Archive for Animation

Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures,

Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key. Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Jordan Peele, Keanu Reeves, Ally Maki, Jay Hernandez, Lori Alan, Joan Cusack, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal

Andy has gone off to college and turned his toys over to Bonnie. Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang are off on a road trip with Bonnie’s new toy Forky who she made and loves as her new toy. Forky, however, being a spork, thinks of life much different that the toys do, so Woody takes him under his wing to teach him his new life as a toy. But when Forky gets lost, Woody sets off on a side trip to find him and bring him back when he runs into Bo Peep, his very old friend, and they set off on an adventure to bring Forky back. This is the fourth in the series of Toy Story films from Pixar, and a nice new addition to the group.

I have always enjoyed the Toy Story series, and found that they have been getting better as they progress. Is this the best of the Toy Story films? Sadly, I have to admit it’s not, but it’s pretty damn good just the same. The story here is rather contrived, but the characters are just as lovable as ever. Gabby Gabby is a nice new villain although she does bring her share of sadness with her as well and we will feel very sympathetic toward her situation. The whole story is a bit repetitive of all the other, “toy gets lost and has to try to make it back home” and “toy isn’t number one anymore and has to deal with his loss of status in his owner’s heart” story lines, but the animation is so spectacular, the voices are so spot on, and the characters are just so special, that it makes up for the little weaknesses in the story itself. This is another great Pixar film and one you gotta go see while it’s still in the theater. Amazing job, guys, and I loved it!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Ilion Animation Studios, Midnight Radio, Nickelodeon Movies,

Sofia Mali, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson, Mila Kunis, John Oliver, Ken Jeong, Norbert Leo Butz, Matthew Broderick, Brianna Denski, Oev Michael Urbas, Kate McGregor-Stewart, Kevin Chamberlin, Kath Soucie, Noen Perez

June (Sofie Mali, Briana Denski) is a young girl with a vivid imagination. With her Mom (Jennifer Garner) she uses her toys to design and build an imaginary amusement park called Wonderland. But things change as Mom becomes sick and Wonderland gets put away. On a trip to summer camp, June runs away to go back home, but on the way she finds that Wonderland is real, and that since she left it behind, it has fallen into decay and is in bad shape, but with the help of her toy friends, she may be the one who can put it back together again and save the park.

I have been looking forward to this film since I first saw the preview, and thought that I had to see this one. I was disappointed though and I feel quite a bit let down. The colors and the design of this animated film are really good, and the music and soundtrack are well done, but the story lacks any oomph to make it interesting, and I found it just didn’t move me. This is more like a Saturday morning cartoon than a feature movie, and it should have had a lot more work done on the actual story itself which is where the movie fell short. I definitely think it is worth seeing, but as to paying the cash to see this in the theater, maybe there are better things to see than this one. This is a definite rental somewhere down the road, but I sure wish there had been a better story to tell than it provided, so I can’t really recommend running out to see this. Nickelodeon has disappointed me in the past, and I think perhaps they don’t have the depth to make a really good feature film. They just often don’t compare to the big guys. It’s a shame as this looked like a really great opportunity. I am sad.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Warner Bros, Warner Animation Group, LEGO Systems A/S,

Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Jadon Sand, Brooklynn Prince, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill

This sequel to 2014’s “The Lego Movie” [Click Here for review] is a long awaited adventure back into the world of the kids and the games they play with their LEGO bricks. Sometimes “Everything’s Not Awesome” when the citizens are facing a brand new threat of LEGO Duplo invaders from outer space who are set to wrecking the world as we know it. These are amazing invaders that have the ability to reconfigure themselves into all kinds of shapes on a whim. They plan to merge the worlds into one via marriage, so the original group of characters have to try to fight to save the world.

This movie was REALLY fun. I enjoyed every second of this film. First of all, look at the cast! The interesting thing to me, was to make sense of the whole thing by switching back and forth between real life and the imaginary world of two kids sometimes multiple times in the same flight or fall. The absurdity of the huge big sound effects and musical drama to a shot of a plastic LEGO piece tied to a string flying across the bedroom is hysterical and really funny. I started into this film thinking I had wasted my money on the ticket, not to mention wasting my Saturday morning. The though, “What is the point of all this?” did cross my mind a number of times, and the quick cuts from real life to make believe jarred me and confused me. It wasn’t like Mr. Roger’s trolley that takes us back and forth between real and pretend. 🙂 But pretty soon, it hit me with the key to what is going on in the real world which makes the make belive story make sense, and I really got into it. I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed the original film, but this is even better than that, and the LEGO Batman Movie [Click Here for Ed’s Review] and is the strongest of the series. I really liked this, and my grandson and my son who watched it with me all agree that it’s a good movie. Give this one a chance!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures,

John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Ed O’Neill, Taraji P. Henson, Susan Lucci, Jason Lee, Idina Menzel, Anika Noni Rose, Judy Reyes, Grant Show, Ana Ortiz, Ming-Na Wen, Rebecca Wisocky, Paige O’Hara, Linda Larkin, Mariana Klaveno, Daria Ramirez, Tom Irwin, Edy Ganem, Irene Bedard, Jodi Benson, Anthony Daniels, Gal Gadot, Kristen Bell, Mandy Moore, Kelly Macdonald, Auli’i Cravalho

Ralph (John C Reilly) and Vanellope are still best friends. Ralph enjoys life, living in the arcade, and enjoying the down time when the Arcade is closed, but loving the sunrise every morning and looking forward to going back to Fix-It Felix. But Vanellope is looking for a bit more. She’s getting tired of the same six courses and she already knows all the secrets of the game and wants a new challenge. There is something new in the arcade though as the owner Mr Litwak (Ed O’Neill) plugs in a WiFi router to connect his business to the Internet. When Vanellope’s game is broken, She and Ralph head out through the wifi to the internet to find the missing part. Naturally things go really wrong as they always seem to do. This Disney film is a sequel to Wreck-It Ralph.

I really enjoyed this movie, although a lot of people were left feeling that it was lacking something. The problem is that a lot of people have a great deal of nostalgia for the old games in the past. I too feel a longing for the old Arcade and miss the games of old. Times were simple then, and video games today are extremely complex and I have a tough time getting into most of them. Sometimes I long for the old days when Donkey Kong jumped over barrels and a little yellow circle ran though a maze eating dots. But the internet just doens’t have that kind of nostalgia as we feel from the 70’s arcade days. There are a number of really cute references to old obsolete web sites that have long been replaced and sent to the the bit cemetery in the back realms of the internet, but nothing that really strikes a chord with the younger folks. It doesn’t hold the same kind of place in our hearts. Another problem is that Disney has gone overboard with the political correct stuff, and most of the less successful movies of late are so preachy that they really turn people off. Looking back at films like Wall-E for example are a “humans are bad” to the max experience. This movie would have been a lot better if it had not been overly skewed to the “You’re a bad friend and I don’t want you anymore” side. This movie is more about how Ralph pissed off Vanellope and she retaliates by turned against him. The key message of this film is insecurity and toxic friendship. It shouldn’t be. If you have not seen the original, then this isn’t a bad movie at all but as a sequel to the original, it’s bound to let you down as it’s just not a sweet and charming as the original. I think it could have been, but it went off course into a place I wish it hadn’t. I enjoyed it a lot, but it didn’t wow me like the original did.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios

Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Jaime Camil, Alfonso Arau, Sofía Espinosa, Selene Luna, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Renée Victor, Luis Valdez, Herbert Siguenza, Edward James Olmos, Cheech Marin, Gabriel Iglesias, John Ratzenberger, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Lombardo Boyar, Dyana Ortelli

Miguel (Anthony Gonzales) wants to be a musician like his ancestor Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) who had died, but was loved and revered as one of the greatest guitar player and singers of all times. But when Ernesto left his wife to make his name as a singer, she banned music from the family entirely. Miguel has to sneak away to play the guitar. A series of tragic events brings Miguel to the “Land of the Dead” where those who are remembered are able to cross back over to the land of the living, but Miguel is more interested in finding Ernesto than finding his way back home. In the process he may uncover the truth as to why music is forbidden in their family.

This musical fantasy film from Pixar is another really strong entry from the Disney owned studio. This is a really colorful movie and the animation is exquisitely done. The music is fun, and the story is really interesting. Good for kids and adults, this is an all around hit. The Mexican culture is a real treat to see and learn. It is really a fascinating story and I really enjoyed this movie, even though it took me a while to get out and see it. I got really ill the week before Christmas and it was a rough season, which is why this site hasn’t been updated for ages. This was really the only film I got to see over the holidays, and I’m glad I got out to see it. It is one of the best family movies I have seen in a long time. This is one to see if you haven’t done it yet.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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