Category Archives: Animation

Wildwood

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Wildwood                           3 stars

Wildwood is Laika Studio’s new animated fantasy film just released in theaters. Laika is known for their previous animated films Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings. Wildwood is based on a Young Adult novel by Colin Meloy published in 2011. At the opening of the movie, we witness a young boy in an isolated mansion who is about to attempt to kill himself. He reveals that he is an automaton before throwing himself off a balcony to his death in view of his mother. Thus, we are assured that this is going to be something very dark. The animation style is stop-motion photography, made with very detailed puppets and background and is quite beautiful. The story is a kind of fairy tale involving a huge number of characters that takes place in a magical land. The story begins in a family’s home in Portland, Oregon, seemingly in the nineteen eighties. Prue is a teenage girl living there with her parents and baby brother, Mac. This version of Portland is surrounded by a magic forest known as the Impassable Wilderness with Prue’s parents warning her that she must never venture there, so right away we know something is up. When the parents need to leave the house one day, Prue is left to care for Mac and is told that the boy must never leave the house. So, naturally Prue takes him for a bike ride around the city like a teen girl would do. Unfortunately, little Mac gets kidnapped by a murder of crows and is taken to the previously mentioned forbidding forest. It is up to Prue and a teen boy, Curtis, to go searching for him in this forbidden land. Upon entering the forest, the two discover that the forest is inhabited by talking animals including a brigade of coyotes dressed in military uniforms. Here the pair are separated, and each has their own harrowing adventure in this magical, yet terrifying land. From here the story gets increasingly involved as it centers around a warrior queen bent on extending her power with no care as to who gets killed in the process. The adventure grows more complex as characters are added and secrets are revealed all culminating in a final battle scene of epic proportions. Prue’s bravery and devotion to her baby brother are put to the ultimate test. The animation is very elaborate and detailed, with plenty of action. Quite a few well-known actors lend their voices to the characters that I won’t go into here. I had to wonder about the choice of setting the filmmakers used. The magical forest seemed to be set in the late 1800’s, but they have modern inventions like automobiles at the same time as 18th century military uniforms, crossbows, artillery with cannonballs and catapults. And the warrior queen wears a suit of armor straight out of the Middle Ages. Some things seemed very out of place. I thought the movie was too dark and violent for younger viewers so I’m not sure who the best audience for the movie is. It’s worth seeing if you have nothing better available.

The Boss Baby

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The Boss Baby                   3 ½ stars

While not the best animated film of the year, Dreamworks The Boss Baby has a good helping of originality and funny moments.  It’s based on the idea that there is a giant corporation known as Baby Corp. that actually delivers babies all over the world.  In this story we find 7 year old Tim who suddenly finds out he is getting a new baby brother, only when he arrives, the “Boss Baby” actually wears a suit and speaks with an adult voice (Alec Baldwin).  At first Tim is very troubled by this newcomer who has invaded his space and is taking his parents’ love from him.  Then later a secret plot is uncovered about a rival corporation planning to make a special type of puppy that will consume all of the love in the world for babies.  So Tim and the Boss Baby have to team up to counter this new threat.  If that all sounds ridiculous, don’t worry about it too much and just enjoy the action and comedy.  And naturally there is a family friendly message that is ultimately delivered.  There certainly have been worse animated movies in the theater lately.

Tangles

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Tangles                 4 ½ stars

I continued my viewing of new movies at The Chicago International Film Festival with the animated movie, Tangles, by director Leah Nelson. It is based on an illustrated memoir by Sarah Leavitt in which she tells her personal story of dealing with her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease. The images are done as hand drawings in black and white that gives the movie a dark tone, but the story does include plenty of humor in dealing with this troubling subject. There have been plenty of dramas about Alzheimer’s showing the challenges that loved ones go through in caring for the stricken family member. Those that come to mind are The Father, Still Alice, The Notebook and Away from Her. Tangles uses a lighter approach than these earlier films but has plenty of serious moments. In the story Sarah (Abbi Jacobson) is in her early twenties and just starting a career as an illustrator for a gay weekly in San Francisco, where her boss (Wanda Sykes of The New Adventures of Old Christine) has noticed her dark, sexual drawings. She has just met Donimo (Samira Wiley of Orange Is the New Black), another lesbian with whom she is starting to form a relationship when she takes a trip back home to visit her family. There she finds that her mom (Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld and Veep) is behaving in erratic ways and is unusually irritable. She suspects that something is wrong with her, but her father (Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad) and other family members are not as alarmed by her behavior. Soon Sarah finds herself making more trips back home to care for her mom until the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is made and the family must deal with her condition. All the while Sarah is putting her job and relationship with Donimo on hold. Her frequent visits continue over the years as mom’s condition deteriorates. Through the use of animation Sarah’s feelings of dread and guilt are imaginatively expressed, something not possible in conventional dramas. Scenes connected to the Mexican holiday The Day of the Dead are especially vivid. Other cast members include Seth Rogan, Beanie Feldstein, Sarah Silverman and Bowen Yang. The subject of Alzheimer’s is a tough one to watch in a movie, but I highly recommend Tangles. It would be especially moving for those who have experienced such situations in life. The movie is expected to be in theaters in January.

The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner                             4 ½ stars

The Breadwinner has to be one of the most enthralling and fascinating animated films I have seen in quite a while.  It takes us into the world of Afghanistan during the time when the Taliban have taken control while focusing on one eleven year old girl and her family.  We live through the suffering that this family goes through as the young self-righteous soldiers of the Taliban inflict unimaginable cruelty on those who cannot defend themselves.  Parvana’s father is forced into prison for nothing more than matter of factly addressing a soldier.  When the family is left with no male adults the women are beaten for the crime of walking alone in public trying to buy food.  Parvana then cuts her hair and passes as a boy to go on a quest to free her father from jail.  The story is aided by the stories Parvana tells about a young man trying to save his village by confronting the monsters that have stolen their seeds for crops.  The movie is done with very expressive and colorful animation and treats its characters as very real and believable.  The Breadwinner is suitable for adults and children, though perhaps not for the very young because of the acts of cruelty portrayed.  The Breadwinner is done by the same studio that made The Secret of Kells and The Song of the Sea, two of the best animated films of the last several years.

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom     5 stars

With the release of Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, from the very British Aardman Animations, directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, we can officially say that it is not too early for Halloween themed movies. Believe it or not, this is only the third in the series of full-length animated movies that stars the mischievous sheep, Shaun and the flock of adventurous sheep who cause no end of havoc on the Soggy Bottom farm and surroundings. The previous outing was way back in 2019 with A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. These movies are done using puppets and elaborate sets that are photographed in a painstaking process of stop motion animation that takes years to produce. This time around it is harvest season and the sheep are preparing for Halloween having planted their own patch of pumpkins. (Yes, Sheep like Halloween too.) Unfortunately, through a series of pratfalls by Farmer John and interference by a clothesline eating goat, the pumpkins are destroyed, thus denying the sheep their chance to create jack-o-lanterns. (Notice that the Halloween tradition has crossed the Atlantic and entered British culture.) But there is an answer to their misfortune. Creative genius Shaun has a book titled Home-Made Science and endeavors to use the formulas there to create a growing chemical in a very elaborate lab in the farm’s windmill that will allow new pumpkins to grow overnight! The problem is that farmer John has found the chemical and applies it to his balding head, thinking it will give him renewed vitality and allow him to attract the attention of a female veterinarian who lives in town. Only, Shaun’s chemical works too well causing the pumpkins to grow to immense size and the farmer’s hair to quickly grow and completely cover his head and body with orange hair! Thus, the Beast of Mossy Bottom terrorizes the town while Farmer John appears to go missing. So, all sorts of troubles befall the inhabitants leading to hilarious stunts with the sheep and Bitzer, the farm dog, as they attempt to deal with the new threat. It’s all fun that almost any audience will love. And at only one hour and twenty minutes in length it should not wear out on the youngest viewers. There are a few references that only adults will get, including similarities to the Frankenstein movies and Psycho. Shaun’s mad scientist costume, the elaborate Rube-Goldberg style lab that Shaun creates and the vengeful townsfolk are especially amusing. In the film genre of purely visual sight gags, nothing tops what Aardman Animations can dish out. I hope that Shaun the Sheep will brighten more of our days with slap-stick antics.

Toy Story 5

Toy Story 5                          3 stars

No, I still haven’t seen either of the two major blockbusters of the summer, but I did finally see Toy Story 5, the fifth installment of Pixar’s flagship franchise that started back in the nineties. After four of these popular animated movies that chronicle the adventures of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and Bo Peep, one might ask do we need another one. How can the story be expanded beyond what has already been told? The answer is, of course we do, so that more money can be made for the studio and all the others involved. Back in Toy Story 4 the familiar toys have been separated into two groups, one is led by cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) and are the toys belonging to an introverted child, Bonnie. The second are the abandoned toys that Woody the cowboy (Tom Hanks) keeps together. Little Bonnie is a lonely girl without any friends. She would like to play with the twins next door but is too shy to talk to them. Besides they don’t play with toys. Instead, they spend their time playing on their tech devices, called LiliPad, where kids can talk online and watch videos. This is the new villain that has entered the Toy Story universe and threatens to destroy everything special about childhood and kid’s toys. In order to get Bonnie connected with other kids, her parents get her a new Lilipad (Greta Lee). This leads to a sleepover that goes horribly wrong for Bonnie and creates havoc in the toy collection. Some of the toys even get placed in storage in the garage! Now taking center stage, Jessie and her steed Bullseye are the ones that must correct things. While on her mission Jessie discovers another girl, Blaze, who lives in the same house that Jessie shared with her first child owner. Blaze does play with toys, so Jessie’s new mission is to bring the two children together somehow. (We see that Jessie must work through her own abandonment issues as she has now been left by two children.) She is aided by Smarty Pants, a toy used for potty training. (It is so appropriate that Conan O’Brien is the voice of Smarty Pants. Be ready for an abundance of bathroom humor.) There is also a pair of old tech toys, a toy camera and a GPS toy that join in. Eventually, Jessie calls in the help of Woody and an army of Buzz Lightyears (Tim Allen) that all work together through more misadventures and action scenes. Naturally, everything will eventually work out all right for all involved. After five movies telling this story, it feels there is little originality left to present. It was technology that made the Toy Story style of animation possible. Now technology has become the villain. Can we just realize that this story has been beaten to death over these thirty plus years and that it is time to put these characters to bed?

Ferdinand

Ferdinand                           4 stars

One of the more engaging animated films of 2017 was Ferdinand brought to us by Blue Sky Studio and director Carlos Saldanha.  It is based on the children’s book about a sweet bull who is not interested in fighting but just wants to enjoy life and the people/animals around him.  His adventures take him to a peaceful farm in Spain, to a ranch where he “trains” to fight with the other bulls and finally to the fighting ring.  Through it all he keeps his peaceful nature as he deals with trying to keep his fellow bulls safe from the humans who seek to exploit them.  There is plenty to enjoy with the comical characters and the colorful animation.  Especially good are John Cena as Ferdinand and Kate McKinnon as the female “calming” goat, Lupe.  Though not on a level of Lion King or even Rio, this is a fun movie to watch and very suitable for children.

Minions & Monsters

Minions & Monsters       4 ½ stars

I have mostly missed out on the Minions craze that has been delighting audiences over the last 16 years, having only seen one of the previous films that feature these small creators of mayhem. This week I took in the newest film in theaters, Minions & Monsters from Universal Studios. The filmmakers lose the villain Gru character altogether and concentrate solely on the yellow pill-shaped guys and their chaotic ways that confound anyone who makes their acquaintance. They seem to constantly give raspberries and hit each other over the head. The movie is divided into two halves with the first half giving us their origin story by means of a children’s field trip to a movie museum where a guide (Alison Janney) gives us their story throughout history. It seems they have wandered the planet since ancient times looking for the perfect villain for them to faithfully serve. Unfortunately, their antics always end in disaster for the chosen villain, mainly due to two of the Minions, James and Henry, forcing the Minions to repeatedly renew their search for another villain. This continues until they find a new prospect in the form of a wild west bandit being pursued by lawmen. To the Minions this seems perfect for them, so they join in the chase only to find that they are in the filming of a movie in old Hollywood. Here is where things really get fun. The Minions have arrived during the silent film era and meet the excitable director (Christoph Waltz) of the movie they have crashed. The director says he now must start over, but when the two studio heads (Jeff Bridges, voicing two parts) see the Minions on film, they think they have found a new star and the Minions are signed for many new movies. This part is interesting to film buffs as there are countless references to old Hollywood, like Modern Times, Singin’ in the Rain, The Maltese Falcon and Citizen Kane. George Lucas even makes a brief appearance. (There is even a globe that represents the globe from Charlie Chaplin playing Hitler in The Great Dictator.) (We even find out how the Minions got their familiar coveralls clothing.) But things go badly when talkies are introduced and people find out what Minion voices really sound like. So, it’s the end of the Minions’ movie career. But James has the idea to make a monster movie if he can only find the right monster! The second half of the movie begins with James and Henry conjuring a monster from an old spell book they saved from a long dead wizard, resulting in a tiny Cthulu monster (Trey Parker of South Park fame) who promises he can deliver a truly frightening monster for James’ dream. The antics continue through this portion of the film, but I didn’t find it quite as entertaining as the earlier portion. There is a new character introduced in the form of Dort (Jesse Eisenberg), a clumsy robot who lives in a rundown apartment and resembles the robot Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still. In a fitting ending it is up to the Minions to save Earth from the very invading monsters that they brought back. The director, Pierre Coffin, has made something that is equally entertaining to both young and older audiences. I’m sorry I haven’t seen more of these little nuisances in their earlier movies. So, check out Minions & Monsters. It should be around for a long while.

Robot Dreams

Robot Dreams   4 ½ stars

I had not heard of Pablo Berger’s animated movie, Robot Dreams before but after viewing it I have to call it a masterpiece about lost friendships. Set in 1980’s NYC, the movie is based on a graphic novel by Sarah Varon. Using a simple style of animation with no dialogue, all the characters are animals living in a busy urban environment. The main character, DOG, lives alone in a small apartment and is very alone. That is, until he sees an ad for a mail order robot, which he acts on. After a few days he receives a package in the mail containing the mechanical robot, plus some assembly instructions. Before long ROBOT is up and running and a fresh relationship blossoms. The pair become fast friends, sharing activities in the city as ROBOT takes it all in with a sense of awe. DOG is equally inspired as they go roller-skating to Earth, Wind and Fire and hang out under the Queensboro bridge. They spend a day at Oceans Beach going swimming and sunning, until ROBOT suddenly freezes up and can’t move since salt water is bad for his circuitry. The tone changes as DOG is forced to abandon his friend at the beach but hopes to return to retrieve ROBOT the following summer. This is where the movie turns sad, as DOG pursues other activities such as sled riding alone and endures the abuse of other riders like an evil pair of anteaters and going bowling with a snowman. ROBOT, still alone on the beach encounters other creatures too, some abusive, but others caring. We also find out that this mechanical being can dream as he fantasizes of being reunited with his new friend. As time goes by, the close friendship slowly fades and the relationship becomes a thing of the past, though each character treasures the memories. The audience is left wondering if the two friends will find a way to reunite. And if they do, what will it be like. This is the Spanish film director’s first effort at an animated film. Previously, he made Biancanieves, a take on Snow White. He has an effective style of portraying human emotions in his characters using facial expressions and a lack of any dialogue. Aspects of the film have been compared to Charlie Chaplin, who the director is a fan of, as he gives us moments of hilarious comedy alternating with a punch in the gut. The movie is available on Disney + and Hulu. If you see it, I advise that you be emotionally prepared and be ready to be humming EW&F’s September. The movie is also appropriate for children. Robot Dreams was nominated for the Animated Feature Academy Award but lost out to The Boy and the Heron in 2024.

Toy Story 4

Toy Story 4          5 stars

The movie that is currently killing at the box office and will be the best animated movie of the year is Toy Story 4, the 4th (obviously) installment of the Toy Story franchise from Pixar that features the adventures of Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Bo Peep (Annie Potts) and many others.  This time around the gang of toys are in the possession of Bonnie, a little girl who loves her toys only some more than others.  Woody is apparently not among the favorites.  Bonnie creates a new toy out of the trash at Kindergarten, a spork called Forky (Tony Hale) who seems to have a complex about being trash accompanied by a desire to throw himself back in the trash basket.  It then becomes Woody’s mission to get Forky to realize that he is a toy who is loved by little Bonnie.  Of course things get much more complicated than that when the family along with the toys go on a trip to an RV park.  A whole new adventure is to be had at an amusement park and an antique shop that involves a talking girl doll, Gabby (Christina Hendricks) who has designs on Woody’s voicebox to restore her own damaged voice.  Adding plenty of color and amusement to the story are Ducky and Bunny (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele) two stuffed amusement park prize animals.  I have not seen all of the Toy Story movies but I venture to say this one must be near the top of the series.  It is well suited for young audiences and adults alike.  Look for it to win Best Animated Movie Oscar next year.