Category Archives: Animation

06.24.13
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Monsters University

My rating: ratings2

Did you ever wonder how James P.  Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal) became such great scarers? The answer is that they learned all their scaring techniques from Monsters University, their college school. Mike and Sulley were both scaring majors who were kicked out of the Scaring Program. They then join the Oozma Kappa fraernity and compete against other fraternities, including Roar Omega Roar, Jaws Theta Chi and Python Nu Kappa, to win the Scare Games so they could get back in the Scaring Program.

This film has great animation, great cast, humor and is full of heart. Even though this movie is rated G, I think it is too mature for kids younger than age 10, because there are many things that they wouldn’t understand. So I highly recommend that you only take your child to this movie if they are 10 years old or over.

This movie wasn’t the best animated movie ever, and probably not the best animated movie of the year, either, and I think Monsters Inc. was better because it was funnier and didn’t have a disapointing ending like MU did.

The movie was accompanied by an animated short film called The Blue Umbrella, which I thought was really dumb, with every thing in the town having a face, including umbrellas, buildings, mailboxes, and water spouts. It’s like and umbrella version of Paperman, another Pixar short film that accompanied Wreck-It Ralph.

Also, here is Monsters University’s site and trailer.

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05.30.13
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Epic

My rating: ratings3

Mary Katherine (voiced by Amanda Seyfried), also known as M.K., is a 17-year-old girl who lives with her father, Professor Bomba (voiced by Jason Sudekis), and her 3-legged dog Ozzy in a cabin in the woods. Her father believes in a species of tiny people living in the forest. He does not know it but he is right. The Leafmen are tiny brave warriors who fight to protect their forest from Boggans, who want to destroy it. One day there is a ceremony in which the queen (voiced by Beyonce) choses a pod to become the next heir. But when she choses, the Boggans attack and kill the queen. Before she dies, she gives the pod to M.K, who is in the forest looking for her father. M.K is then shrunk and now must make sure the pod blooms in the light of the full moon and not in the darkness.

This film, which is rated PG and is directed by Chris Wedge, has great visual effects, humor, cast and animation. This is my favorite animated movie of all time so far. I saw this movie with my whole family (my parents and 2 younger brothers) and we all really enjoyed it. That is why I would recommend this great movie for the entire family! The cast of this movie includes Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Colin Farrell, Christoph Waltz, Steven Tyler, Jason Sudeikis, Blake Anderson, Pitbull and Beyonce.

Also, here is the film’s site.

EPIC-Poster

03.28.13
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The Croods

My rating: ratings4

In this animated comedy, Emma Stone plays the lead role, Eep, who is part of the world’s first prehistoric family, the Croods. Her family stays inside their cave for most of the time. All the neighbor families were killed by prehistoric animals, but only they have survived because of Eep’s dad, Grug (Nicholas Cage). His one rule is “Never not be afraid”. One night, Eep sneaks out of the cave and meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a prehistoric genius with ideas like fire and shoes who has a pet sloth named Belt. He warns Eep that the world is coming to an end, and gives her a shell, which he tells her to call him with if she survives.

The next day, an earthquake (which is actually the beginning of what is now known as the continental drift) destroys the Croods’ cave and everything familiar is gone. Soon Guy joins the Croods on their journey to a mountain, so they can “ride the sun” to a paradise land Guy calls Tomorrow.

The Croods is a beautiful, humorous movie filled with laughter, beautiful landscapes, and amazing visuals. It reminds me of Hotel Transylvania (another one of my favorite animated movies) because in both movies there was a very overprotective father who didn’t understand what his daughter really wants. I think The Croods is the #1 family movie of the year so far. CBS Radio News calls it “an animated Avatar”. I recommend this movie for people of all ages, whether you’re a child, adult, or senior! This movie is rated PG for “some scary action”.

Also, here is the film’s website.

Below is a picture of me sitting next to Belt and Douglas, a mutation of a crocodile and a puppy who soon becomes Thunk’s pet. Above me are the Croods and Guy (I don’t know why, but in the picture, I am hiding one of my hands!).

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02.23.13
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Escape From Planet Earth

My rating: ratings4

This 3D-animaed comedy takes place on planet Baab, where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. Scorch works with his brother, Gary (Rob Corddry) and his boss, Lena (Jessica Alba) at BASA. When Scorch goes on a mission to “The Dark Planet” (which is actually our planet, Earth), he is captured by the ruthless leader of Area 51, William T. Shanker (Star Trek‘s William Shatner).  Now Gary must save his brother, his planet, his wife Kira (Sarah Jessica Parker) and their son Kip (Bedtime Stories‘ Jonathan Morgan Heit). the film also stars Craig Robinson, Sofia Vergara, Ricky Gervais, Jane Lynch, George Lopez and Steve Zahn. This movie is rated PG by the MPAA for “action and some mild rude humor”.

This film is filled with laughs and humor. It is now my favorite animated movie of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would recommend this movie for kids of all ages. I think everyone will enjoy it, even adults!

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11.29.12
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Arthur Christmas

My rating: 

Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus delivers 2 billion presents in 1 night? Well, in this movie, which is now availible on DVD and Blu-ray, you will find out how he does it. This 2011 Christmas holiday themed movie is directed by Sarah Smith and stars James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Imelda Saunton, Jim Broadbent and Ashley Jensen. It tells the story of Arthur (McAvoy), Santa’s son. In this movie, Santa (Broadbent) delivers the Christmas presents with an ultra-high-tech “sleigh” known as the S-1, which is piloted by his older son, Steve (Laurie) and Steve’s elf assistant, Peter (Marc Wooton). On Christmas night, the elves deliver all the presents to all the children across the world. Soon the mission is complete and every present is delivered, until Arthur finds out that one present, which belongs to a girl in England named Gwen Hynes (Ramona Marquez), has not been delivered. Together with an elf named Bryony (Jensen), and his grandfather, Grand-Santa (Nighy), Arthur goes on an adventure on the original old wooden sleigh, named Evie, to deliver the present to Gwen. Also, Imelda Saunton plays Margaret Claus, Santa’s wife.

I really liked this movie, its animation, and humorous, smart and heart-warming story. I would recommend this movie for kids of all ages. Maybe even adults might enjoy this hilarious film.

Also, here is the website and the trailer of the movie.

11.09.12
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Paperman

My rating:

This 7-minute black-and-white short film is theatrical with Wreck-It Ralph, and it is a combination of hand-drawn animation and computer animation. I really liked this technique. In this short film, a man tries to send a paper airplane to his love. The director of the short is John Kahrs and the producer is John Lasseter (director of Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Cars and Cars 2).The technique they used that blends hand-drawn animation and computer animation, called “final line advection”, gives the artists and animators a lot more influence and control over the final product as everything is done within the same department; the artists quoted, “In Paperman, we didn’t have a cloth department and we didn’t have a hair department. Here, folds in the fabric, hair silhouettes and the like come from of the commited design decision-making that comes with the 2D drawn process. Our animators can change things, actually erase away the CG underlayer if they want, and change the profile of the arm. And they can design all the fabric in that Milt Kahl kind-of way, if they want to.”

Also, here are some videos from the short.

11.09.12
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Wreck-It Ralph

My rating:

I saw this movie on Monday with my dad and brothers. We all enjoyed the movie. It stars John C. Reily, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch and Jack McBrayer. In this film, Ralph (Reily) is the villan of an arcade game called Fix-It Felix, Jr., in which the hero of the game, Felix (McBrayer), must fix a building that Ralph destroys. Ralph has been the villan for 30 years now, and he is tired of being the bad guy. So one day, he leaves his game to prove he can be a hero and enters another arcade game, a first-person shooter called Hero’s Duty, in which the game’s leader, Sergeant Calhoun (Lynch) and her army must battle Cy-Bugs, the game’s villans, and get to the top of a building. Ralph later crash-lands in Sugar Rush, a kart-racing game set in tracks made of candy, where he meets one of the game’s characters, Vanellope von Schweetz, whose world is threatened when Ralph accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens the entire arcade.

I would recommend this movie to children all ages, and I think everyone will think it’s funny. Especially video game lovers will enjoy this movie.While those moments are great, most of the humor is much more broad-based, and the touching story will win over everyone, regardless of their ability to put a name to M. Bison’s face.From a homeless Q-Bert to Oreo guards at the candy palace, every minute of “Wreck-It Ralph” comes with a smile and a laugh. It’s worth plunking down some quarters.

Also, here is the website and the trailer of this movie.

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10.17.12
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Frankenweenie

My rating:

Frankenweenie is the first 3D animated black and white film, and it is directed by Tim Burton. It is a parody of the 1931 film Frankenstein, which is based on Mary Shelley’s book of the same name. It is also a remake of Tim Burton’s own 1984 short film, also titled Frankenweenie. Burton offered it to Disney, but they thought it was too strange. How ironic it is that 30 years later they asked him to make it into a feature film!

This film is about a boy named Victor Frankenstein, who’s best friend is his dog, Sparky. His parents want him to make friends with the neighbors, but Victor has no interest in making friends with the kids who live nearby, who include Nassor, a weird kid with a flat head inspired by Frankenstein’s monster, Edgar, a deformed, igor-like kid, Bob, an obese kid, Toshiaki, a Japanese classmate of Victor’s, and a weird, unnamed girl, who owns a cat named Mr. Whiskers. The only kid who really cares for Victor is Elsa, his next-door neighbor and the mayor’s niece, who owns a dog named Persephone. One day Sparky is killed by a car while pursuing a ball, and Victor is heartbroken. Persephone and Elsa are miserable, too. But one day in school Victor learns that the muscles of a dead frog still react to electricity. Victor tries this experiment on Sparky, which succeeds and Victor is really happy. But when Victor’s classmates find out, they plan to win the science fair using Victor’s creation, and they create monsters of their own, including a mummy hamster, a were-rat, a Gamera-like monster turtle, sea monkeys, and worst of all… a vampire cat!

This movie would be way too scary for kids younger than my age (10), but some parts are not as scary as others. This movie was OK, but not as good as Hotel Transylvania. I heard that Tim Burton was inspired to make this movie from his experience of losing his own dog when he was a child, and now, after watching this movie, I know how he felt when he lost his dog.

Also, here is the trailer of the movie.

10.13.12
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Hotel Transylvania

My rating: 

Hotel Transylvania is a hilarious, animated film starring Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James and Fran Drescher. In this film, Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) owns a resort named Hotel Transylvania, where monsters and their families can rest in peace, away from the danger of humans. On one special weekend, Dracula invites the world’s most famous monsters, including Frankenstein’s monster (voiced by Kevin James), his bride (voiced by Fran Drescher), a family of werewolves (the parents, Wayne and Wanda, are voiced by Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon), Murray the Mummy (voiced by Cee Lo Green), Griffin the Invisible Man (voiced by David Spade), Bigfoot, the Blob, and many other famous monsters to celebrate his daughter, Mavis(voiced by Selena Gomez)’s 118th birthday. But an ordinary 21-year-old human traveler named Jonathan (voiced by Andy Samberg) accidentally enters the hotel and falls in love with Mavis.

I really enjoyed this film and I thought it was hilarious. I would recommend this movie for children of all ages. Even adults will enjoy this movie. My brother and my dad also really enjoyed it. It is now one of my favorite animated movies of all time!

Also, here is the website and the trailer of the movie.

10.09.12
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Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest

My rating:    

This is a 6-minute short film made by Perry Chen, an 11-year-old animator and movie blogger (like me), directed by Kevin Sean Michaels and produced by Bill Plympton. It is a true story about a girl named Ingoushka Petrov (later known as Ingrid Pitt), who survived the Holocaust in 1945, when she was only eight years old. She narrated the film herself and it was her last project before she passed away. Like Anne Frank, it was her childhood dream to become an actress and she eventually lived her dream and was a movie star for over 40 years before her death in late 2010.

This short film describes the Holocaust experience through Ingrid Pitt’s eyes in very simple, hand-drawn animation. I was very impressed by the movie’s ability to express Ingrid Pitt’s fear of being imprisoned in the concentration camp with her mother, constantly fearing for her life, experiencing hunger, diseases and sadness. I really liked how Perry Chen made Ingrid’s bad memories in black and white and her good memory (of the moment she learned the war was over) in color – almost like she was becoming alive again.

As a Jewish boy I was personally moved by this film. It made me feel that I can now better understand what my great grandmother’s family went through in Poland. They, too, were taken to concentration camps and killed in horrific ways (my great grandmother was the only survivor from a big family). She still lives in Israel (she’s 98 years old now) and frequently shares her family stories and pictures with us.

This film will be featured at the Transbay Festival, kicking off this Friday, October 12 in San Francisco.

Also, here is a preview video of the movie.