Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Image credit: IMDb

We all know that art imitates life and that films often serve as a source of social commentary as well as entertainment. Films about humanity’s increasingly dangerous reliance on technology have been around since the era of Charlie Chapin in which his famous comic character, The Tramp, very humorously showed us what could happen when technology breaks down in Modern Times. And did we listen?

Isaac Asimov has been trying to caution us with this science fiction stories that usually depict robots turning on their masters or evolving an intelligence to rival humans. I Robot, Alien, Blade Runner, 2001 ASpace Odyssey – what do all these films have in common? Villainous AI. Even Disney had a stab at trying to redirect our reliance on technology with WALL-E and now, with the very real rise of AI, Aardman has taken up challenge.

As a present for Gromit, Wallace invents a robotic gnome to help him in his garden. When the neighbours see ‘Norbot’, there’s a scramble to hire him to help in their gardens and households and Wallace quickly becomes a neighbourhood celebrity. Word travels fast and soon a TV interview with Wallace gets seen by none other than Feathers McGraw, the villainous penguin who tried to steal the Blue Diamond. Languishing in prison, McGraw soon concocts an elaborate revenge plot against Wallace and Gromit, with Norbot as the key.

While Feathers McGraw may be the villain of this piece, the real evil is society’s reliance on technology. The gadgets that populate Wallace and Gromit’s house have exponentially grown in number since The Wrong Trousers, eradicating the need for Wallce to do anything – even pat his own dog. This lack of physical intimacy between the two heroes is the real drama and helps to hammer home the message that there are some things that technology just can’t do.

The film definitely rides strong on nostalgia, essentially being a longer and less emotional remake of The Wrong Trousers. This ensures bums stay in seats and a few laughs get choked out, but I found Vengeance Most Fowl to be a little bit tortured and straining. The jokes are tired, the story is predictable, and even the chemistry between the heroes feels a bit diluted.

Image credit: Animation Magazine

But the animation is still gorgeous with beautiful scenic backdrops that make this one of the bigger Wallace and Gromit adventures in existence. Seeing Claymation and stop-motion is always refreshing because it is an artform that took off but stayed relatively low to the ground. Like a waterfowl, it’s been steadily skimming the reservoir of cinema for decades, content to just glide along.

Vengeance Most Fowl is a fun visit with old friends but ultimately, I still find the old half-hour features to be more emotionally enjoyable.

Director: Merlin Crossingham & Nick Park

Cast: Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Muzz Khan, Diane Morgan, Reece Shearsmith & Lenny Henry

Wish

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It’s often a wonder to think about the longevity of things that we have created. The passage of time is something that is both amazing and terrifying, as we can never tell what will remain celebrated throughout history and what will fade into obscurity.

I often marvel at the longevity of cinema –many of the larger studios have been celebrating centennials in the last few years and I got to thinking about the evolution of cinematic art and technique, how so many people have contributed to a medium that continues to grow and is both incredible in this respect, but also incredible when you consider how many people often lament the ‘golden days’ of it.

I was put onto this train of thought a while ago when I sat down and watched Wish – Disney’s 100^th film. The stakes were high for this one and while I can appreciate some of the animated techniques and choices, at the end of it all I found this movie to be a real disappointment and that just made me appreciate the Disney films from my childhood that little bit more.

The kingdom of Rosas is a peaceful and prosperous land, ruled by the magic and merciful King Magnifico who has the power to grant wishes. Each year he selects a single wish from his subjects to make come true. This tradition has been uninterrupted for years, making Rosas the wonderful land it is. That is until Asha, a young girl who dreams of becoming the king’s apprentice, discovers the king’s true motives. He only grants the most harmless and unambitious wishes, in order to retain his leadership and keep his people in line. Angered and betrayed by the injustice of the king, Asha wishes on an evening star for change, but gets more than she bargained for when the star literally falls into her lap stirring up mischief and sparks of rebellion.

To give credit where it is due, Wish had a lot of potential. The story is timeless, exploring the evils of tyranny, made fun and more accessible to its younger audience with the added element of magic – something that Disney is all about. The film was clearly intended to be a celebration of magic – the true magic in the world that comes in the form of love, friendship, believing in oneself and all that jazz. Good messages. And that’s kind of where the joy ends.

Wish was certainly ambitious. The art style is a fusion of the beautiful 2-dimensional watercolour backgrounds that created memorable worlds of Classic Disney – think the forests in Sleeping Beauty and Snow White- and the modern 3-dimensional character art that has since become the Disney norm a’la Tangled. While the combination of the two art styles is certainly an interesting idea, for whatever reason it just didn’t work so well and, rather than having a rich and vibrant Disney world that we can get completely enveloped in, the cinematic experience is tainted with a feeling that there is something off and it takes a good fifteen minutes to half an hour before you can actually put a finger on what’s bugging you.

The story itself is predictable, the characters aren’t particularly interesting, new, or even memorable, and even the songs are a real letdown with Chris Pine’s ‘villain’ song being the most memorable (for all the wrong reasons).

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And then we have the end. Up until the last 10 minutes of the film, I had been happy to be of the opinion that this movie was ambitious, quite simply Disney, and had its fun moments, but was nothing remarkable. And then someone made the decision to remind audiences of Disney's 100 classics and cram so many easter eggs and references into the last 10 minutes that I could feel my body cracking from the nostalgic whiplash. I suppose this decision was made to remind older audiences of the classics from their childhoods (yes, ok that worked) and inspire the younger ones to delve a little into some Disney animated history. But really it just felt like a greedy and smug flaunting of Disney’s golden ages. It was so heavy and saccharine, like being clubbed over the head with a hardened hunk of sugar that it completely, completely, ruined the already-mediocre opinion I had of this movie.

If you have any interest in checking out Wish, spend an afternoon with a friend with a Disney+ subscription, maybe some enjoyment can come from the conversational dissection that comes afterwards.

Director(s): Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn, 2023

Cast: Ariana Debose, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Niko Vargas, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillen, Ramy Youssef, Chris Pine & Victor Garber

Inside Out 2

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With the exception of Toy Story, Pixar have not had a particularly good track record when it comes to making sequels. While follow-up stories that feature many of our favourite characters are enticing enough to ensure bums in seats, the last string of Pixar sequels have been considered narratively lackluster and predictable.

While Pixar has by no means broken this pattern of easily predictable plot twists with their latest sequel, Inside Out 2, they have nonetheless managed to produce a follow-up movie that is intelligent, sweet, and relatable.

Riley’s emotions have been living together in perfect harmony for a while now, but when the ‘puberty’ alarm goes off one day, Joy, Disgust, Fear, Anger, and Sadness suddenly find themselves having to make room for a whole new host of emotions – and not everyone is seeing eye-to-eye. As Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui move into Headquarters, Joy and her friends find themselves being suppressed and finally kicked out of Headquarters altogether. With Riley on the cusp of starting high school and the new emotions reshaping her entire personality, Joy and the others are racing against time to get back to Headquarters and save the Riley they know.

While the ultimate message of the film is the same as the first - the fact that we need to experience bad days and hurtful emotions in order to become a well-rounded and functional human being – Inside Out 2 cleverly and funnily explores the intricacies of those more complicated emotions that tend to shape us during a most impressionable and (often) emotionally traumatic time: adolescence. Seriously, how many adults spend their time talking to their therapists about what happened to them in high school? My hand is raised.

The cleverness of the Inside Out movies is that there are really no villains, rather it’s the ignorance and tunnel-vision of the characters that causes the drama. This idea is very sweetly depicted through the new character of Anxiety, voiced beautifully by Maya Hawke. Anxiety enters as the ‘leader’ of the new emotional recruits, essentially being a counterpart of Joy. And while the film depicts her as something of a dictator and villain, it’s also made clear that she is acting in (what she perceives to be) Riley’s best interests. Thus, this captivating drama unfolds with Anxiety trying to prepare Riely for the coming years, but ultimately causing distress and drama.

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The seriousness of the film’s themes is then delightfully lifted with many cleverly written jokes and puns like Riley’s ‘stream of consciousness’ – a literal river that features whatever Riley is thinking about- and the dreaded sar-chasm. The heart-warming humour mixed with the colourful characters makes Inside out 2 a great film for both children and adults – transcending generational boundaries, hell yeah!

Filled with important messages about mental and emotional health, as well as comedy, drama, and action, Inside Out 2 is a delightful little film that really is fun for the whole family.

Director: Kelsey Mann, 2024

Cast: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Liza Lapira, Ayo Edibiri, Lilimar, Grace Lu, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Adele Exarchopoulos, Yvette Ncole Brown, Diane Lane & Kyle McLachlan

Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken

Image credit: imdb.com

The appeal of animated family films, aside from the bright colours and, memorable characters, and scripted life lessons, is the fantasy of them. Dreamworks has been consistently coming out with some fresh and fun takes on celebrated stories and genre, often twisting traditional representations of fantasy creatures around so that they become loveable leading characters rather than the monsters of their original texts. Within the span of 90 minutes, ogres can go from vicious maneaters to sweet and misunderstood romantics or, in one of Dreamworks’ most recent films, krakens can go from shipwrecking monsters to protectors of the ocean.

Ruby Gilman Teenage Kraken tells the story of Ruby Gillman, a young kraken living with her family in a seaside human town. Her problems are just like any other teenager’s; maths, trying to prompose to her dream guy, and keeping up the façade that she’s from Canada rather than a kraken. But when she rescues her dream guy from drowning, something awakens in Ruby and she transforms into a giant kraken. Suddenly a promposal is the least of her worries, as she discovers she’s a warrior princess destined to protect the entire ocean from the clutches of the evil mermaid queen Narissa.

This is a fun Little Mermaid story that flips the roles of the heroes and villains. Just imagine that final climactic battle scene, except both Arial and Ursula are ginormous and Arial’s wielding the trident and laughing maniacally. Internally, it’s a sweet coming-of-age story about finding one’s a place in their community and being true to oneself.

The animation is very pretty with the giant krakens themselves being particularly beautiful: all sparkling and luminescent. There’s a fun cast of eccentric characters that each have their time to shine, and a modern, poppy soundtrack to round out the fun.

Image credit: filmaffinity.com

It’s not the most incredible family film that Dreamworks has come out with, but it’s a harmless way to while away some of the afternoon.

Director: Kirk DeMicco & Faryn Pearl (2023)

Cast: Lana Condor, Colman Domingo, Liza Koshy, Ramona Young, Blue Chapman, Jaboukie Young-White, Sam Richardson, Toni Collette & Jane Fonda.  

Kung Fu Panda 4

Image credit: universalpictures.com

Perhaps it’s because I don’t go to the cinema as often as a I used to, or perhaps it’s simply because I’m an adult now and therefore not paying all that much attention to children’s films, but it seems to me that there is a real lack of good family movies around at the moment. With Disney’s family successes being far and far between, and other studios like Dreamworks and Illumination not coming out with things as regularly as they used to (I think before the pandemic), there’s not a whole lot of family fun happening at the movies – at least not as much as I remember. It really makes you consider how cinema has changed thanks to the pandemic and the general way in which society is evolving and changing the way we consume media.

This chain of thought was brough to my mind because I recently went and saw Kung Fu Panda 4.

Po has successfully made the most of out of his life, going from humble beginnings working in a noodle shop to becoming the famous Dragon Warrior, achieving inner peace, and rising to the role of protector of the Valley of Peace. But his journey his not over. Po must now choose an apprentice to whom he can hand over the title of Dragon Warrior so that he can become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. But Po’s not too keen on this idea. Thankfully, the pressure is lessened when a thief breaks into the Hall of Heroes around the same time that reports of sightings of Tai Lung come to the valley. Po discovers that there is a dangerous sorceress at large with plans of world domination, so he teams up with the thief, a fox named Zhen, and goes on another adventure of spiritual growth and butt-kicking kung fu.

While this movie is certainly not bad, it was not asked for nor do I think it was needed. And Kung Fu Panda is my favourite Dreamworks franchise. This film is a clumsily written story of emotional maturity and character growth that absolutely works but is uninspiring and definitely lacking in the emotional payoff that the previous films have. While I could feel that there was some love that went into it, for the most part this movie feels more like a pay cheque than anything else, with lackluster writing and performances just not reaching for the same heights as before.

I’ve already touched on the story being clumsily constructed, uninspired, and relatively predictable, but I think the fact that there is no Furious Five in the mix also had a major impact on the film. Without the awesomeness of these characters to look up to and their friendship to relish in and bounce off, Po’s bubbly and sweet character loses its fizz and now sits flat. There’s still flavour, but it’s not as enjoyable as before. It really goes to show just how important supporting characters are!

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But to give credit where it is due, the animation is still incredible especially surrounding the villain: a shapeshifting chameleon with magical powers that allow her to basically become a kung fu master chimera during the third act.

At the end of the day, Kung Fu Panda 4 is not a bad movie, it just seems that the franchise has run out of steam. The film is still fun, heartwarming, and entertaining, btu I won’t be adding it to the library.

Ooh but do stay for the credits, because Tenacious D do a cover of Baby One More Time and it’s awesome!

Director: Mike Mitchell & Stephanie Stine (2024)

Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane, Ke Huy Quan & Viola Davis

The Boy and the Heron

Image credit: imdb

The world of art and content creation is dynamic, meaning it changes all the time to suit the current attitudes of society, whilst also being static, meaning parts of it stay the same. In film, this is usually obvious in changing artistic design, filmic techniques, and technological enhancements showing the every-changing nature of art, while genre and some stylistic choices made by the director remind the audience who’s work they are enjoying and offering them the cinematic experience that they have come to expect from said artist. Whenever we head into a dark cinema, we are armed with the preconceived knowledge of what sort of experience we are going to have, simply by choosing to see a film because of its genre or director. This then gives us great comfort and satisfaction when that experience is realised. I had this experience yesterday when I treated myself to a movie day and went and saw Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron.

The film follows young Mahito who loses his mother in a hospital fire and evacuates to the country with his father during the Pacific War. His father marries his aunt, Natsuko, and while Mahito is distant from the woman at first, he develops a bond with her as she tells him stories from her past and protects him from the strange happenings that occur when a grey heron begins talking to him, promising to reunite him with his mother. When ill Natsuko disappears into the forest, Mahito goes in search of her and finds himself transported to another world full of wonder and danger. He and the heron must work together if they are to find Natsuko and return safely to their own world.

The Boy and the Heron is a semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age film that explores complex themes such as redemption, acceptance, learning to see beyond oneself in the world, and the power/burden of creation. Mahito’s journey is both physical and emotional, as he begins the film hurt and full of self-pity, but then grows to see that the world stretches farther than his own fingertips and his problems are not the greatest of woes, travelling through a strange world that seems to be in conflict with itself and falling apart.

The animation is another triumph; absolutely beautiful, mesmerising, and dramatic from the opening scene where we are placed within the flames of war, to the calm and picturesque Japanese countryside, to the captivating other-realm where young girls create fire and parakeets march with blades behind their backs. The animation is what makes Miyazaki’s films and many from Studio Ghibli so wonderful because, despite the fantastical aspect, they are truly transportive works of art that gently guide viewers through beautiful and captivating biomes with light and sound that makes it feel as though you are actually there, lying in the soft grass feeling the wind place over your face and listening to the soft burble of a nearby stream. This transportive power is why I get so excited when I learn there is a new feature coming from Miyazaki, the experience is always wonderful and I have never been disappointed.

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The Boy and the Heron is a stunning piece of cinema filled with action, adventure, bravery, magic, and wonder. I would certainly recommend you treat yourself and see it in cinemas.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki, 2023

Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yohsino Kimura, Takuya Kimura, Keiko Takeshita, Jun Fubuki, Sawako Agawa, Karen Takizawa, Shinobu Otake, Jun Kunimura, Kaoru Kobayashi, & Shohei Hino

Language: Japanese. An English dubbed version is available featuring the voice talents of Christian Bale, Wilem Dafoe, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, & Robert Pattinson

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse

Image credit: Filmaffinity.com

It’s been a while since I really looked forward to the release of a new movie. What with the pandemic making us forget about the cinematic experience and a lot of new content simply being churned out, there isn’t a lot to get excited by. But the 1^st of June brought out the new animated Spiderman movie and you better believe that partner and I were planted firmly in that cinema as soon as we were able. I absolutely loved Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse; the freshness of the animation and art style was mesmerising and when I learnt that a second one was upcoming, whoo baby, was I excited!

Miles Morales is one of your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Mans, stopping bad guys in his dimension and struggling with trying to live the life of a normal teenager. With the prospect of college and heading into the wider world looming, Miles is facing even more challenges, but these get thrown out the window when a strange, interdimensional leaper called The Spot labels Miles as his nemesis and vows to take away everything his loves. When Spot’s actions trigger an anomaly in the interdimensional timeline, Miles joins Gwen and some new friends in the Spiderverse to try and take him down. But things take a dramatic turn when Miles finds out some upsetting truths about how he came to be Spider-Man.

This film is a definite upswing in the visual department. The wizards who designed and brought to life this incredible painted, pixeled, and perfect world deserve all of the accolades. In this film we get to visit other dimensions within the Spiderverse, and each one has a different art style that is just breathtaking. Be sure to keep an eye out for the differences in the backdrops because the intricate layers that make up the brilliance of this movie absolutely begin with the different art styles and visual achievements of the art department and computer wizards.

We then have this fantastic and intricate story that centres on the universal turmoil of actions and consequences. While certain aspects of the story are a mite predictable, most of it draws the appropriate amount of laughs and gasps from the audience. And the script is absolutely delightful, being a perfect blend of heartfelt life lessons and clever comedy. The dialogue is sharp and full of wit and the injection of meme culture into the mix adds even more delightful humour. There are some seriously funny gags in this film. Watch out for them.

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I would absolutely recommend a night at the cinemas to see Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse. It’s fresh, funny, heartfelt, and just all around brilliant!

Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson, 2023

Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Bryan Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Jason Schwartzman, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, Andy Samberg, Jharrel Jerome, Mahershala Ali & Oscar Isaac

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

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There is often a risk in taking a much beloved franchise and turning it into a movie. Especially one that has fan circles spanning over generations. But when it works, it’s really something special. Last night, in an impromptu date night, partner and I took ourselves to the cinemas and saw The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Brothers Mario and Luigi are a pair of plumbers who have just started their own company and are struggling. When a disaster floods downtown Brooklyn, the boys rush to the rescue, only to get stuck underground and make a strange discovery. Underneath Brooklyn there is a pipe that transports the boys to another world. Unfortunately the two are separated on their journey and Mario ends up in the Mushroom Kingdom while Luigi gets captured by the evil Bowzer in the Darklands. In order save his brother, Mario must gain the help of Princess Peach to stop Bowzer and save his brother, as well as the world.

This is a very cute and enjoyable film. Mostly a fantastic bundle of easter eggs, inside jokes, and delightful references, there are also some lovely little stories about personal growth and believing in oneself that are thrown in too. While Mario’s tacked-on story about trying to gain his father’s approval and love is a little bit forced, Luigi’s story of finding courage when it’s needed most is very sweet and perfectly paced. The ‘heartfelt’ moments of the movie are defiantly not the main reason to see the picture, indeed they are pretty predicable and not entirely written in very well, but they do help to add depth to the characters and the overall story.

Shout out to the central cast, who all did really great jobs, but especially to Jack Black and Anya Taylor-Joy who really made these characters their own. Anya delivers a Princess Peach who is most certainly not some damsel in distress, indeed she rises up as a most competent animated heroine to join the ranks of some of the more modern Disney divas. And Jack Black as Bowzer is one of my favourite things to happen this month. Not only is he hilarious when he delivers his zingers, but there’s this wonderful softness and vulnerability that he brings to the character that really makes you root for him.

Image credit: Wallpaperden

The animation is wonderful. Really bright and vibrant, a literal rainbow of computer magic that actually looks a lot like the animation of the more current Mario games on the Nintendo Switch. The collaboration between Warner Bros. and Nintendo was a great move for this flick and it really delivered a fun and generationally-inclusive family film.

I would absolutely recommend The Super Mario Bros. Movie if you’re out for a afternoon treat to the cinemas. It’s heartfelt, funny, warm, and visually addictive.

Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic & Pierre Leduc

Cast: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Seth Rogan, Kevin Michael Richardson, Khary Payton, Keegan-Michael Key & Jack Black

Strange World

 

Image credit: Wikipedia

Over the years, Disney’s family films have been keeping up with the changing trends of modern society, what is accepted, prevalent, and important for its youngers to understand, as they grow up to become members of it. It’s a noble cause that Disney is following: educating the young through an accessible medium, making the confusing themes of sexuality, identity, mental health, equality, multiculturalism, the generational divide less so. The studio’s latest film, Strange World, adds the concept of disease, the inner workings of the body, and symbiosis to the gloopy, intangible mix.

The Clades are a legendary family of adventurers. Well, they were until Searcher’s father went missing after having a disagreement with him during an expedition. Searcher returned home with a new-found resource and changed the world for the better. But now that resource is becoming diseased and it falls to Searcher and his family to find the cause and stop it. Not happy at having to relive his adventuring days, things get worse for Searcher when they crash land in a strange new world. But that’s not all, his dad’s there too.

A really obvious metaphor for Covid, Strange World explores the internal architecture of the body and teaches its younger audience how it works by turning it into a whole new world. The animation is very trippy and stunning, but this is where the film’s successes end.

They say if something’s not broken don’t fix it, and there is absolutely sense in that. However, while a clockwork routine can often be something to be appreciated, sometimes we long for a little bit of chaos or, at least, surprise. The structure of voice-over narrated exposition at the beginning, blended with the opening scene of drama crucial to the protagonist’s backstory made the film very predictable. No joke, within the first ten minutes, partner and I knew that the father would come back and that a whole reunion/reconciliation arc was going to happen, blah blah blah. It has to be said that slightly entertaining characters and visually cool, imagined worlds cannot carry a film when the story is old and arthritic. It’s hard to get enveloped and excited in a film when you can foresee what’s going to happen well before even the first hint is dropped.

Image credit: Collider.com

Honestly, this doesn’t make the character journeys any less important or moving, but without the promise of a treat, what’s the point in being on your best behaviour? I definitely appreciated the film’s representation of other cultures and inclusion of alternate sexualities, but even this was not enough to keep my attention from wandering.

Strange World is definitely a good one for the kids. There is a little something for everyone, so it serves as a fun family movie of an afternoon, but at the end of the day, I’m waiting for Walt Disney Studios to bring us something really new and surprising.

Director: Don Hall & Qui Nguyen, 2022

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu, Karan Soni, Abraham Benrubi, Jonathan Melo,  Nik Dodani, Francesca Reale, & Alan Tudyk

Lightyear

 

Image credit: Event Cinemas

“In 1995, Andy got a toy from his favourite movie… this is that movie.” This is the opening line to Pixar’s latest film, Lightyear, and sparked an interesting theological discussion between partner and I on the car ride home after seeing said film. So, Lightyear is animated in the style of Toy Story, in that the people in the former look like the real people in the latter. Partner’s question was; in this animated world, is Lightyear a live-action movie or an animated movie? And we actually had an interesting chat looking at both possible arguments. I can’t remember what we decided on, probably that that it was a non-animated movie. However if that’s the case, then young Andy was watching some seriously mature dramas for a boy young enough to be playing with dolls…

Lightyear tells the story of Space Ranger, Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans) whose team gets marooned on an alien planet when they take a small detour during a mission. While trying to find a way back home, Buzz goes through numerous time jumps, with each failed attempt taking years away from his teams’ lives. Until one day, when he returns from another attempt, he discovers that his camp and his friends are gone, the planet taken over by an army of robots, and the grandchildren of his original team are the only ones left trying to survive. With the robots trying to steal his precious fuel supply, Buzz must set aside his past guilt and work as a team if there is any hope of returning to Star Command. 

Time travel, guilt complexes, trauma, are just some of the complex themes that get explored in Lightyear, and if this was young Andy’s favourite movie when he was, what, 10(?), then I have questions. Reminiscent of space-themed dramas such as The Martian, Lightyear is definitely a more mature, but nevertheless all-ages inclusive film in Pixar’s repertoire. The central themes of friendship and teamwork clashing with the mental evils of solitude and self-isolation take the front seat, forming a predictable story, but one that still piques emotional attachments and empathy towards the characters. 

I particularly enjoyed the limited colour palette, with dusk oranges, night purples, and rust reds making up the majority of the world, giving the film its space-drama vibe that I mentioned before. 

Image credit: Roger Ebert

There are some solid characters journeys, a healthy smattering of comedy amidst all the drama and mind-melting existential crises that are running rampant, and a ‘twist’ (which we did see coming) that no kid of 10 should have been able to wrap their brain around. Maybe Andy was a ridiculously smart kid…

Lightyear is a fun and visually impressive movie that doesn’t scale the heights of some of Pixar’s other films, but certainly holds something for the whole family. 

Director: Angus MacLane, 2022

Cast: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Uzo Aduba, Darby Soules, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Bill Hader, & James Brolin

Turning Red

 

Image credit: Carousell

Coming-of-age stories have always been a pretty solid and relatively foolproof flavour of cinema: relatable, funny, heart-warming/breaking, and guaranteeing a healthy, mixed audience. Over the years coming-of-age cinema has seen all sorts of interpretations and depictions of the adolescent gear change, from Puberty Blues to Stand By Me. For tonight’s movie, partner and I curled up on the couch and enjoyed Pixar’s latest foray into the coming-of-age genre: Turning Red.

The film centres on Meilin, a seemingly normal 13-year-old just starting to develop her own tastes and sense of identity. At school she’s an over-achiever with a passion for boy bands and at home, she strives to be the perfect daughter. When a harmless doodle turns into a dramatic confrontation with her mum, it triggers a genetic ‘gift’ where Meilin turns into a red panda whenever she experiences strong emotions.

Turning Red is a clever little film in a number of ways. Firstly, the title works on a multitude of levels, as the trigger for the genetic trait is shame and embarrassment as well as a borderline outward reference to what marks a girl’s entrance into womanhood. The red panda is both a funny and dramatic metaphor for puberty, illustrating both the cute side and the significantly less cute side. 

On a deeper level, the film is an exploration into familial relationships and how much they influence identity. Similar to Encanto the central drama of the film stems from the relationship between Meilin and her overprotective mother, as well as nod to the familial structures and cultural attitudes of multi-generational immigrant families. 

Image credit: Rotten Tomatoes

The animation is signature Pixar with a bright colour palette and gorgeous lighting, however I can’t say that the art style is my favourite to come out of the studio. Quite a few of the characters were giving me Aardman vibes, which work for the claymation likes of Wallace and Gromit, but no so much for the studio that brought us Wall-E and Toy Story. 

This singular negative aside, Turning Red is a very cute and heart-warming coming-of-age tale that has a little something for everyone. There are plenty of funny moments and just as many tearjerker moments; overall a perfectly good film.

Director: Domee Shi, 2022

Cast: Rosalie Chiang, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Wai Ching Ho, Lori Tan Chinn, Tristan Allerick Chen, Orion Lee, Sandra Oh, & James Hong

Luca

Image credit: Wikipedia

Continuing on with catching up on new films from Disney, the other night partner and I curled up on the couch for to check out Pixar’s newest film: Luca.

A little reminiscent of The Little Mermaid meets The Fox and the Hound, Luca tells the story of a shy sea monster who develops a curiosity for the surface and the humans (‘land monsters’) that live there. When he befriends a reclusive fellow sea monster named Alberto, the two decide to run away together to escape the deep-sea exile that Luca’s over-protective family determines will keep him safe. Undercover in a small fishing village on the Italian Riviera, the two become friends with a human girl and learn more about the world above water. 

This is a very sweet movie and a bit of a dramatic change for Pixar in that it explores themes that are less abstract, complicated, and adult. Centred on friendship and identity, Luca tells a recognisable story that’s made fresh by its unconventional characters. Where Ariel is headstrong and reckless, Luca is shy and super-cautious. Alberto as the best friend character begins the story as arrogant and manipulative, transforming into a true friend midway through. The token female character is an outsider and underdog: loud, a little odd, and not ‘typically pretty’. This fresh filter of such recognisable characters, particularly in previous Disney films, is what gives the film the edge that makes it stand out. 

The story itself is quite easy to follow and predict what’s going to happen, but because the characters are different, it doesn’t become boring or a hindrance. The animation is gorgeous with the use of light and a cool colour palette really giving the feel of an Italian holiday and the casual blend between English and Italian adds to the experience. 

Image credit: Pink News

It’s not Pixar’s most beautiful or groundbreaking movie, but it’s a sweet one that reminds us that it’s ok to enjoy films that are just entertaining and not thought provoking or intellectual. 

Director: Enrico Casarosa, 2021

Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Saverio Raimondo, Maya Rudolph, Marco Barricelli, Jim Gaffigan, Sandy Martin, Marina Massironi, Peter Sohn, Lorenzo Crisci & Sasha Baron Cohen

Raya and the Last Dragon

 

Image credit: IMDb

While I do love that cinema is surviving these strange new times in which we find ourselves, I won’t say it’s not without its problems. Obviously one is the distribution of movies and the rise of streaming service original content, which comes with its own exclusions because there’s a fair chunk of audiences who either can’t afford the luxury of streaming or have decided they’re too old to learn (this comes from personal customer interactions). Another one came to me only today, that the writing for films has shifted with a lot of new films being written shorter and more ‘made-for-tv’. I’m not saying that this is resulting in bad movies, but I certainly have noticed that I’ve found it hard to get as excited about films as I used to and I think this is why. The thought occurred to me today when I finally sat down to watch Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, a movie that I was very keen to watch, but hadn’t gotten around to. 

It tells the story of a world torn apart by tribal feuds, which are reignited when a peaceful meeting goes awry and unleashes an ancient plague that had been locked away centuries ago by the last dragons. After being betrayed by a friend and losing her father to the plague, Princess Raya goes on a 6-year pilgrimage to find the last dragon, Sisu, rumoured to still be alive. When she succeeds, she gets more than she bargained for when Sisu reveals that she can’t stop the plague like before. The two embark on a great adventure chasing down the last remnants of dragon magic and the only hope to bring back everything that has been lost. 

The film has a very sweet and message about trust and the importance of community, very much needed in a world growing mad and jaded by the pandemic, though still saccharine and trying. Visually, it’s absolutely stunning with the character animation as well as that of the world, both when it’s flourishing and dystopian, being crisp and captivating from the opening scene. Where the movie fell down for me was in the predictable narrative and the fact that, because it was written to be streaming-friendly, it felt short and there was not enough time to form a real emotional attachment to any of the characters. But this could also be a shortcoming of the predictability. 

Image credit: Stack

Raya is a strong and inspiring heroine, but we’ve seen many like her before and sadly there was nothing that really made her stand out from Moana or Mulan or Jasmine. Sisu was definitely fun and kind of fresh, being beautifully voiced by Awkwafina, but you got used to her pretty quick and even in the film’s more dramatic moments, there didn’t seem to be any real emotional development. 

It definitely seems like I have more negatives to say about this movie, but that does not mean that I didn’t like it. I would absolutely sit down and watch this again when I am in the mood, but I think at the end of the day I feel a little let down by Disney in that this was just another visually appetising and more-or-less nourishing movie. It wasn’t anything particularly special and it wasn’t ‘Disney magic’. 

Having said this, I would still recommend it if you’re wondering how to fill an afternoon. It’s pretty and cute with a fun cast of kooky characters.

Director: Don Hall, Carlos Lopez Estrada & John Ripa (2021)

Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Izaac Wang, Daniel Dae Kim, Jona Xiao, Alan Tudyk, Lucille Song, Benedict Wong & Sandra Oh

Encanto

Image credit: Wikipedia

Wow. It has been too long since I watched and reviewed a new movie. It’s disheartening that something I love so much is something that I just don’t seem to have enough time for anymore. But the other day, partner and I made time and we curled up on the couch for a fun time with Disney’s Encanto.

Encanto tells the story of a small community founded by a family that has been gifted with the miracle of a magic candle that spawned a magic house, which then grants magical gifts to each new generation. That is until the tradition is broken when Mirabel, eager to receive her magical gift, does not get one. Upon the gifting of her young cousin, Mirabel discovers strange cracks in the house’s foundation. Soon her family’s various powers begin malfunctioning and it falls to Mirabel to uncover the truth behind the fading miracle and save her family. 

Kind of like The Incredibles, but with magic, Encanto is a sweet and touching exploration into the family structure and the healing/devastating power of family ties. Brightened as it is by its magical themed plot and incredibly stunning and vibrant colour and animation, it’s actually a very adult film, dealing with themes of mental illness, generational gaps, and the ‘evils’ of some familial structures within certain cultures. It’s particularly interesting because there is no clear-cut, typical villain, the stress and anxieties poisoning the family actually stem from a difference in cultural and generational attitudes. 

The animation is staggeringly beautiful: bright and reminiscent of Moana, a voyeuristic escape into another world like a wondrous holiday. And then there is the soundtrack. An incredible blend of Latin and modern pop that makes each and every song catchy, moving, and memorable. You’ll absolutely be singing it for a week after watching the film. 

Image credit: CNBC

Encanto is another feather in Disney’s cap, which by this stage is 100 percent an elaborate Ziegfeld Follies headpiece that you can see from space! It’s visually, audibly, and narratively glorious and I would highly recommend you watch it. 

Director: Jared Bush, Byron Howard, & Charise Castro Smith (2021)

Cast: Stephanie Beatriz, Maria Cecilia Botero, Mauro Castillo, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Carolina Gaitan, Diane Guerrero, Adassa, Wilmer Valderrama, Rhenzy Feliz, Maluma, & John Leguizamo

Soul

Image credit: Wikipedia

I have to apologise to my readers for the inconsistent uploads of fresh content these past few months. Social, personal, and mental excuses are all that I can give. But I am trying to get some structure and routine back into the film-review part of my life and I’m starting with Pixar’s newest (at least it was months ago) feature film: Soul.

Soul tells the story of a dispirited music teacher who is gradually losing his zest for life. But that changes when he lands the jazz gig of his dreams! Thinking things are finally looking up, disaster strikes when he dies in an accident and, through a series of mishaps, his soul ends up on the other side. The race is on to get back to his body and play the gig, but along the way he’ll meet people and see things that’ll teach him that there’s more to life than his one passion: music. 

I am totally here for what Pixar do in their films. The complex themes of life made accessible to kids and depictions of the complicated relationships that make up everyday life; I love it, I support it. Soul tackles the greater questions of death, life, passion, and life’s meaning; a very ambitious lot to pile onto a plate and I applaud the attempt. Sadly, I felt that Pixar had eyes too big for their stomach with this one. The abstract theme-processing machine from Inside Out would have had its work cut out for it and would most likely have short-circuited. While Soul does make these themes a little more digestible for a young audience, it frequently gets confused by them and loses the thread of what it’s trying to do. ‘Soul’, while being a cute pun, becomes a quick mislabel used for the literal soul of the dying body and the passion that drives the body to live. Having the title mean multiple things takes away some of the story’s accessibility.

Image credit: Screen Realm

But, happily, this narrative flaw doesn’t bring down the entire film. The animation is still crisp and beautiful, and the film is filled with fascinating characters and cute explanations as to how personalities are formed. The music is absolutely magnificent, as can be expected from a film called ‘Soul’. The pun of the title is celebrated in the soundtrack. 

Soul is a cute and heart-warming little film that I did quite enjoy, despite the confused and trying ambitions of the themes it was trying to demystify. I’d recommend it as a happy little family time if you’re looking for something to while away some hours with.

Director: Peter Docter & Kemp Powers, 2020

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Donnell Rawlings, Angela Bassett, and Wes Studi

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

The Silver Petticoat Review

It's funny to think that, only a few years ago, there was such a thing as the Disney Vault: a dark and terrible place where Disney animated classics were locked away for seven years, only to be released for a limited time. I literally waited thirteen years to buy my copy of Beauty and the Beast, my all-time favourite. Nowadays Disney has so much money that they don’t need to create scarcity. With Disney+ as well as the decision to rerelease all feature films with new chronological covers, the Vault has been demolished and all our favourite films are out in the world living their best life. 

Disney+ also means that I now have access to animated features that I missed growing up. To be honest though, Disney’s later films leave a bit to be desired, like the last one I sat down to become acquainted with: Atlantis.

Atlantis tells the story of a down-and-out linguist who is desperate to finish his grandfather’s work and find the lost city of Atlantis. After being backed by an eccentric millionaire, Milo finds himself on a voyage to the mysterious with a clever and competent crew at his side. But finding the lost city brings more than they bargained for. The Atlantians’ culture is dying and, once there Milo and his team must make a difficult choice, use the knowledge and power of Atlantis to further their own society or save the Atlantians. 

This is a film of harsher drawing and animating than peak Disney, so closer to films such as Hercules and Lilo & Stitch. The story itself is interesting with solid moral lessons about the greater good, knowledge being power, and the morally corrupting influence of materialism. Standard stuff really. There’s a fun and quirky bunch of mismatched characters that work together quite well, though none of the characters, aside from Sweet the big, burly, medical professional inspire much of an emotional attachment. 

Deja Reviewer

And then we have the glaringly frustrating narrative reasons for why certain things work within the movie; the biggest of these being why the Atlantians can speak practically every single language in the world. While it’s kind of funny to begin with, it quickly feels like no further narrative thought aside from “Disney magic” has gone into the explanation for this. And then of course we have the stinging colonialist/white supremacy story of white man coming to save a bunch of savages (even though the ‘savages’ are highly intelligent, more so than the white man!). 

Aside from the central mystery of the Atlantis myth, this animated feature really does not offer much in the way of enjoyment, at least certainly not for mature audiences. Visually, it’s very pretty and some of the artistic designs are to be applauded, but ultimately, I’d be happy to not watch this ever again.

Director: Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise

Cast: Michael J. Fox, Corey Burton, Claudia Christian, James Garner, John Mahoney, Phil Morris, Don Novello, Cree Summer, Jacqueline Obradors, David Ogden Stiers, Jim Cummings, & Leonard Nimoy

Steven Universe: The Movie

    

Image credit: Wikipedia

What do you watch on a Sunday night when you can’t pick a TV series and a film would turn it into too late of a night? Easy. Steven Universe: the Movie! For my partner and I last night, it was the perfect choice, a none-too-complex plot with a minimal feature-length runtime. Having just finished the series, we knew exactly what we were in for and the film did not disappoint. 

Set after the events of the series where half-gem-half-human hybrid Stephen Universe has brought peace to the galaxy, the movie starts with Stephen literally singing about his own happily ever after. However, his song is cut short when a mysterious syringe-like machine comes to Earth piloted by a crazy cartoonish gem who is clearly out for revenge on Stephen. When she temporarily destroys his family, Stephen does the same to her before realising he needs her to turn off the drill that is slowly injecting poison into the planet. When the Gems reform they have no memory of Steven or their life on Earth and it’s a race against time for Stephen to restore his family’s memories, regain his magical powers, and learn what he did that made Spinella so mad. 

Steven Universe is quite possibly one of the most wholesome and truly delightful cartoon series on the planet! A Cartoon Network creation, it’s just a really lovely musical animated series filled with magic, space travel, moral lessons, and promotion of community spirit. The character development is majestic and the characters themselves are just mwah (kisses fingertips upon typing).

      

Image credit: Vulture

As can be expected, the film is more or less a feature-length episode of the show with the major difference being that Stephen is now sixteen years old and properly growing up. While the story itself is really simple and high predictable, the adorableness of the world and its inhabitants, mingled with the sincerity and tangible love that the cast and crew have for them just ensures a lovely time.

Steven Universe: the Movie is a sweet and successful follow-on to an already sweet and successful series. Delightfully, the film does not go in for overdone jokes that cheapens one’s enjoyment of the show, rather the it puts one in mind of other animated sequels including Toy Story 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet. 

I loved it. 

 Director: Rebecca Sugar, 2019

Cast: Zach Callison, Estelle, Michaela Dietz, Deedee Mango, Tom Scharpling, Grace Rolek, Matthew Moy, Kate Micucci, Shelby Rabara, Jennifer Paz, Uzo Aduba, Charlyne Yi, Erica Luttrell, Patti LuPone, Lisa Hannigan, Christine Ebersole, & Sara Stiles

Onward

Image credit: Disney Movies

I know I don’t have to say it, but man it’s hard keeping up a fresh reservoir of film reviews during a pandemic! Between rewatching Avatar on Netflix, D&D and gaming channels on Youtube, and trying to keep my stress levels under control working in an essential retail service, I really haven’t had much time for movies.

A sentence I never thought I’d write.

Also it’s very hard to review new movies when there are no new movies to go the cinemas to see. But streaming services have come to the rescue a bit there.

My partner and I recently sad down, flicked on Disney+ and watched the newest one from Pixar: Onward, an adorable little quest narrative that celebrates the current trend in popular culture: Dungeons & Dragons!

Onward tells the story of elven brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) who go on an epic quest to complete a spell that will allow them to bring their deceased father back for one day. For Barley, the eldest, the quest to bring back an ancient magic that’s been gone from the world for centuries is a dream come true, but for Ian, who discovers he can do magic, it’s a difficult journey of self-discovery.

While Onward is not Pixar’s best contribution to cinema, it’s still a very sweet story balanced with loads of action and comedy. The central drama of Barley and Ian’s strained relationship as Ian grows up provides the narrative with the perfect amount of drama, making the climax all the more heart-warming.

Being D&D players ourselves and suckers for all things fantasy, my partner and I really got a number of kicks from the jokes, genre gags, and references to popular culture. There were moments when some of the humour felt a little forced or too family friendly, but it was ultimately still really fun and cute.

Image credit: Variety

Holland and Pratt bounce really well off each other, giving their characters a very believable and relatable feeling of family.

While it is not the most groundbreaking or funniest of films in Pixar’s repertoire, Onward is nevertheless a very touching and sweet movie that succinctly depicts the struggles of adolescence, early adulthood, and the current trends in pop culture.

Director: Dan Scanlon, 2020

Cast: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez, Kyle Bornheimer, Lena Waithe, Ali Wong, Grey Griffin, Tracey Ullman, George Psarras, and John Ratzenberger

Aladdin and the King of Thieves

Image credit: Disney Movies

So the novelty of Disney+ and the access to the cave of wonders that it has, has not worn off yet as I find myself curling up and watching terrible sequels and spin-off films because I can. The other night, it was Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

When Aladdin and Jasmine’s wedding is crashed by the infamous forty thieves, some mysteries from Aladdin’s past come to light and he goes on a quest to find his father. When he discovers that his father is none other than the King of Thieves who crashed his wedding in order to steal a sceptre of the Oracle to find the Hand of Midas, he becomes convinced that he can change his father’s ways. But with a mutinous second-in-command out to get the treasure and a little revenge on Aladdin and the King, this might not be as easy as he thought.

It’s the film that didn’t need to be, but is. I guess it makes a lot of sense for Disney to have a crack at the tale of the forty thieves from 1001 Nights, after all it’s another classic story that was the opening line of Friend Like Me, but twisting it to be about Aladdin’s father and a story of redemption and identity change is a little desperate. The big “I am your father” moment has absolutely no impact because it’s such a predictable plot point that we work it out as soon as Aladdin mentions his deceased father (which he has never done in either of the previous films). From there the relationship between the two men is kind of awkward and forced, the story itself is very weak, and after Jafar, the villain is as un-menacing and mediocre as an arrowroot biscuit!

Image credit: Disney Wiki Fandom

Where the film shines is in the fact that they got Robin Williams back to reprise his role as Genie and just let him run wild. Genie’s screen time completely outweighs the heroes’ and villain’s put together and Williams went absolutely crazy on the imitations and mockeries of other celebrities. I literally lost count somewhere around Sylvester Stallone and Woody Allen (and they were both at the beginning). 

Aladdin and the King of Thieves is pretty mediocre as a film, but nevertheless it is fun to watch and succeeds in eating up over an hour of your time.

Director: Tad Stones, 1996

Cast: Val Bettin, Jim Cummings, Gilbert Gottfried, Linda Larkin, Jerry Orbach, John Rhys-Davies, Scott Weinger, Frank Welker, and Robin Williams.