After making this blog, I was hoping to review almost every movie I saw, but that definitely hasn't worked out. However, I'd like to look back on the animated movies I have not reviewed and give a quick one (or two....or three) sentence review of each of them and rank them. The ones that deserve further analysis will get full review. (I'm pretty sure I'll do one for Frozen). I have seen a few live action movies, but this blog is mainly for animation, so I'll only talk about those. Let's go!
Frozen:
Following in the tradition of Disney animation, Frozen stuns with breathtaking animation, memorable songs, captivating characters, and a timeless story.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Free Birds:
As an animation studio's first, this came as a pleasant surprise. While far from an animation feat, Free Birds succeeds in being highly enjoyable, full of originality and impressive animation, sound editing, and plot twists for an up-and-coming studio.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2:
Much like the first and other Sony Animation productions, Cloudy 2 gets its charm from its fun, which lies in the quick, cartoony visuals and amazingly imaginative story. Without a doubt, more of an animated comedy than epic story, but all the same, quick-witted, fun, fast, colorful, and enjoyable from beginning to end.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Planes:
The negative reviews aren't entirely unjustifiable, but Planes certainly has some positive aspects. Fast and fun animation and well-designed characters somewhat make up for the story, which wavers on the side of weak and cliche. Nevertheless, if you're a big fan of the characters from the Cars franchise, it's worth a viewing, but it's not something every single animation fan must see.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Turbo:
Like any Dreamworks animated comedy, Turbo packs in the laughs and fun while still having impressive animation. The drama is satisfactory for a movie of its kind and is balanced out with fun characters of a species you've probably never seen in an animated movie before. Some condone it for it's obscurity, but it's strong story (albeit somewhat cliche) makes one look past that.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Despicable Me 2:
Again, the best way to describe this movie is a strong animated comedy. It has enough drama to be taken seriously, but its strength is more so derived from its fun, exciting plot full of bright colors and quick animation. The franchise as a whole is somewhat overrated, but that doesn't take away from it being a greatly enjoyable film and satisfactory successor to the first.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
The Croods:
The Croods takes a risky turn for animation with characters that are rather hard to look at (for me, at least), but balances it out with gorgeous scenery and inventive creatures. The story as a whole is very creative, but how much you like certain aspects of it may depend on your relatability to it, as that affected my overall opinion. It introduces nothing too new or special to the animation field, but is probably worth at least one watch.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Epic:
This movie's strength derives from the beauty and creativity of its scenery and creatures. On top of that, it's packed with action, emotion, and loads of fun. Definitely worth seeing, maybe even more than once.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Escape From Planet Earth:
Strange characters and a rather weak story make for a movie that's nothing all that interesting or special. I won't say I didn't enjoy seeing it, but I wouldn't highly recommend it.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Rise Of The Guardians:
In the style of How To Train Your Dragon, Dreamworks wows again with incredibly stunning visuals on top of a compelling, exciting story, plus exceedingly creative views on childhood memories we probably never thought of in this way before.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Frankenweenie:
Well-paced, heart-warming, and without a doubt, very unique, Frankenweenie is a fun, exciting story that is worth a view for any Tim Burton or animation fan.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Ice Age: Continental Drift
Ice Age 4 throws nothing into the field that is profusely unique, but it throws nothing into the field that is disappointing either. It's simply a flat-out enjoyable film with fun characters and an exciting story. If you enjoyed the first three, you'll enjoy this one, but this is yet another film that succeeds at being an animated comedy, and nothing much more than that, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Brave
Though unoriginal in many ways and a definite different turn for Pixar, everything "bad" somehow mixes into something good in Brave. Nothing all that new or exciting, but is definitely enjoyable and satisfactory to a Disney or Pixar fan.
One of the best ever - Amazing - Very good - Somewhere in between - Good - Somewhere in between - Pretty good - Okay - Not good
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Happy Feet and How To Train Your Dragon Comparisons
As I said in my last post, I feel that a lot of the reason why I love How To Train Your Dragon so much and why it is quite possibly my second favorite non-Disney animated movie under Happy Feet is because it's so much like Happy Feet. I've found it hard to explain for a while but I'm starting to see the connections more and more, so let's take a look.
In both movies, we see...
- One parent goes away for a period of time, leaving the main character under the care of another, which contributes to their peculiarities.
In both movies, we see...
- One parent goes away for a period of time, leaving the main character under the care of another, which contributes to their peculiarities.
- Happy Feet: Norma Jean leaves for the fishing season, and while protecting Mumble's egg, Memphis drops it, contributing to his inability to sing and ability to dance.
- How To Train Your Dragon: Stoick leaves to destroy the dragons, and, without his supervision, Hiccup is able to spend time training Toothless. Gobber is technically his supervisor at this time.
- Happy Feet: Mumble dances when penguins are supposed to sing. He's often called "fuzzball", "hippity hopper", or "freaky feet". When he tries to dance for the skuas' entertainment, for Gloria's love, or for the "aliens" to go away, society shames him and tells him not to. "It just ain't penguin, okay." Mumble tries to sing, but fails.
- How To Train Your Dragon: Hiccup trains dragons when vikings are supposed to kill them. He's called "the worst viking of all time." When he tries to tell others that the dragons aren't what they think they are, the others refuse to believe it. "You're not a viking." Hiccup tries very hard to kill Toothless, but can't find it in himself to do it.
- Happy Feet: Memphis puts Mumble in Mr. Astrakhan's class, who is known to whip singers into shape, but even with her instruction, Mumble continues to dance.
- How To Train Your Dragon: Stoick gives Hiccup a chance and puts him in dragon training, but Hiccup only uses this as a way to find out other ways of training dragons.
- Happy Feet: Memphis is very disgraced by Mumble's dancing, but when he realizes that it's the only way to protect them from the "aliens" and that "it's like singing, with your body", he gives in and expresses confidence in Mumble, namely when saying "I think you'd better dance now." "Mumble, you must renounce your so-called friends, your strange ways."
- How To Train Your Dragon: Stoick sees no sense in Hiccup trying to train dragons, but once he realizes that Hiccup is right in that they aren't dangerous and they can be used for good, his pride is restored. "You're not a viking; you're not my son."
- Happy Feet: The "aliens" taking the fish are only convinced to go away when all the penguins dance. They are all dancing in the end and continue to dance in the second film. When sliding around with the amigos, Mumble discovers a crane and begins to wonder if it has anything to do with who's taking their fish, which it does.
- How To Train Your Dragon: The Red Death is the one causing the villainy and desperation of the dragons, but can only be stopped by dragons, as vikings alone are not strong enough. Hiccup needs his friends to ride dragons with him to take it down, because he and Toothless can't do it alone. When flying with Astrid, he finds his way into the nest, showing why the dragons are so desperate for food.
- Happy Feet: Mumble in Adelie Land
- How To Train Your Dragon: The terrible terrors on the distant island. Toothless somewhat counts as well.
- Happy Feet: Gloria. On multiple occasions, she shows how strange she finds Mumble's dancing, but once she realizes they need it and that it can blend with her singing, she gives in to it. Mumble finds her singing beautiful.
- How To Train Your Dragon: Astrid. When first discovering Toothless, she thinks Hiccup is crazy, but when he shows her what he can do, she understands. Her ability to fight dragons initially makes Hiccup swoon.
- Happy Feet: "Don't ask me to change, pa, 'cause I can't."
- How To Train Your Dragon: "300 years and I'm the first viking who wouldn't kill a dragon."
- Happy Feet: The leopard seal biting and scarring his tail.
- How To Train Your Dragon: Coming out of the fire with only one leg.
- Happy Feet: Where he dances to "I Wish", and Adelie Land.
- How To Train Your Dragon: The glen and the skies.
- Happy Feet: Mumble's egg dropping. This is the reason why he dances and can't sing.
- How To Train Your Dragon: Toothless' "half-tail." This makes Hiccup realize he needs him and leads him to helping him fly.
- Happy Feet: The Boogie Wonderland scene up until Noah suggests he is the reason the fish are gone.
- How To Train Your Dragon: They are impressed with Hiccup's "way with the beasts" until they realize he doesn't intend to kill them.
- Happy Feet: His dancing frees him from the zoo.
- How To Train Your Dragon: Toothless saves him from the Nightmare.
- Happy Feet: When Mumble is banished, then jumps into the ocean to go find the "aliens".
- How To Train Your Dragon: When the ships leave but Hiccup flies out to their location on other dragons.
- Happy Feet: Mumble is stuck at the back of the class and never officially graduates school.
- How To Train Your Dragon: In the beginning, Hiccup can't be in dragon training with the other teenagers.
- Happy Feet: Lovelace. Having to save him from his talisman helps Mumble find the "aliens."
- How To Train Your Dragon: Gothi. Her choosing Hiccup to kill a dragon allows Hiccup to show he does not wish to do so.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
How To Train Your Dragon Rave
I really need to get this off my chest and I feel this is the best place to do so.
The first time I saw How To Train Your Dragon, I thought it was really good. The second time, I thought it was good, but I didn't get quite as into it as I did the first time. Last week, I watched it for the third time and have come to a conclusion: it's phenomenal. Why? Let me explain.
First off, one reason why I believe I personally enjoyed it so much because it felt as if it were in the same vein of Happy Feet. In case you don't know, Happy Feet is my favorite movie of all time. There are many reasons, but some include the incredible scenery, great characters, breathtaking music, and ability to make the drama not only not boring, but intriguing. HTTYD is just the same. Now let's move on to individual reasons.
The music. Its and the Happy Feet's themes are incredibly powerful. Needless to say, they were both composed by the same great man, John Powell, who happens to be my favorite composer, as he composed for these movies and many of others that I love (Bolt, most importantly, my second favorite animated film). The HTTYD theme just makes you know that you're in for a thrilling, emotional movie, and is a theme I can listen to again and again.
The drama. Normally, I'm not a fan of 100% drama films; a little happiness and comic relief is important. But honestly, this film barely had any, and it made it work. You're completely engaged, and with the plot it has, it should be this dramatic!
The flow. The pacing and flow (although I think the beginning was a little rushed) work very well, and it takes you from beginning to end without being bored at all.
The friendship. I know, we all love it, but to see how much a wild creature can care so dearly for a boy is incredible.
My mind has been made. This is one of my favorite non-Disney movies. It may be a little too late now, but I honestly think this movie needs to become an animated classic. It has the heart and soul of one and it deserves it.
The first time I saw How To Train Your Dragon, I thought it was really good. The second time, I thought it was good, but I didn't get quite as into it as I did the first time. Last week, I watched it for the third time and have come to a conclusion: it's phenomenal. Why? Let me explain.
First off, one reason why I believe I personally enjoyed it so much because it felt as if it were in the same vein of Happy Feet. In case you don't know, Happy Feet is my favorite movie of all time. There are many reasons, but some include the incredible scenery, great characters, breathtaking music, and ability to make the drama not only not boring, but intriguing. HTTYD is just the same. Now let's move on to individual reasons.
The music. Its and the Happy Feet's themes are incredibly powerful. Needless to say, they were both composed by the same great man, John Powell, who happens to be my favorite composer, as he composed for these movies and many of others that I love (Bolt, most importantly, my second favorite animated film). The HTTYD theme just makes you know that you're in for a thrilling, emotional movie, and is a theme I can listen to again and again.
The drama. Normally, I'm not a fan of 100% drama films; a little happiness and comic relief is important. But honestly, this film barely had any, and it made it work. You're completely engaged, and with the plot it has, it should be this dramatic!
The flow. The pacing and flow (although I think the beginning was a little rushed) work very well, and it takes you from beginning to end without being bored at all.
The friendship. I know, we all love it, but to see how much a wild creature can care so dearly for a boy is incredible.
My mind has been made. This is one of my favorite non-Disney movies. It may be a little too late now, but I honestly think this movie needs to become an animated classic. It has the heart and soul of one and it deserves it.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Monsters University Head Canons *may contain spoilers*
*Alright, so I started this a few months ago and said I would publish it the night before the movie comes out, but now, I've already seen the movie and have decided to confirm or deny these. Reminder, there will be spoilers!*
I won't call these predictions because chances are, plenty of them won't be in the film. I just thought I'd take my guesses and see how close the film gets.
I'm gonna continue updating this with conformations, denials, and additions, and put it up the night before the movie comes out.
- Randall and Mike are best friends, as they are both "nerds".
- Update: This is more than likely seeming true.
CONFIRMED
- Celia and Sulley are dating; and Celia wouldn't give a second thought about dating Mike.
- Update: from what it seems, Celia won't be in the movie.
DENIED mostly. A picture of Celia is seen near the end, but that's it.
- Waternoose and Roz work at the university, Waternoose perhaps as a long-time alumn and of presitgious honor, and Roz perhaps as a lunch lady or custodian. Another thought is that Waternoose visits from MI to give the students a talk about the company.
- Update: Waternoose is no longer on the Wikipedia, so I doubt he'll be in it.
DENIED mostly. Like Celia, a picture of him is seen near the end, but that's all. Roz makes a brief appearance near the end.
- With regard to the "You've been jealous of my good looks since the fourth grade, pal" line in the first film, perhaps they knew each other somewhat in the fourth grade but didn't remember it when they went to college; it only occurred to them once they became friends.
- Update: This is more of a head canon, as Pixar says they'll probably just ignore it.
NEITHER CONFIRMED NOR DENIED. Just ignored, as Pixar planned to.
- While practicing, the scaring majors will try and scare Boo's mom.
- Update: This is really just wishful thinking.
DENIED.
- Most of the other scaring majors in their fraternity weren't scary enough to make the cut, and thus we didn't see them in Monsters, Inc.
NEITHER CONFIRMED NOR DENIED. In the credits, it seems that the OKs became scarers, and yet we don't see them in the other movie. Also, some other students like the RORs ended up working at different scare companies.
- Don Carlton was one of the first monsters in his fraternity and hasn't been successful with the rest of his life and thus has stayed with them. He might be the uncle of Squishy, or at least act like one.
PARTIALLY CONFIRMED, PARTIALLY DENIED. We're not sure if he was one of the first brothers, he seems to have just gone to them once he went back to college. He ends up being Squishy's stepdad.
- Fungus isn't popular, but doesn't start out as a friend of Randall's, either. Maybe he makes fun of him.
DENIED. No Fungus in the film, sadly.
- Sulley gets extremely nervous when he gets his job at MI, and thus, starts working out regularly as opposed to never doing so as he used to.
IMPLIED CONFIRMATION. It seems as though Sulley didn't work out as much because he thought he could just wing scaring and be good at it. Once he understood it takes more than that and got to the big leagues, he knew better.
I won't call these predictions because chances are, plenty of them won't be in the film. I just thought I'd take my guesses and see how close the film gets.
I'm gonna continue updating this with conformations, denials, and additions, and put it up the night before the movie comes out.
- Randall and Mike are best friends, as they are both "nerds".
- Update: This is more than likely seeming true.
CONFIRMED
- Celia and Sulley are dating; and Celia wouldn't give a second thought about dating Mike.
- Update: from what it seems, Celia won't be in the movie.
DENIED mostly. A picture of Celia is seen near the end, but that's it.
- Waternoose and Roz work at the university, Waternoose perhaps as a long-time alumn and of presitgious honor, and Roz perhaps as a lunch lady or custodian. Another thought is that Waternoose visits from MI to give the students a talk about the company.
- Update: Waternoose is no longer on the Wikipedia, so I doubt he'll be in it.
DENIED mostly. Like Celia, a picture of him is seen near the end, but that's all. Roz makes a brief appearance near the end.
- With regard to the "You've been jealous of my good looks since the fourth grade, pal" line in the first film, perhaps they knew each other somewhat in the fourth grade but didn't remember it when they went to college; it only occurred to them once they became friends.
- Update: This is more of a head canon, as Pixar says they'll probably just ignore it.
NEITHER CONFIRMED NOR DENIED. Just ignored, as Pixar planned to.
- While practicing, the scaring majors will try and scare Boo's mom.
- Update: This is really just wishful thinking.
DENIED.
- Most of the other scaring majors in their fraternity weren't scary enough to make the cut, and thus we didn't see them in Monsters, Inc.
NEITHER CONFIRMED NOR DENIED. In the credits, it seems that the OKs became scarers, and yet we don't see them in the other movie. Also, some other students like the RORs ended up working at different scare companies.
- Don Carlton was one of the first monsters in his fraternity and hasn't been successful with the rest of his life and thus has stayed with them. He might be the uncle of Squishy, or at least act like one.
PARTIALLY CONFIRMED, PARTIALLY DENIED. We're not sure if he was one of the first brothers, he seems to have just gone to them once he went back to college. He ends up being Squishy's stepdad.
- Fungus isn't popular, but doesn't start out as a friend of Randall's, either. Maybe he makes fun of him.
DENIED. No Fungus in the film, sadly.
- Sulley gets extremely nervous when he gets his job at MI, and thus, starts working out regularly as opposed to never doing so as he used to.
IMPLIED CONFIRMATION. It seems as though Sulley didn't work out as much because he thought he could just wing scaring and be good at it. Once he understood it takes more than that and got to the big leagues, he knew better.
Monsters University: Pros and Cons *may contain spoliers*
Back to the old pros and cons format just because I think that's fit for this.
Last night, I saw the movie I've been waiting all year for, and it was just as wonderful as I had hoped, if not even a bit more.
Pros:
The characters. I feel like we have a lot more characters here than we did in the first one. I love big worlds with plenty of colorful characters and that's exactly what you get here. If we're going more in depth, the personalities of the characters are great too. There are plenty you fall in love with. You feel for Mike very deeply, even Sulley a bit later on, and characters like Art and Chet are very enjoyable. Also, the way everything happens with the dean is great. It's not too quick to her becoming "good", nor does it avoid it all together. The way it works out is great.
The connections to the first film. Whether funny or heartwarming, they make all of us who loved the first movie as children smile. The appearances of other known characters near the end just made the whole movie all the more worthwhile, Roz especially (I was praying for that so hard). As many are saying, we don't go very in depth with Randall, but I think that's okay, because this is more about Mike. But what we do get with Randall is definitely good in my opinion. There are some parts where music from the first film is recycled, and I just love that.
The depth. While I did briefly mention this when talking about Mike, I will continue to say that you immensely feel for him and the others and become very invested in what they're going through. Mike was a bit of a flat character in the first film but I've always preferred him over Sulley, so to see this was great.
Teamwork. The message is great and played out perfectly. Sulley is scary, but doesn't know the science behind scaring. Mike is the opposite. This is why them teaming up to scare together is the perfect solution. It also shows them that they wouldn't have nothing if they didn't have each other, reference completely intended.
The fun. In addition to the world and its colors, the movie is just very fun. It is very deep too, yes, but it is a college movie. You do get some partying, fun training montages, etc.
The shipping. At the end. I should've seen it coming. Admittedly, I kinda did, but I'm so glad it happened.
Cons:
The friendship. Near the end, the only thing about Mike that Sulley seems to care about is that he knows how to scare. He doesn't show all that much actual care for him. But, honestly, I can't think of another way this could've played out.
The pace. Just in one part. Mike introduces the OKs as if he knows them so well, but at that point, I don't think he had even joined them yet. A little hesitation on his part may have better explained that.
Character roles. Just a nitpick. You know, I would've liked George to get a legit speaking role, some Boo somehow would've been nice, you know.
Honestly, all those are nitpicks. This movie has no major flaws, but what else would you expect from Pixar?
All in all, this movie was fantastic, just as I hoped it would be. I highly recommend it. Also, I'm pretty bored so I might write a review for Epic and/or some other movies, maybe, maybe not, we'll see.
Last night, I saw the movie I've been waiting all year for, and it was just as wonderful as I had hoped, if not even a bit more.
Pros:
The characters. I feel like we have a lot more characters here than we did in the first one. I love big worlds with plenty of colorful characters and that's exactly what you get here. If we're going more in depth, the personalities of the characters are great too. There are plenty you fall in love with. You feel for Mike very deeply, even Sulley a bit later on, and characters like Art and Chet are very enjoyable. Also, the way everything happens with the dean is great. It's not too quick to her becoming "good", nor does it avoid it all together. The way it works out is great.
The connections to the first film. Whether funny or heartwarming, they make all of us who loved the first movie as children smile. The appearances of other known characters near the end just made the whole movie all the more worthwhile, Roz especially (I was praying for that so hard). As many are saying, we don't go very in depth with Randall, but I think that's okay, because this is more about Mike. But what we do get with Randall is definitely good in my opinion. There are some parts where music from the first film is recycled, and I just love that.
The depth. While I did briefly mention this when talking about Mike, I will continue to say that you immensely feel for him and the others and become very invested in what they're going through. Mike was a bit of a flat character in the first film but I've always preferred him over Sulley, so to see this was great.
Teamwork. The message is great and played out perfectly. Sulley is scary, but doesn't know the science behind scaring. Mike is the opposite. This is why them teaming up to scare together is the perfect solution. It also shows them that they wouldn't have nothing if they didn't have each other, reference completely intended.
The fun. In addition to the world and its colors, the movie is just very fun. It is very deep too, yes, but it is a college movie. You do get some partying, fun training montages, etc.
The shipping. At the end. I should've seen it coming. Admittedly, I kinda did, but I'm so glad it happened.
Cons:
The friendship. Near the end, the only thing about Mike that Sulley seems to care about is that he knows how to scare. He doesn't show all that much actual care for him. But, honestly, I can't think of another way this could've played out.
The pace. Just in one part. Mike introduces the OKs as if he knows them so well, but at that point, I don't think he had even joined them yet. A little hesitation on his part may have better explained that.
Character roles. Just a nitpick. You know, I would've liked George to get a legit speaking role, some Boo somehow would've been nice, you know.
Honestly, all those are nitpicks. This movie has no major flaws, but what else would you expect from Pixar?
All in all, this movie was fantastic, just as I hoped it would be. I highly recommend it. Also, I'm pretty bored so I might write a review for Epic and/or some other movies, maybe, maybe not, we'll see.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Animation of 2013: Looking Back and Looking Ahead
I was just on Cody's old blog for whatever reason and remembered a post like this of hers talking rather about 2010's animated movies. I thought I'd wing it for this year.
Escape From Planet Earth
Seen February 15, 2013
I didn't hear about this until the trailer came on before Wreck-It Ralph. I usually hear about animated movies before then, but I guess this one was kinda undermined. I realized how hard of a rep I'd been giving a lot of movies coming out (eg. Ralph, Rise of the Guardians, Hotel Transylvania, they definitely didn't look bad from the start, just not as great as they ended up being) so I thought it looked like a fun one to give a chance. The friend I see most movies with wasn't interested so I went with another friend. It was, fine, I guess. Obviously, nothing exemplary, but I won't hate on it, because I can't say I didn't enjoy watching it. Definitely not something I'd watch over and over again, and not something I'd highly recommend, but it's good for what it is.
The Croods
Have not seen yet
Of course, when the trailer for this first came out, I excitedly watched, as it was for a new Dreamworks movie. But when I watched it I thought it looked.....pretty, darn, bad. It just looked really boring, and the cavemen! OH THE CAVEMEN! THEY'RE SO UGLY! I didn't think I could look at that for an hour and a half. As time went on, I guess I had mixed feelings about it. I felt I could wait to see it, especially because they were wayyyyyy over advertising it (seriously, I saw so many billboards of it in Hollywood that whenever I listen to songs I listened to when I saw them, all I can think about is The Croods. Even though I don't want to.) I've heard a lot of good stuff about it, though, even from other people who thought it looked as bad as I thought. So, I'll give it a go and we'll see how it is. It'll probably be in the cheapies soon, so I'll probably see it then.
Epic
Seeing this Friday
At first I had zero interest in this. Once again, an animation studio is trying too hard to be dramatic, when they really should just have a little FUN. But in all honesty, the second trailer threw some fun back into it. Of course, I can't resist Mub and Grub, and the animation looks like a HUGE step up from Rio and Ice Age on the humans. It may be a little weird or boring here and there, but I haven't been to the theater since Oz, so if it's animated and looks decent, it'll probably be more than that.
Monsters University
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening day
As a kid, I loved Monsters, Inc. As I grew up, I kinda watched it too often to enjoy it anymore. I needed a bit of a break. But after seeing it twice on the big screen in 3D, I'm getting back into it. So, obviously, a sequel to a Pixar movie I quite like? I'm pretty dang excited. Everything I didn't like about Monsters, Inc seems to be fixed and improved in this one. It seems fun, colorful, with great new characters and a cool story. If I can love even Cars 2, I bet this is gonna be amazing.
Despicable Me 2
Not released yet
The first one was fine, but I don't remember loving it. The hype was a bit too much, and the story was too random and cliche for me. I'll have to give it another try though. From the looks of the second one, it seems cool. Nothing seems bad about it, but nothing seems fantastic. I might see it in the theaters, but I'll definitely see it at some point in the future.
Turbo
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening day
Say what you want about, but this movie seems perfect for me. Snails have never been the focus of a movie, and I haven't gotten me a good animal-focused animated movie in a year or so now. It seems like a great, fun, summer movie. Also, since Dreamworks has recently been stepping up their game, I bet they can make even a movie about snails into something great.
Planes
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening weekend
Now this is getting even more hate then Turbo. Ok, I love Cars, and it gives me a lot of Disney feels. In all honesty, aviation gives me Disney feels too. Plane Crazy, Soarin', Launchpad McQuack, etc. I don't think there could be any better movie for me to see. I don't know if I can see it on opening day though because of the D23 Expo, but I'm gonna make sure to find time somewhere.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening day
I loved the first one, and this one seems even more clever and cool. The first one may not be one of my all time favorites, but this is definitely a sequel I won't plan to miss. Just gotta find someone to see it with...
Frozen
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening day
Let's look back on Wreck-It Ralph for a moment. I thought it looked....fine from the start, so I saw it. And, well, it was amazing. Every single CGI Disney w/out Pixar movie that has come out I've LOVED, and they just keep getting better. So to have one of them in a new setting for Disney with your typical princess story along with some adventure and comical sidekicks is just a blessing for me. I'm really excited for this.
Also, SCHOOL'S OUT!!!! I'll see if I can get more reviews and stuff up soon.
Escape From Planet Earth
Seen February 15, 2013
I didn't hear about this until the trailer came on before Wreck-It Ralph. I usually hear about animated movies before then, but I guess this one was kinda undermined. I realized how hard of a rep I'd been giving a lot of movies coming out (eg. Ralph, Rise of the Guardians, Hotel Transylvania, they definitely didn't look bad from the start, just not as great as they ended up being) so I thought it looked like a fun one to give a chance. The friend I see most movies with wasn't interested so I went with another friend. It was, fine, I guess. Obviously, nothing exemplary, but I won't hate on it, because I can't say I didn't enjoy watching it. Definitely not something I'd watch over and over again, and not something I'd highly recommend, but it's good for what it is.
The Croods
Have not seen yet
Of course, when the trailer for this first came out, I excitedly watched, as it was for a new Dreamworks movie. But when I watched it I thought it looked.....pretty, darn, bad. It just looked really boring, and the cavemen! OH THE CAVEMEN! THEY'RE SO UGLY! I didn't think I could look at that for an hour and a half. As time went on, I guess I had mixed feelings about it. I felt I could wait to see it, especially because they were wayyyyyy over advertising it (seriously, I saw so many billboards of it in Hollywood that whenever I listen to songs I listened to when I saw them, all I can think about is The Croods. Even though I don't want to.) I've heard a lot of good stuff about it, though, even from other people who thought it looked as bad as I thought. So, I'll give it a go and we'll see how it is. It'll probably be in the cheapies soon, so I'll probably see it then.
Epic
Seeing this Friday
At first I had zero interest in this. Once again, an animation studio is trying too hard to be dramatic, when they really should just have a little FUN. But in all honesty, the second trailer threw some fun back into it. Of course, I can't resist Mub and Grub, and the animation looks like a HUGE step up from Rio and Ice Age on the humans. It may be a little weird or boring here and there, but I haven't been to the theater since Oz, so if it's animated and looks decent, it'll probably be more than that.
Monsters University
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening day
As a kid, I loved Monsters, Inc. As I grew up, I kinda watched it too often to enjoy it anymore. I needed a bit of a break. But after seeing it twice on the big screen in 3D, I'm getting back into it. So, obviously, a sequel to a Pixar movie I quite like? I'm pretty dang excited. Everything I didn't like about Monsters, Inc seems to be fixed and improved in this one. It seems fun, colorful, with great new characters and a cool story. If I can love even Cars 2, I bet this is gonna be amazing.
Despicable Me 2
Not released yet
The first one was fine, but I don't remember loving it. The hype was a bit too much, and the story was too random and cliche for me. I'll have to give it another try though. From the looks of the second one, it seems cool. Nothing seems bad about it, but nothing seems fantastic. I might see it in the theaters, but I'll definitely see it at some point in the future.
Turbo
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening day
Say what you want about, but this movie seems perfect for me. Snails have never been the focus of a movie, and I haven't gotten me a good animal-focused animated movie in a year or so now. It seems like a great, fun, summer movie. Also, since Dreamworks has recently been stepping up their game, I bet they can make even a movie about snails into something great.
Planes
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening weekend
Now this is getting even more hate then Turbo. Ok, I love Cars, and it gives me a lot of Disney feels. In all honesty, aviation gives me Disney feels too. Plane Crazy, Soarin', Launchpad McQuack, etc. I don't think there could be any better movie for me to see. I don't know if I can see it on opening day though because of the D23 Expo, but I'm gonna make sure to find time somewhere.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening day
I loved the first one, and this one seems even more clever and cool. The first one may not be one of my all time favorites, but this is definitely a sequel I won't plan to miss. Just gotta find someone to see it with...
Frozen
Not released yet, plan on seeing opening day
Let's look back on Wreck-It Ralph for a moment. I thought it looked....fine from the start, so I saw it. And, well, it was amazing. Every single CGI Disney w/out Pixar movie that has come out I've LOVED, and they just keep getting better. So to have one of them in a new setting for Disney with your typical princess story along with some adventure and comical sidekicks is just a blessing for me. I'm really excited for this.
Also, SCHOOL'S OUT!!!! I'll see if I can get more reviews and stuff up soon.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Anastasia: Pros And Cons
With it being an integral part of the Non/Disney editing community, often being one of the few "nons" involved in the videos, I decided to give Anastasia a chance. Going into it, I wasn't thinking "Yah this is gonna be great!" nor "Daaang, I'm not gonna like this". I just...didn't really know. I kinda wanted to wait and see. Perhaps, I was leaning a bit to the negative side, just in fear that it wouldn't capture my interest. A lot of the reason for that was because I was learning about the Romanovs in my history class at the moment. Some may say "oh! then that puts it in context and you'll be more interested!" Ohhhhhhhhh no, I HATE history with a flaming passion, so I didn't just want a rehash of what I'd been learning in school. But I'm happy to say I liked it a whole lot more than I thought I would. And, as much as I hate to admit it, the fact that I had some background information did make it a little more interesting.
Pros:
The animation. By GOD the animation! Don Bluth's animation has always been wonderful, but this took a step up from the sketchy 80's style of All Dogs Go To Heaven and The Secret Of NIMH. I like that style, but how bright and colorful this was was just incredible. With 90s traditionally animated films mostly being made by Disney, I was impressed by how up to par the animation was with Disney. The humans were very realistic, but the villain and the sidekicks were cute and cartoony. The atmosphere was great too.
The songs. Oh...by God the songs!! From a Disney megafanatic, I'm gonna be honest, this stuff is Alan Menken material. The songs got me so hooked. While some were not fantastic, Journey To The Past, Once Upon A December, and In The Dark Of The Night were all incredible. The scenes to go with them were great too!
The sidekicks. I absolutely adore Bartok. I guess I have a thing for Hank Azaria's animated personas (yah, I'm lookin at you Sven and Carlos). And, of course, I have a thing for animal side characters. Seeing a clip of Bartok on YouTube was what first gave me an idea to watch the movie. It made it seem more fun and less serious than I expected, so it showed me that I might've been jumping to conclusions too fast. I also love Pooka. He's adorable, in appearance and actions, and I'm a sucker for animated dogs.
The story. At first, I wasn't into it. But then, I decided to give it a bit more of a chance, and I realized that it was pretty clever, something we don't normally see in a princess movie. I guess the closest we've ever gotten was Rapunzel, but she only had ideas that she could be a princess near the end of the movie. It was interesting and I really liked it.
The voice acting. I dunno, this isn't something that usually interests me, but, somehow the voice acting here stood out to me. I really liked the voices for the characters, and some of them had pretty big names behind them. Of course, the ones I enjoyed (and recognized) the most were Hank Azaria and Angela Lansbury, but all of them were very good.
Cons:
The animation. Yes, it's both a pro and a con. It is much more of a pro, but the only thing I didn't like about it was the realism of the people. Yah I know I said that as a positive, but only in the sense that it was neat that non-Disney animators could pull that off at the time. I'm not a big fan of when animation, usually humans, is too realistic, and the main characters definitely were.
The villain. I don't hate him like a lot of people do, I actually like his design and am aware that his motivation is (somewhat) historically real. The only thing I didn't like was how he played around with his dead body parts. I had just gotten over a serious stomach flu so seeing his head fall into his rib cage wasn't exactly ideal for me. Aside from my sensitive stomach (at the time and overall), it just bothered me because this guy was actually real. It made it all the more creepy, and not in a good way. It's fine when Jack Skellington does it, but this was pushing it a bit. It may have been funny if he wasn't based off of a real person (who, as a side note, was violently killed).
The liar reveal. Much like the Nostalgia Critic, I really hate this in movies. When Dimitri went into to talk to the Grand Duchess, I was all "ohhhh no, here we go!" What bugs me about it is just that Dimitri DID genuinely care for her, but she's not willing to realize that. Of course, it's all okay in the end, but still.
The romance. I have my ups and downs about it. It just seemed far too predictable and cliche. But, on the other hand, if a boy who seemingly had a crush on her as a child was helping her out, it would almost kind of be awkward for them not to get together. So I dunno.
So overall, I greatly enjoyed this movie and may see it again in the future. It was a pleasant surprise.
Side Notes:
I act like I watched it forever ago, but in reality, it was last week. The first day of a school break before I was off to California, it was snowing outside for the first time in six years, so I bundled up in a blanket, watched the movie, occasionally peeked out at the snow, went back out to eat pizza by the fire, and finished a Lion King video. It was a nice night :)
You'd assume that since I love Bartok, I'd feel the need to watch his spin-off film. I did have that need and I did fulfill it. I watched it the next day on the plane actually. It was a whole lot of fun, somehow perfect for a plane ride. Nice, simple, short, and fun. Maybe I'll do a full review on that later.
Gonna try and get reviews for Rise Of The Guardians and Escape From Planet Earth going. I think I'll wait on Brave and Frankenweenie until I watch them again, because it's been so long since I saw them, and I plan on rewatching them soon.
Pros:
The animation. By GOD the animation! Don Bluth's animation has always been wonderful, but this took a step up from the sketchy 80's style of All Dogs Go To Heaven and The Secret Of NIMH. I like that style, but how bright and colorful this was was just incredible. With 90s traditionally animated films mostly being made by Disney, I was impressed by how up to par the animation was with Disney. The humans were very realistic, but the villain and the sidekicks were cute and cartoony. The atmosphere was great too.
The songs. Oh...by God the songs!! From a Disney megafanatic, I'm gonna be honest, this stuff is Alan Menken material. The songs got me so hooked. While some were not fantastic, Journey To The Past, Once Upon A December, and In The Dark Of The Night were all incredible. The scenes to go with them were great too!
The sidekicks. I absolutely adore Bartok. I guess I have a thing for Hank Azaria's animated personas (yah, I'm lookin at you Sven and Carlos). And, of course, I have a thing for animal side characters. Seeing a clip of Bartok on YouTube was what first gave me an idea to watch the movie. It made it seem more fun and less serious than I expected, so it showed me that I might've been jumping to conclusions too fast. I also love Pooka. He's adorable, in appearance and actions, and I'm a sucker for animated dogs.
The story. At first, I wasn't into it. But then, I decided to give it a bit more of a chance, and I realized that it was pretty clever, something we don't normally see in a princess movie. I guess the closest we've ever gotten was Rapunzel, but she only had ideas that she could be a princess near the end of the movie. It was interesting and I really liked it.
The voice acting. I dunno, this isn't something that usually interests me, but, somehow the voice acting here stood out to me. I really liked the voices for the characters, and some of them had pretty big names behind them. Of course, the ones I enjoyed (and recognized) the most were Hank Azaria and Angela Lansbury, but all of them were very good.
Cons:
The animation. Yes, it's both a pro and a con. It is much more of a pro, but the only thing I didn't like about it was the realism of the people. Yah I know I said that as a positive, but only in the sense that it was neat that non-Disney animators could pull that off at the time. I'm not a big fan of when animation, usually humans, is too realistic, and the main characters definitely were.
The villain. I don't hate him like a lot of people do, I actually like his design and am aware that his motivation is (somewhat) historically real. The only thing I didn't like was how he played around with his dead body parts. I had just gotten over a serious stomach flu so seeing his head fall into his rib cage wasn't exactly ideal for me. Aside from my sensitive stomach (at the time and overall), it just bothered me because this guy was actually real. It made it all the more creepy, and not in a good way. It's fine when Jack Skellington does it, but this was pushing it a bit. It may have been funny if he wasn't based off of a real person (who, as a side note, was violently killed).
The liar reveal. Much like the Nostalgia Critic, I really hate this in movies. When Dimitri went into to talk to the Grand Duchess, I was all "ohhhh no, here we go!" What bugs me about it is just that Dimitri DID genuinely care for her, but she's not willing to realize that. Of course, it's all okay in the end, but still.
The romance. I have my ups and downs about it. It just seemed far too predictable and cliche. But, on the other hand, if a boy who seemingly had a crush on her as a child was helping her out, it would almost kind of be awkward for them not to get together. So I dunno.
So overall, I greatly enjoyed this movie and may see it again in the future. It was a pleasant surprise.
Side Notes:
I act like I watched it forever ago, but in reality, it was last week. The first day of a school break before I was off to California, it was snowing outside for the first time in six years, so I bundled up in a blanket, watched the movie, occasionally peeked out at the snow, went back out to eat pizza by the fire, and finished a Lion King video. It was a nice night :)
You'd assume that since I love Bartok, I'd feel the need to watch his spin-off film. I did have that need and I did fulfill it. I watched it the next day on the plane actually. It was a whole lot of fun, somehow perfect for a plane ride. Nice, simple, short, and fun. Maybe I'll do a full review on that later.
Gonna try and get reviews for Rise Of The Guardians and Escape From Planet Earth going. I think I'll wait on Brave and Frankenweenie until I watch them again, because it's been so long since I saw them, and I plan on rewatching them soon.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Looking Forward To Oscars 2014
In spirit of the Oscars being tonight, I just wanted to take a look at 2013's animated movies and my thoughts on their likelihood of being nominated for Best Animated Feature. NOTE: These do not necessarily reflect my thoughts on the movies themselves, as I will mention. Just because I don't think it will get nominated doesn't mean I don't really wanna see it, and vice versa.
Escape From Planet Earth: No. Just no. I won't even give it a second thought.
Personal thoughts: I did enjoy this movie, but it was for fun. It wasn't Oscar material.
The Croods: Maybe. It doesn't seem very clever or original, but it seems like it could take it in a different direction and/or add some depth. I still don't understand this whole "late November deadline" thing (which either doesn't exist or is new considering The Princess And The Frog's December release and nomination), so if there is none, I can't imagine Rise Of The Guardians having not been nominated and this being nominated, but we'll see.
Personal thoughts: It doesn't look as awful as I originally thought, but it doesn't seem like anything special. Chances are I will end up seeing it at some point, but likely not until the DVD release.
Epic: It probably has a chance. Seems like a big adventure, and probably quite original. Blue Sky hasn't fared all that well in the Oscars thus far, with only one nomination and that having been its first film, so I can't say this is very likely, but it's possible.
Personal Thoughts: Not particularly interested. I can't say it looks unoriginal or too silly, though. Actually, more like too dramatic on my part, which is almost good for the Oscars the way I see it.
Monsters University: Well, it is Pixar, but I think it will have some limitations. It seems to be just a fun flick, and, while I don't expect it to come under the hatred that Cars 2 experienced, it may not be Oscar material, just an enjoyable film for audiences and critics alike. However, this is exactly what I thought about Wreck-It Ralph, and not only did it get nominated, but I had a strong feeling it would right after seeing it. So, with that and the fact that it's Pixar, it probably has a good chance, but I wouldn't guarantee it.
Personal Thoughts: All over it. Monsters, Inc. may not be my favorite Pixar film, but this seems like it'll clean up the few flaws from the first that made it less likable for me and be a great sequel, er, prequel.
Despicable Me 2: Almost definitely no. With the first not having been nominated, I can't see this one being nominated. None of us no anything about the plot, sure, but it's rare that the sequel is deeper and more Oscar worthy than the first. Besides, I expect this one to be more fun and enjoyable so fans of the first can enjoy the characters more. Who knows about the deep part.
Personal Thoughts: I didn't love the first one, but it was nice, so my thoughts now are that I'll see it when it comes to DVD. But I'd like to rewatch the first one and see a freaking real trailer before I decide for sure.
Planes: I'm a major skeptic so I'm not even sure this is coming out in theaters, but if it does, chances are it won't be nominated. For critics, it seems like it's gonna be like Cars, only worse. Enough said.
Personal Thoughts: I don't care what you say, I'm freaking psyched for this movie.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2: Much like Despicable Me 2, with this one's predecessor not being nominated, I don't see this one having much of a chance. This one we know more about the plot with as of now (and are expecting a trailer in a few days), but the plot seems very silly, adventurous, and fun. Again, not fit for the Oscars.
Personal Thoughts: Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.
Turkeys: This is another one that I don't even know much about, namely the release date, but it seems like just a silly family comedy, so probably not. But honestly, it's too early to say.
Personal Thoughts: Not enough information to say for sure, but most likely, yes.
Frozen: It probably has a good chance. The princess stories have always fared well with critics and the academy. The only limitation I see is the possible deadline and the fact that Tangled was snubbed despite its wide critical acclaim and popularity.
Personal Thoughts: Abso-fricken-lutely.
Well, there you have it. So, now that we're done, here's my predicted roster for 2014 Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature:
The Croods
Monsters University
Frozen
Epic
I'll try and update it throughout the year. See you guys later!
Escape From Planet Earth: No. Just no. I won't even give it a second thought.
Personal thoughts: I did enjoy this movie, but it was for fun. It wasn't Oscar material.
The Croods: Maybe. It doesn't seem very clever or original, but it seems like it could take it in a different direction and/or add some depth. I still don't understand this whole "late November deadline" thing (which either doesn't exist or is new considering The Princess And The Frog's December release and nomination), so if there is none, I can't imagine Rise Of The Guardians having not been nominated and this being nominated, but we'll see.
Personal thoughts: It doesn't look as awful as I originally thought, but it doesn't seem like anything special. Chances are I will end up seeing it at some point, but likely not until the DVD release.
Epic: It probably has a chance. Seems like a big adventure, and probably quite original. Blue Sky hasn't fared all that well in the Oscars thus far, with only one nomination and that having been its first film, so I can't say this is very likely, but it's possible.
Personal Thoughts: Not particularly interested. I can't say it looks unoriginal or too silly, though. Actually, more like too dramatic on my part, which is almost good for the Oscars the way I see it.
Monsters University: Well, it is Pixar, but I think it will have some limitations. It seems to be just a fun flick, and, while I don't expect it to come under the hatred that Cars 2 experienced, it may not be Oscar material, just an enjoyable film for audiences and critics alike. However, this is exactly what I thought about Wreck-It Ralph, and not only did it get nominated, but I had a strong feeling it would right after seeing it. So, with that and the fact that it's Pixar, it probably has a good chance, but I wouldn't guarantee it.
Personal Thoughts: All over it. Monsters, Inc. may not be my favorite Pixar film, but this seems like it'll clean up the few flaws from the first that made it less likable for me and be a great sequel, er, prequel.
Despicable Me 2: Almost definitely no. With the first not having been nominated, I can't see this one being nominated. None of us no anything about the plot, sure, but it's rare that the sequel is deeper and more Oscar worthy than the first. Besides, I expect this one to be more fun and enjoyable so fans of the first can enjoy the characters more. Who knows about the deep part.
Personal Thoughts: I didn't love the first one, but it was nice, so my thoughts now are that I'll see it when it comes to DVD. But I'd like to rewatch the first one and see a freaking real trailer before I decide for sure.
Planes: I'm a major skeptic so I'm not even sure this is coming out in theaters, but if it does, chances are it won't be nominated. For critics, it seems like it's gonna be like Cars, only worse. Enough said.
Personal Thoughts: I don't care what you say, I'm freaking psyched for this movie.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2: Much like Despicable Me 2, with this one's predecessor not being nominated, I don't see this one having much of a chance. This one we know more about the plot with as of now (and are expecting a trailer in a few days), but the plot seems very silly, adventurous, and fun. Again, not fit for the Oscars.
Personal Thoughts: Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.
Turkeys: This is another one that I don't even know much about, namely the release date, but it seems like just a silly family comedy, so probably not. But honestly, it's too early to say.
Personal Thoughts: Not enough information to say for sure, but most likely, yes.
Frozen: It probably has a good chance. The princess stories have always fared well with critics and the academy. The only limitation I see is the possible deadline and the fact that Tangled was snubbed despite its wide critical acclaim and popularity.
Personal Thoughts: Abso-fricken-lutely.
Well, there you have it. So, now that we're done, here's my predicted roster for 2014 Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature:
The Croods
Monsters University
Frozen
Epic
I'll try and update it throughout the year. See you guys later!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Hotel Transylvania: Pros And Cons
For personal reasons, I will not be having posters on my blog anymore, sorry guys. And I guess I'll do pros and cons for this one just cuz it seems more applicable. So let's get to the review! Also, MINOR SPOILERS!
Now here's a movie that I kinda just tossed aside. It didn't look bad, I just wasn't really thinking about it that much. I hate to say it, but I feel like I almost forced myself to be uninterested because it was about humans. (well, monsters, but not animals is my point) After a while I thought....what am I thinking? I'd totally like this movie! Why haven't I seen it? So on my sweet 16th birthday, while in a fancy hotel, I ordered it on demand, and boy, was it good.
Pros:
The animation was what really won me over. Was it gorgeous? No. Was it up to par with Pixar? No. Was it incredibly realistic? No. But you know what? That's exactly what I loved about it! It was just fun! The characters moved and reacted to things like old cartoon characters would. All lively and animated. When I first heard of the movie, I didn't know it was by Sony. I thought it was just gonna be some crappy, poorly animated, dark Halloween movie by a random company. But the first trailer greatly changed my mind.
The characters. They're diverse, they're fun, they have unique personalities, they have great voices, they're just overall fantastic. As a Disney Channel girl, it was a lot of fun to see Selena Gomez play an animated character as well. So, I love Mavis, not just because of that, but because of her personality as well. Murray is a load of fun, Wayne is the cynical Steve Buscemi I always love, Frankenstein is nice and weird, Johnny is hilarious, and Drac is tons of fun but a sweetheart at the same time. Everything about them is fantastic.
The ship. Up with my OTPs actually. The way Johnny cares for Mavis is just so sweet. Mavis can act so insecure, unknowing about the real world and everything, so Johnny does his best to make her feel better about it. It's a sweet, realisitc relationship, unlike some animated couples where the woman takes all the power.
The side-plot of Martha. When Drac was reading the book she wrote, I was in near tears. It's clever, it's interesting, it's intriguing, it's tear-jerking, and best of all, it provides a lot of explanation for things.
The modernness. Some people don't like that in movies, but I do. I'm a teenager for God's sake, I am going to get a laugh out of hearing Sexy And I Know It or a Twilight joke! However, it wasn't over the top modern, which I liked as well. It had evenly spread little tidbits throughout.
It's just fun. So many party scenes, or just running around, or just.....having fun! While I can enjoy dramatic movies, I often prefer it when they're fun. But this had it's drama too, and I think it had the perfect mix. There was much more fun than drama, but too much drama in a movie like this wouldn't have fit in right.
The ending. Am I the only one who picked up on the fact that they had fireworks? Drac said in the beginning that he would never have fireworks, as that would attract humans. But now he knows that humans are okay, so he's okay with having fun with it. As an aside, I love the Zing song and scene.
The relief. Some parts made me fear that they were going to take the wrong turn, but they did the exact opposite. The "liar reveal", as the Nostalgia Critic calls it, is one of my least favorite things in film. I was really hoping Mavis wouldn't be mad at Johnny for lying about being a monster, and she wasn't, not at all! She ran up and gave him a hug! Also, when that guy on the side of the road says
"Welcome to Transylvania!", I was afraid that Johnny had been a dutch bag and told everyone about the hotel, but instead, we were pleased to see how the world truly loves monsters today.
Cons:
The unoriginality. If you think about it, this film is just The Little Mermaid + Monsters, Inc. The dad lost the mom to humans and thus doesn't want his daughter anywhere near them. But when the daughter meets one, they instantly fall in love and the dad has to do something to stop it, but ends up accepting it. There's The Little Mermaid for you. As for Monsters, Inc, humans are seen as dangerous, but when one comes in to the monster world, they must dress them up as a monster to get them back to where they belong. But along the way, everyone starts to like the human and begins to change their ways. While the way they played it all out was original, the backbone was not, but, in all honesty, that didn't bother me too much. The animation and characters were enough to candy coat it.
That's......that's really it.
So overall, I really loved this movie and I am VERY glad I saw it. It may not be for everyone, but if you like fun animated films, you absolutely need to check it out.
Now here's a movie that I kinda just tossed aside. It didn't look bad, I just wasn't really thinking about it that much. I hate to say it, but I feel like I almost forced myself to be uninterested because it was about humans. (well, monsters, but not animals is my point) After a while I thought....what am I thinking? I'd totally like this movie! Why haven't I seen it? So on my sweet 16th birthday, while in a fancy hotel, I ordered it on demand, and boy, was it good.
Pros:
The animation was what really won me over. Was it gorgeous? No. Was it up to par with Pixar? No. Was it incredibly realistic? No. But you know what? That's exactly what I loved about it! It was just fun! The characters moved and reacted to things like old cartoon characters would. All lively and animated. When I first heard of the movie, I didn't know it was by Sony. I thought it was just gonna be some crappy, poorly animated, dark Halloween movie by a random company. But the first trailer greatly changed my mind.
The characters. They're diverse, they're fun, they have unique personalities, they have great voices, they're just overall fantastic. As a Disney Channel girl, it was a lot of fun to see Selena Gomez play an animated character as well. So, I love Mavis, not just because of that, but because of her personality as well. Murray is a load of fun, Wayne is the cynical Steve Buscemi I always love, Frankenstein is nice and weird, Johnny is hilarious, and Drac is tons of fun but a sweetheart at the same time. Everything about them is fantastic.
The ship. Up with my OTPs actually. The way Johnny cares for Mavis is just so sweet. Mavis can act so insecure, unknowing about the real world and everything, so Johnny does his best to make her feel better about it. It's a sweet, realisitc relationship, unlike some animated couples where the woman takes all the power.
The side-plot of Martha. When Drac was reading the book she wrote, I was in near tears. It's clever, it's interesting, it's intriguing, it's tear-jerking, and best of all, it provides a lot of explanation for things.
The modernness. Some people don't like that in movies, but I do. I'm a teenager for God's sake, I am going to get a laugh out of hearing Sexy And I Know It or a Twilight joke! However, it wasn't over the top modern, which I liked as well. It had evenly spread little tidbits throughout.
It's just fun. So many party scenes, or just running around, or just.....having fun! While I can enjoy dramatic movies, I often prefer it when they're fun. But this had it's drama too, and I think it had the perfect mix. There was much more fun than drama, but too much drama in a movie like this wouldn't have fit in right.
The ending. Am I the only one who picked up on the fact that they had fireworks? Drac said in the beginning that he would never have fireworks, as that would attract humans. But now he knows that humans are okay, so he's okay with having fun with it. As an aside, I love the Zing song and scene.
The relief. Some parts made me fear that they were going to take the wrong turn, but they did the exact opposite. The "liar reveal", as the Nostalgia Critic calls it, is one of my least favorite things in film. I was really hoping Mavis wouldn't be mad at Johnny for lying about being a monster, and she wasn't, not at all! She ran up and gave him a hug! Also, when that guy on the side of the road says
"Welcome to Transylvania!", I was afraid that Johnny had been a dutch bag and told everyone about the hotel, but instead, we were pleased to see how the world truly loves monsters today.
Cons:
The unoriginality. If you think about it, this film is just The Little Mermaid + Monsters, Inc. The dad lost the mom to humans and thus doesn't want his daughter anywhere near them. But when the daughter meets one, they instantly fall in love and the dad has to do something to stop it, but ends up accepting it. There's The Little Mermaid for you. As for Monsters, Inc, humans are seen as dangerous, but when one comes in to the monster world, they must dress them up as a monster to get them back to where they belong. But along the way, everyone starts to like the human and begins to change their ways. While the way they played it all out was original, the backbone was not, but, in all honesty, that didn't bother me too much. The animation and characters were enough to candy coat it.
That's......that's really it.
So overall, I really loved this movie and I am VERY glad I saw it. It may not be for everyone, but if you like fun animated films, you absolutely need to check it out.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Sulley & Boo vs. Ralph & Vanellope
Here's a brief entry on something that's been on my mind written out of boredom. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind throughout the review that I like both of these movies! Though I like Wreck-It Ralph more, I do like Monsters, Inc! Please don't get me wrong on that! I just can't say it's my favorite.
My opinions on the movies Monsters. Inc and Wreck-It Ralph seem to mainly be connected to my opinions on these relationships, as they are pretty much the core of the plot. I find myself liking Wreck-It Ralph more than Monsters, Inc, as well as their respective core relationships. In fact, I like Ralph and Vanellope's relationship a HECK of a lot more than Sulley and Boo. "But Hannah! Sulley and Boo's like the cutest and most lovable Disney relationship ever!" Well, let me explain.
There was a reason for the relationship between Ralph and Vanellope, and a lot of it, too. Ralph was unloved and needed someone to believe in him, to trust him, to love him, to see him as a good guy and a hero. Frankly, he just needed a friend. As did Vanellope. Everyone hated her too, and she wanted someone to be her friend and give her a chance. The two of them basically wanted the same things, though for different reasons. So, when they teamed up, it was, as I said in my review, simply gold. One of my personal favorite Disney relationships for it was the one that pulled on my heart strings the most (in happy and sad ways!)
Sulley and Boo...seems to have no reason to it. Now I'm not saying that means they should hate each other or something but I honestly have a hard time seeing why Sulley cares for her SO much. To care for her after watching over her for a day and not wanting her to get hurt is one thing, but to throw all your hard work away and even toss aside your real best friend really just doesn't seem worth it to me. Like haven't you noticed how heart set he is on getting out of the arctic and back to save her? And how he's risking his life out in the cold? Ralph risked his life for Vanellope, but again, they had reason to do it. No, I'm not saying a kid or a friend necessarily has to do something for you for you to care about them, but in context it seems to make a lot more sense to me. I think the only value in their relationship was that she showed him a new light to the fact that kids aren't all that bad. In fact, they're fine! They can be really nice and really good friends! But other than that, I can't see why he put his job, friendships, and life on the line for a girl he knew for a day that was really just a friend and nothing more.
Why Did Toy Story 3 Far Surpass The Gross' Of Other Beloved Disney Characters Returning To The Screen?
Let me start this off by saying I'm sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I had a feeling this would be something I wouldn't update a lot and I'm afraid that's what it turned out to be. But it's not all for no reason, it's partially because I haven't had many ideas of what to write about and I've been swamped with homework. So, hopefully you'll see this updated every now and then. I got this idea a little while ago; it's kinda similar to the blog on Happy Feet 2 and I thought I'd give it a shot. Here we go!
It's become common box office knowledge that Toy Story 3 is the best grossing animated film of all time (domestically) and is the only animated film to surpass a gross of $1 billion worldwide. (In the U.S., it's the second highest grossing to Shrek 2 domestically, but I digress). This, obviously, makes it the best grossing film for Pixar to ever release, succeeding their past holder of the #1 spot, as well as another one of their most critically acclaimed films, Finding Nemo. Why did this make so much money? While there are several reasons, a big reason is because these are characters that the entire world has fallen in love with, and when I say entire world, I mean children, teens, and adults. This applies to almost every well known Disney character, doesn't it? We all love Winnie The Pooh, The Jungle Book, and Peter Pan, don't we? Sure we do, or at least most of us do. So tell me, if those are such famous franchises, though perhaps not quite as famous as Toy Story, why didn't their theatrical sequels make as much money as this blockbuster? Okay, so maybe Peter Pan has a smaller fan base than Toy Story, but we'd still expect a sequel of it to make a lot of money, right? Well, it made about a 10th of what Toy Story 3 did. To me, that just sounds unrealistic. While in general I can't understand why this happened, I can think of a few possible reasons.
The Animation: The first Toy Story films were made in a time where hand-drawn animation was more common than that of computers. The new Winnie The Pooh installments, Return To Never Land, and The Jungle Book 2, were amidst the opposite situation. Unfortunately, this inverse does not provide the same positive effect, it happens to take, well, the opposite turn. The first Toy Story was the first fully computer animated film ever made, meaning, obviously, there was only so much they could do and frankly so much they knew how to do. Toy Story 3 not only came out at a time when 90% of animated films were made with computers, but Pixar in itself had already become possibly the best animation company on the market. It's safe to say the third Toy Story's animation was better than that of the last two. In fact, it was just exceptional overall. Granted, the first two were successes for their time, I'm not degrading them, I'm just pointing out an improvement. The others, unfortunately, did not have this advantage. As stated, they were created in a time where the box office was beginning to lean more towards computer animation (and Winnie The Pooh came out when computer animation completely dominated; it was the second hand drawn Disney film to come out in years). Somethings can be improved by technology, but the masterful artistry of some of the first, and frankly, still some of the best, animated films of all time, cannot be recreated with the same beauty on a computer. Plus, of course, even if they decided to animated these completely hand drawn (I'm sure some hand drawing was involved, but I have a feeling a lot of the animation was done on computers), it's been decades since the original films came out, so, obviously, the original animators are either deceased or too old to be able to do such things anymore.
The Plotline: Now by this, I don't only mean that the plot of Toy Story 3 is seen to have more depth than that of the other theatrical Disney sequels, though I will get to that. The main point about it was that it was intended to be a conclusion to the series, not only to end it, but wrap everything up that had occurred in the first two movies. The other sequels were not like that at all, but rather simple continuations of the past film(s). While, like Toy Story 3, some of them progress in time and see what's happened since and what's happening now, with, in The Jungle Book 2, Mowgli having a family and them meeting Baloo and his other friends, and, in Return To Neverland, Wendy having been grown up (like Andy) and her daughter having the Neverland experience she had, it is still, as stated, not intended as a finalization of the previous film(s). While Return To Never Land still has the child from the first film grown up and a character deciding how to let go or perhaps hold on to their childhood, it is done much differently than in Toy Story 3. Toy Story 3's plot line reflects something that probably everyone has to go through when going away to college, and, while deciding what magic we believe in is a part of growing up, that's not necessarily going to end with us going with Peter Pan to fight Captain Hook. Return To Never Land's message was don't grow up too fast, while Toy Story 3's was always hold your childhood somewhere special in your heart and pass it on to others. In no way am I refuting the message of Return To Never Land (heck, that's probably my biggest virtue), but it is more of a tween crisis rather than when we're going off to college and have to make a definite decision. How the college aspect specifically connected to the audience will be discussed later, though you probably already know what I'm getting at. Now as for the depth of the plot line, critics can agree that there is much more in Toy Story 3 than any of the other sequels. While most do have a conflict that must be resolved, it's decidedly simple and not overly original. And, there's of course Winnie The Pooh, which, though having a minor conflict, was very much fluff and just a bunch of fun, color, and songs. Again, this is from an impartial standpoint. I adored the new Winnie The Pooh movie, but when concerning something that effects you emotionally, depending on your preference, Toy Story 3 will probably do a better job. The plot line has several aspects to it, delves more deeply into the world of a toy, and was original and creative enough to snag a nod for a Best Picture Oscar. It's also significantly longer than the other films, and, while I'm not saying quantity outweighs quality when it comes to films, it definitely gave it more time to delve deeply into the plot and make it more complex.
The Timing: Going back to the whole college connection thing; this is something I'm sure we all noticed. The spacing between the Toy Story films allowed young kids to grow up with the first two and teens who are now off to college to reminisce with a further installment of their childhood. Do you realize that Andy followed them every step of the way? A kid in the first two, a teen in the third. It was relatable from the start. As for the other Disney sequels, the spacing between films can appropriately be called random. It was a good 50 years for God's sake! If anything, you grew up on the first and are now retired seeing this one but still remembering it from your childhood. That may have happened, but it's probably less likely than the teenage attendance to Toy Story 3. Most people who saw Return To Neverland, The Jungle Book 2, and the Winnie The Pooh sequels are probably children who were growing up on the old movies at the time, if that makes sense. And again, no matter who you are when you see those movies, unless the original is near and dear to your heart and you couldn't care less about Toy Story, an emotional impact is probably unlikely to occur, at least not to a large extent.
Also, I'd like to point out that none of these demographics really effected me when seeing Toy Story 3. While I was only born a year after the first came out, the movies really didn't have a huge place in my childhood. I can't even recall watching them as a kid until around 5th grade when I had become obsessed with Disney. All that I can remember was a C-D rom of it I loved, a book that I may have never read, and a vague blur of a Hamm plush in my mind. I was only 13 and a half when the third came out, so the college aspect was far from relatable. I didn't see it to relive my childhood, I saw it because I'm a Disney fan, and for that, it did have some impact on me. Honestly, it took me like two years to figure out that when people said they cried at it, they didn't mean just the fire scene. I do react to it emotionally more now, not because of fear of having to let my childhood go (because, if you know me, that's the last thing I'll ever do) but because of my deep, personal, emotional connection to both Disney, with these movies being modern Disney classics, and with toys. Anyways, enough about me. Back to the review.
The Company: I could just stop there and we'd all understand. Whether a sequel to a Pixar classic or not, let's face it, everyone's gonna see it. However, being a sequel does still give it a better chance. Not only do you have the background of the Pixar films overall, but that of the previous films of that series more specifically, giving you all the more reason to see it. Now, the other Disney sequels were...well, Disney! So how would that have caused them to not make as much money? As world-renowned as Disney is, as said before, these sequels were from entirely different people than those that were involved in the originals. (the closest we got was the Sherman Brothers writing songs for the Tigger Movie, but I must admit, that's a heck of a connection). So, really, they haven't much to base their thoughts on; it's a whole new group of people that aren't very well known. Really, can you name someone involved at Disney Toon Studios? Disney's pretty much my life but not even I can do that. Plus, if even by Disney's computer animation studios, their films' grosses still pale in comparison to Pixar's (with the only exception being Tangled). Even if a film is quite popular and well regarded, such as my favorite Bolt, it'll still perform well, but never as well as a Pixar film. (going back to Tangled, it did haul in the most for a Disney computer animated movie without Pixar, but all the same, most of Pixar's movies' grosses surpass it, even though it brought in $200 million). Also, the reception for Disney at the time of these sequels (minus the new Winnie The Pooh) was not phenomenal. All they were releasing at the time were films that the public saw as mediocre, were not big financial hits, and hardly had a legacy (this does not apply to Lilo and Stitch, however). What's worse is that Disney Toon Studios' reputation was even worse. There was plenty of negativity facing the direct-to-video sequels, and, yes, Return To Never Land and The Jungle Book 2 were theatrical, but they were still made by the same company, and, frankly, in the same style. As for Winnie The Pooh, it's harder to say. Disney's last independent animation project was Tangled, which, as already said above, was a major hit, so its reception at the time was fine. Even the films preceding Tangled, such as Bolt and Meet The Robinsons, garnered positive reviews and award nods as well. Still, no matter what, Pixar will be at the helm, and that seems to be independent Disney's major disadvantage.
Now to make one last comment, but just on Winnie The Pooh alone, it released after a slew of Winnie The Pooh films. While the Peter Pan and Jungle Book franchises only have two films to each name (not counting the Tinker Bell films, which seem to be generally considered as an independent franchise), Winnie The Pooh has countless films, theatrical and not. Toy Story 3 was special because it was the first we saw of these characters in eleven years (not counting the Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command series, which only showed Buzz's world and was still airing long before Toy Story 3). It was a surprise, and an exciting one at that. While a Winnie The Pooh film hadn't released for a few years before the 2011, there had still been plenty and not too far behind. Most people most likely saw it as just another Pooh film, especially considering the simplistic and vague title. Not that I necessarily do, but there's a chance people thought it was somewhat forced to get a new Pooh film out with new voices and new animation and a title that almost gives it a new start just to collect money.
It seems as though I've covered all the points I've had in mind. Yes, it is logically explainable, but I still can't entirely understand it.
The Plotline: Now by this, I don't only mean that the plot of Toy Story 3 is seen to have more depth than that of the other theatrical Disney sequels, though I will get to that. The main point about it was that it was intended to be a conclusion to the series, not only to end it, but wrap everything up that had occurred in the first two movies. The other sequels were not like that at all, but rather simple continuations of the past film(s). While, like Toy Story 3, some of them progress in time and see what's happened since and what's happening now, with, in The Jungle Book 2, Mowgli having a family and them meeting Baloo and his other friends, and, in Return To Neverland, Wendy having been grown up (like Andy) and her daughter having the Neverland experience she had, it is still, as stated, not intended as a finalization of the previous film(s). While Return To Never Land still has the child from the first film grown up and a character deciding how to let go or perhaps hold on to their childhood, it is done much differently than in Toy Story 3. Toy Story 3's plot line reflects something that probably everyone has to go through when going away to college, and, while deciding what magic we believe in is a part of growing up, that's not necessarily going to end with us going with Peter Pan to fight Captain Hook. Return To Never Land's message was don't grow up too fast, while Toy Story 3's was always hold your childhood somewhere special in your heart and pass it on to others. In no way am I refuting the message of Return To Never Land (heck, that's probably my biggest virtue), but it is more of a tween crisis rather than when we're going off to college and have to make a definite decision. How the college aspect specifically connected to the audience will be discussed later, though you probably already know what I'm getting at. Now as for the depth of the plot line, critics can agree that there is much more in Toy Story 3 than any of the other sequels. While most do have a conflict that must be resolved, it's decidedly simple and not overly original. And, there's of course Winnie The Pooh, which, though having a minor conflict, was very much fluff and just a bunch of fun, color, and songs. Again, this is from an impartial standpoint. I adored the new Winnie The Pooh movie, but when concerning something that effects you emotionally, depending on your preference, Toy Story 3 will probably do a better job. The plot line has several aspects to it, delves more deeply into the world of a toy, and was original and creative enough to snag a nod for a Best Picture Oscar. It's also significantly longer than the other films, and, while I'm not saying quantity outweighs quality when it comes to films, it definitely gave it more time to delve deeply into the plot and make it more complex.
The Timing: Going back to the whole college connection thing; this is something I'm sure we all noticed. The spacing between the Toy Story films allowed young kids to grow up with the first two and teens who are now off to college to reminisce with a further installment of their childhood. Do you realize that Andy followed them every step of the way? A kid in the first two, a teen in the third. It was relatable from the start. As for the other Disney sequels, the spacing between films can appropriately be called random. It was a good 50 years for God's sake! If anything, you grew up on the first and are now retired seeing this one but still remembering it from your childhood. That may have happened, but it's probably less likely than the teenage attendance to Toy Story 3. Most people who saw Return To Neverland, The Jungle Book 2, and the Winnie The Pooh sequels are probably children who were growing up on the old movies at the time, if that makes sense. And again, no matter who you are when you see those movies, unless the original is near and dear to your heart and you couldn't care less about Toy Story, an emotional impact is probably unlikely to occur, at least not to a large extent.
Also, I'd like to point out that none of these demographics really effected me when seeing Toy Story 3. While I was only born a year after the first came out, the movies really didn't have a huge place in my childhood. I can't even recall watching them as a kid until around 5th grade when I had become obsessed with Disney. All that I can remember was a C-D rom of it I loved, a book that I may have never read, and a vague blur of a Hamm plush in my mind. I was only 13 and a half when the third came out, so the college aspect was far from relatable. I didn't see it to relive my childhood, I saw it because I'm a Disney fan, and for that, it did have some impact on me. Honestly, it took me like two years to figure out that when people said they cried at it, they didn't mean just the fire scene. I do react to it emotionally more now, not because of fear of having to let my childhood go (because, if you know me, that's the last thing I'll ever do) but because of my deep, personal, emotional connection to both Disney, with these movies being modern Disney classics, and with toys. Anyways, enough about me. Back to the review.
The Company: I could just stop there and we'd all understand. Whether a sequel to a Pixar classic or not, let's face it, everyone's gonna see it. However, being a sequel does still give it a better chance. Not only do you have the background of the Pixar films overall, but that of the previous films of that series more specifically, giving you all the more reason to see it. Now, the other Disney sequels were...well, Disney! So how would that have caused them to not make as much money? As world-renowned as Disney is, as said before, these sequels were from entirely different people than those that were involved in the originals. (the closest we got was the Sherman Brothers writing songs for the Tigger Movie, but I must admit, that's a heck of a connection). So, really, they haven't much to base their thoughts on; it's a whole new group of people that aren't very well known. Really, can you name someone involved at Disney Toon Studios? Disney's pretty much my life but not even I can do that. Plus, if even by Disney's computer animation studios, their films' grosses still pale in comparison to Pixar's (with the only exception being Tangled). Even if a film is quite popular and well regarded, such as my favorite Bolt, it'll still perform well, but never as well as a Pixar film. (going back to Tangled, it did haul in the most for a Disney computer animated movie without Pixar, but all the same, most of Pixar's movies' grosses surpass it, even though it brought in $200 million). Also, the reception for Disney at the time of these sequels (minus the new Winnie The Pooh) was not phenomenal. All they were releasing at the time were films that the public saw as mediocre, were not big financial hits, and hardly had a legacy (this does not apply to Lilo and Stitch, however). What's worse is that Disney Toon Studios' reputation was even worse. There was plenty of negativity facing the direct-to-video sequels, and, yes, Return To Never Land and The Jungle Book 2 were theatrical, but they were still made by the same company, and, frankly, in the same style. As for Winnie The Pooh, it's harder to say. Disney's last independent animation project was Tangled, which, as already said above, was a major hit, so its reception at the time was fine. Even the films preceding Tangled, such as Bolt and Meet The Robinsons, garnered positive reviews and award nods as well. Still, no matter what, Pixar will be at the helm, and that seems to be independent Disney's major disadvantage.
Now to make one last comment, but just on Winnie The Pooh alone, it released after a slew of Winnie The Pooh films. While the Peter Pan and Jungle Book franchises only have two films to each name (not counting the Tinker Bell films, which seem to be generally considered as an independent franchise), Winnie The Pooh has countless films, theatrical and not. Toy Story 3 was special because it was the first we saw of these characters in eleven years (not counting the Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command series, which only showed Buzz's world and was still airing long before Toy Story 3). It was a surprise, and an exciting one at that. While a Winnie The Pooh film hadn't released for a few years before the 2011, there had still been plenty and not too far behind. Most people most likely saw it as just another Pooh film, especially considering the simplistic and vague title. Not that I necessarily do, but there's a chance people thought it was somewhat forced to get a new Pooh film out with new voices and new animation and a title that almost gives it a new start just to collect money.
It seems as though I've covered all the points I've had in mind. Yes, it is logically explainable, but I still can't entirely understand it.
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