatures.

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Movie Review

Christmas at Cattle Hill (2020) Movie Review ‘Cute Christmas Movie’

Christmas at Cattle Hill – Cute Christmas Movie

 

Director: Will Ashurst

Writer: Ole Christian Solbakken (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Charlotte Reynard, Daniel Maley, Corin Silva, Gianna Carpenito, Terrence Mann

Plot: Klara the Calf is excited to spend her first Christmas on Cattle Hill with her Father, but when they arrive at the farm Klara is disappointed to see he has not attempted to decorate for the holidays. When her father is unexpectedly called away for work, Klara sees it as an opportunity to make Cattle Hill a Christmas paradise with the help of the cheeky Christmas elf who lives on the farm, but as Klara finds out it is about being together at Christmas which is the most important.

Runtime: 1 Hour 8 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Christmas at Cattle Hill starts when Christmas is coming to Cattle Hill and Klara is looking forward to her first Christmas here. The Christmas plans don’t go how Klara is expecting when her time with her Father are cut short, as Klara learns that her father tends to spend Christmas alone, hoping the people around the town, never decorating his place.

As Klara starts looking to bring together her family, she gets caught up learning about different legends that have been created in the town, ones which she might end up breaking or learning from.

Thoughts on Christmas at Cattle Hill

Thoughts – Christmas at Cattle Hill is an animated movie that will look to bring together the idea that Christmas is best together, rather than having the best decoration. We do get the likeable characters with the younger members of a family getting caught up in needing to fix Christmas and learning that she will have the support of her family to make things better, while bringing together the animals that are different. This will offer up some nice music that is focused on bringing back the meaning of Christmas in the purest way, one that is easy to watch and will have a few laughs along the way. The animation in the film is strong, even if the decision to use different farm animals, might seem strange for certain moments.

Signature Entertainment presents Christmas at Cattle Hill on Digital Platforms 18th October

Final Thoughts – Christmas at Cattle Hill is a cute and charming Christmas, with the true meaning of Christmas coming through.

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Movie Review

Even Mice Belong in Heaven (2021) Movie Review ‘Charmingly Delightful’

Even Mice Belong in Heaven – Charmingly Delightful

Director: Jan Bubenicek, Denisa Grimmova

Writer: Jeffrey Hylton, Richard Malatinsky, Alice Nellis (Screenplay)

Plot: A film about two mortal enemies – a little Mouse and a Fox, who after an unfortunate accident, meet in animal heaven. They lose their natural instincts and become best friends. Their wish to stay together after they return to earth comes true, but they are reborn into opposite roles. Thanks to the power of friendship they can even overcome what seems to be impossible.

Runtime: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Even Mice Belong in Heaven starts as we meet the nervous little mouse Whizzy who wants to prove her friends wrong by showing she is fearless by approaching the deadly fox living in the nearby garden.

When something goes wrong with the plan, Whizzy finds herself in heaven, with other animals of every species, who can’t each other. Whizzy wants to go back to her family, but learns she can’t go back, so instead looks to find her father and is joined by an unlikely friend, White Belly, the fox she believes ate her, only to learn they both died in the same incident and look to travel heaven together in search of Whizzy’s father.

Thoughts on Even Mice Belong in Heaven

Thoughts – Even Mice Belong in Heaven is an animated adventure following a young mouse that must travel through her vision of heaven in search of a family, so she doesn’t have to spend eternity alone. She is joined by a fox, her mortal enemy in her life, as the two find themselves lost in the afterlife, learning they should have put their difference apart a long time ago. This is a story that will deal with death in a strange way, pushing for the idea of an afterlife that will give people or in this case, animals a chance to redeem themselves, creating a place where memories will keep them together. The animation style is wonderful to watching, showing the charm and creation of each different animal, getting the definite structure to make them stay unique in this world.

Signature Entertainment presents Even Mice Belong in Heaven at Cinemas Nationwide 1st October

Final Thoughts – Even Mice Belong in Heaven is a delightful family film, filled with heart, soul and learning about life.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – 90s Movies – P – Pocahontas (1995) Movie Review

Director: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg

Writer: Carl Binder, Susannah Grant, Philip LaZebnik (Screenplay)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Joe Baker, Christian Bale, Irene Bedard, Billy Connolly, James Apaumut Fall, Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt

Plot: An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.


Tagline – An American legend comes to life

Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Pocahontas starts as we meet the English colonists led by Governor Radcliffe who are looking for new land for their hunt for gold, with the fearless warrior John Smith along with them, the English arrive in Virginia where they clash with an Algonquin tribe.

As John explores himself, he meets the daughter of the chief Pocahontas, a dreamer who is always searching for more from the world, one with nature and someone John has never met before. The union between John and Pocahontas could stop the bloodshed the two sides want to bring onto each other.

Thoughts on Pocahontas

Thoughts – Pocahontas is one of the many Disney animations that is built around a legendary story, one that doesn’t always connect with the reality of history, it does show the arrogance of the people that invaded lands compared to the people there who just wanted a normal life that is getting shattered. When it comes to the animated Disney, this does feel like one of the weaker ones, which was just the start of the many weaker films we got to see in the later 90’s in the post early 90s boom back to success. The songs never feel as catchy as they should be for a Disney film and while the messaging is clear about accepting people, it just never seems to hit the heights of many other films that have tried and succeeded with the same ideas. Most of the highlights in the film come from sidekick animal characters that will get all the laughs to keep you smiling.

Final Thoughts – Pocahontas is the standard Disney animation.

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Movie Review

Ainbo: The Spirit of the Amazon (2021) Movie Review ‘Full of Heart and Soul’

Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon – Full of Heart and Soul

 

Director: Richard Claus, Jose Zelada

Writer: Richard Claus, Brian Cleveland, Jason Cleveland, Larry Wilson (Screenplay) Jose Zelada (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Bernardo De Paula, Thom Hoffman, Dino Andrade, Joe Hernandez, Lola Raie, Alejandra Gollas

Plot: In the spirit of Moana and Frozen, ‘Ainbo – Spirit of the Amazon’ is the epic journey of a young hero and her Spirit Guides, “Dillo” a cute and humorous armadillo and “Vaca” a goofy oversized tapir, who embark on a quest to save their home in the spectacular Amazon Rainforest.

Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon starts when Ainbo an orphaned young girl looks to connect to her own spirit guide in the Amazon, like her mother did before, her best friend Zumi is about to take over the local tribe and wants Ainbo by her side, only for Atok being against her, with the tribe suffering from an illness.

As Ainbo finally meets her spirit guides Dillo an Armadillo and Vaca a Tapir, the three travel through the rainforest to locate the truth about what could be destroying their home, something Ainbo can save them all from.

Thoughts on Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon

Characters – Ainbo is the young girl that wants to be the best hunter, defender, and member of her Amazon tribe. She is often seen as an outsider within the tribe, which has seen her needing to go on her own quest to unlock her own spirit guides to learn about her place in the tribe. Ainbo is the heart and soul of the story, always wanting to do the right thing. Dillo the armadillo and Vaca the Tapir are the spirit guide for Ainbo, they will always be around when she needs them, bringing plenty of laughs to the story, that will often break the serious side of the story. Zumo is the best friend of Ainbo, she is about to become the leader of the tribe, she does need to make her mark on the tribe, which will push the friendships to a new level. Atok is the warrior that has always tried to defend the local area, no matter how difficult the situation might well be.

Story – The story here follows a young girl that finds herself needing to go on a spiritual journey to save her tribe from an illness, while her best friend is trying to find her place in control, when an evil finds its way towards the tribe. This story will easily get compared to Moana or Brave, with the adventure side of things, I would like to throw in Ferngully The Last Rainforest, with the dark side of the what is happening to the rainforest. The idea that somebody must learn about their past to save their future will always be a driving force for a story, with this being a perfect choice for pushing that through. The story has so much heart and soul about protecting people and what we have, needing to work together, despite differences and most of all, believing in your friends.

Themes – Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon is an animated adventure that will see Ainbo travel through the rainforest on her spirit quest, meeting animals that will guide her to the truth, to help protect her, each location is used to show where you would imagine that animal living, only enhanced. The animation looks beautiful, like most films in this generation. The only thing you are expecting from the style choices here, is them all breaking out into song.

Signature Entertainment presents Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon in Cinemas Nationwide from 27th August

Final Thoughts – Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon is a beautiful animation, filled with all the heart and soul you need for a strong story.

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Movie Review

Moonbound (2021) Movie Review

Moonbound – Enjoyable Adventure

 

Director: Ali Samadi Ahadi

Writer: Ali Samadi Ahadi, Arne Nolting (Screenplay)

Plot: Based on one of Germany’s most popular children’s books MOONBOUND tells the story of little Pete who embarks on an enchanting journey together with June bug Mr. Zoomzeman and the Sandman to rescue his little sister from the evil Moon Man.

Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Moonbound starts when young boy Peter who is obsessed with space, finds himself needing to impress people because his little sister Anna gets him overly involved in situations, he stumbles up on a legend of Mr Zoomzeman a June Bug that needs two humans to take travel to the moon to save his lost love.

When Anna is kidnapped, Peter must work with Mr Zoomzeman and the Sandman as they look to rescue their loved ones from the moon and the evil Moon Man.

Thoughts on Moonbound

Thoughts – Moonbound is an adventure animation movie following a young boy getting to live his father’s dreams of making it to the moon, where he will need to save his sister, playing into the legends of his sister’s children’s books to rescue her. There is a big message about family and supporting each other between siblings, letting both sides have their own enjoyment with what they can find in life, with the adventure side of the film taking us out of this world in a rescue attempt. The family can all get a different level of enjoyment out of this family friendly film, with jokes for all ages and an adventure out of this world.

Signature Entertainment presents Moonbound in Cinemas Nationwide 6th August

Final Thoughts – Moonbound is a fun family film that everyone can enjoyed.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Comedy – Z – Escape from Planet Earth (2013) Movie Review

We are under Z because of the small Steve Zahn appearance.

Director: Cal Brunker

Writer: Bob Barlen, Cal Brunker (Screenplay) Tony Leech, Cory Edwards (Story)

Starring: (Voice Talents) Brendan Fraser, Rob Corddry, Ricky Gervais, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Jessica Alba, Sofia Vergara

Plot: Astronaut Scorch Supernova finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to an SOS from a notoriously dangerous alien planet.


Tagline – Earth’s greatest secrets are about to break out!

Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Fun Little Animation

Story: Escape from Planet Earth starts as we meet two alien brothers, Scorch is the macho brave heroic figure on the planet, while Gary is the smart one that always manages to get Scorch out of trouble. When the two clash after the latest mission, Gary refuses to help Scorch on his latest mission, which sees him get caught on Earth.

Gary decides to go and rescue his brother, only to discover a bigger problem that Scorch finds himself in, where Gary leads the rescue of other alien species being held by humans at Area 51.

Thoughts on Escape from Planet Earth

Characters – Scorch is the big strong heroic alien that the species sees as an ideal, even though he is a clumsy fool, he rushes in head first usually needing someone else to save him, this sees him clash with his brother and end up getting captured. Gary is the smart one of the two, he always helps his brother out, despite having the insecurity of not being seen as much of a hero of his brother. He decides to risk everything in an attempt to save his brother, where he gets to be the hero for the first time. General Shanker is running Area 51 with his own plan for holding different aliens, while Gary and Scorch’s own species have their own dramas back on their home planet.

Story – The story follows two brothers from a different planet that are going through their own problems, one being the hero of the world, while the other does the work behind the scenes, with then refusing to work together, only for them to realize they need each other to complete the missions at hand. This does show the importance of family, the consumption of greed of power and learning to work together will always get the best results. The story does have plenty of heart, without being one of the most original with the ideas being put into it.

Adventure/Comedy/Sci-Fi – The adventure takes the aliens to Earth, a world they haven’t been to before, one where they need to learn from, with the comedy coming from the different alien creations, the sci-fi side of the film shows us that life could be out there on every planet.

Settings – The film does create the typical settings you would imagine, with the evil laboratory and the colourful open world.

Animation – The animation in the film looks great without every looking weak, with the style adapting to the slapstick used through the film.


Scene of the Movie – The escape

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Too generic.

Final Thoughts – This is a fun enjoyable animated movie that gets laughs when needed and brings the heart required from the story.

Overall: Enjoyable Comedy.