A movie made for a very specific audience. It is fun, but it is largely “Illumination noise”. After the defeat of koopa king Bowser, the Mushroom Kingdom is in relative peace. However, when the villain’s son kidnaps another princess, he has the power to not only rescue Bowser, but terrorise the whole galaxy. The Super…
Tag: animation
Review: Arco
I will always respect an animation studio that goes for hand-drawn animation. Arco, a boy living in a house above the clouds, risks everything and finds himself in a strange world below. Iris, a girl who finds him, has her life turned upside down trying to help him return to wherever he came from. Arco…
Review: Redline
That was absolutely bonkers and it was great. JP’s dream of winning the famous Redline high speed race is dwindling fast. Not only did he crash his racer, but the Redline race is set to compete on a planet ruled by a tyrannical dictator. Redline is a 2009 Japanese animated movie directed by Takeshi Koike,…
Review: Elio
“We have Lilo & Stitch at home…”Lilo & Stitch at home is Elio. A young boy, feeling frustrated and alone, ends up sending his own distress call into space. Surprisingly, his calls for salvation are answered, and adventure awaits. From three Pixar directors (behind such movies as Coco, Turning Red, The Good Dinosaur) Elio is…
Review: Flow
Beautifully emotional, understated animation. Flow is the sort of animation we need more of. A household cat is forced to leave home as the world floods around them. So begins a boat-bound adventure with a group of unlikely friends. Directed and co-written by Latvian Gints Zilbalodis, starring the vocal talents of Miut, the orange pet…
Review: The Wild Robot
What a beautiful, fun, scary and moving experience. When a robot built to serve humans finds itself lost in the wilderness, it must instead adapt and serve the nature around it. Directed and written by Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch) based off the book by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot…
Review: Transformers One
The bruised and beaten franchise waves a cheery flag. A prequel following the origins of Optimus Prime and other Transformer characters, Orion Pax, a worker on Cybertron, discovers a world-shaking conspiracy. The awkwardly named Transformers One is directed by Josh Cooley, who recently made Toy Story 4. The writing team is entirely from Disney/Marvel MCU…
Review: Inside Out 2
Disney’s had a slew of mistakes lately, but this is not one of them. The emotions within Riley are having a blast since the last time we saw them. But when a big warning light labelled “puberty” appears on their control console… things are about to get crowded. 2015’s Inside Out was a very strong…
Review: Wish
Disney’s 100 year celebration is a lukewarm affair. It is fine. Asha is a young girl living in the kingdom of Rosas, which is ruled by a sorcerer-king, and the king has the confidence of his people by storing and protecting their greatest wishes. But Asha is soon to discover that the king isn’t all…
Review: Elemental
Elements mix into a lukewarm reaction in Pixar’s latest. In a city where elements live together, fire is the newest addition. Ember, a daughter of a traditionalist family, goes off on an adventure with a water guy named Wade. Together, they hope to save Ember’s father’s shop. Elemental has been quietly flopping at the box…