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Post by Belchic on Sept 15, 2017 20:46:26 GMT -5
The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
The Secret Life of Pets, a little animated film made by Illumination Pictures. Since the beginning of the decade, Illumination has been most known for the Despicable Me franchise. Heck, the Minions are pretty much the mascots of the studio! But then comes this little flick about dogs and other domestic pets showing what kinds of adventures they have when their owners are out. The film was not one of the most critically-acclaimed animated films of the year, but it was a very financially-successful film and managed to score a bit of a cult following. The question is does this movie really deserve to be a recommendation to dog-lovers, or should we just believe the critics and brush it off completely? Let's find out...
The Story The film is centered around household pets (mostly dogs) who live in New York City with their owners. It focuses mainly on a Jack Russell Terrier named Max, who's owner suddenly adopts another dog, and he wants to get rid of him. The two end up getting lost from their home and venture together while Max's friends try to help him, and they also meet these bad pets who were abandoned by their owners and hate humans. At first, the plot seems a bit unoriginal. It sounds very similar to Toy Story, but it's not like a plot like that hasn't been done numerous times before. It also has a lot of similarities to Oliver & Company being that it's about dogs who live in New York City; heck, the movie opens with a song sung by a modern pop artist welcoming us to New York City just like that other film! So there is some lack of originality, but does that automatically make the story bad? No. If you look beyond how it rips off those other movies, it's still a cute story with a lot of excitement and heartwarming moments. This is thanks widely to the lovable characters, but I'll get into that later.
The Animation If there is one thing this movie truly excels in, it's the animation. This is without a doubt the best animation to come out of Illumination. Everything looks so realistic for what it is, and unlike most forms of media that take place in New York City, this movie actually shows us all of New York City from top to bottom. There are also moments where you can tell this movie was made to be shown in 3D, like that one small scene with the snakes who ask Snowball for the password to his hideout. And don't even get me started on the character animation. This is a huge step up from Despicable Me where everyone looks abstract and cartoony. Here, the animals look so much like the real deal, and the humans resemble humans a lot better. Any way you look at it, this movie is 100% pure eye candy!
The Characters Now, the characters in this movie are as lovable as they come. We've got Max, the straight dog who is a born leader. Duke is the playful one with a lot of mood swing. Gidget is Max's love interest who will do anything to go out of her way to do something for Max...and she reminds me a lot of Cadpig from 101 Dalmatians: The Series. Tiberius acts as a helper to Gidget who is often misjudged. Buddy and Mel I guess are supposed to be the comic reliefs, but they don't get much character development. Chloe is well...a cat. Then there is Snowball, the anti-villain with hilarious voice work by Kevin Hart. Overall, the characters are mostly lovable enough to make you want to root for them, but if I had to give one criticism, it would have to be Snowball is too much of a show-stealer; he seems to be like how the Minions are to Despicable Me or the Penguins are to Madagascar, as in he's the character who steals the show and gets the most attention from the fans when there are more interesting characters in the main cast, but he will most likely get a spinoff (which as you know, I hate spinoffs). That aside, all the characters are very lovable and make the movie worthwhile.
The Secret Life of Pets is not a bad movie at all. In fact, it's a great movie! I'd even go far enough to call it one of the best animated films of 2016! Sure, it's not Zootopia or Moana or even Finding Dory, but I'd definitely rank it up there with them! With its fun story, lovable characters, and animation that goes above and beyond the call of duty, I'd say this movie was good enough to earn Belchic's Seal of Approval!
Story: 7/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 9/10
Overall: 8.5/10 = 86%
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Well, guys, I hope you enjoyed my review of The Secret Life of Pets, and hopefully, maybe it gave you a different perspective on it. So with that said and done, let's move on to the animation hat! My next review shall be............ Oh! OH!!! Well, this is definitely a first! This is the first time I picked a movie that hasn't even been released yet! Well, this particular movie is coming out in a few weeks, and I think you guys can guarantee that I'm going to see it! It looks like I'll be posting my review of it before AniMatt does! It's a movie that's based on one of my favorite cartoons, which is a popular show yet controversial at the same time. With that in mind, when I get around to reviewing this movie, I hope you guys will not question my masculinity.
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Post by Belchic on Oct 7, 2017 0:49:48 GMT -5
My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)
My Little Pony: The Movie. (Shows a poster of the 1986 movie.) No, not that one. (Shows a poster of A Very Minty Christmas.) Not that one either. (Shows a poster of Equestria Girls.) Okay, now you’re just trolling with me! (Shows the 2017 Movie.) There we go. ANYWAYS...This is a movie that the Bronies have been waiting for for a long time. Even though they did make a spinoff series of movies called Equestria Girls, that wasn’t enough to satisfy a lot of them. But now, all of our favorite ponies have finally made their way onto the big screen for an epic theatrical experience! Though usually when a TV show gets its own theatrical movie, it usually flops and leads to the show’s decline. The only two exceptions being The Simpsons Movie and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. With that in mind, with this movie being out in theaters now, will it hold up to the series we all know and love, or will it just be like all the other TV-based movies and lead to the show’s decline? Let’s find out...
The Story To start things off, this definitely feels like something one would expect from an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Only difference is that they’ve cranked the epicness up to eleven! The story involves Twilight and her friends going on an epic journey outside of Equestria after it had been invaded by the Storm King and his minions. Along the way, they make some new allies and face many heart-racing challenges as Tempest Shadow keeps them on the run. The whole film actually feels like an epic movie while at the same time maintains the humor and heart we all know and love from the show. It’s a mixed bag giving fans of the show and moviegoers the best of both worlds. The humor is not as annoying as you’d see in most animated films these days, and it knows how to be emotional and suspenseful at just the right time. I guess we can thank all the people we know and love who worked on this show to work on this movie as well. They truly put together a flawless story with no real moments that feel like filler. This is something we haven’t seen in TV-based movies in a long time!
The Animation I will say while technically this is supposed to be a traditionally-animated film, it’s pretty obvious that they did use CGI for a lot of the animation. That being said, the animation does feel like a massive improvement over what we see on the show. For the first time ever, we are given Equestria with a more three-dimensional feel...that was made by the people at Hasbro themselves rather than some random fanmade video you’d see uploaded onto YouTube. If I was to give one criticism about the animation, it would have to be the character animation is a little bit creepy in comparison to the show, but after a while, you get used to it. Other than that, this is definitely the best use of animation I’ve ever seen done by Hasbro (Michael Bay’s Transformers movies are another story). It is truly eye candy.
The Characters There is a lot to say about the characters in this movie! I won’t say too much about the characters we all know from the show like the Mane 6 and Spike; they are all in character as you would expect from the show, but there are times when their voices sound a bit different. Bronies will also notice some camels of other fan favorites throughout the movie. Now, to talk about the characters exclusive to this movie. Starting with the allies the Mane 6 meet: Capper is a cool, laid back, yet likable guy who’s not all what he seems. Then there’s the air pirates who are just fun characters that aren’t too annoying. Then of course, we have what everyone has been waiting for: the sea ponies. It’s pretty obvious that Princess Skystar will become a fan favorite because of her bubbly and goofy personality. Her mother, Queen Novo, on the other hand, is a more mean and strict character that we’d love to hate. Then we have the villains. The main villain, the Storm King, is not too much of a villain because he’s impossible to take seriously; his personality reminds me a lot of Hades from Disney’s Hercules, but he still shows he can be evil when he needs to be. Grubber acts as more of a comic relief sidekick who also feels like a character we’d see in a Disney or Pixar film. But the one antagonist who truly steals the show is Tempest Shadow! This villain is so intense! She makes all the other MLP villains look like the Care Bears! I also gotta give credit to Emily Blunt who did an incredible job voicing this character! It’s also easy to feel emotional for her when you learn about her backstory. However, the one character who has been promoted like crazy in the trailers was Songbird Serenade, voiced by pop singer, Sia. She sadly doesn’t get as much screen time as you would expect her to, so that would kind of make this feel like false advertising, especially to Sia fans. Overall, the characters are hit and miss, but for the most part, they’re good, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they made appearances in future episodes of the show.
The Songs One of the things My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is best known for is its songs, and while lately, the show has been lacking in the song department, this movie gives us a breath of fresh air with so many astounding songs, and having Daniel Ingram return to write them is also a real treat. The movie opens with the Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat”, which seemed a bit pointless. “We Got This” makes for a great way to welcome people to the film. Then there’s the classic buddy song, “I’m the Friend You Need”. Then we’ve got “Time to Be Awesome” and “One Small Thing”, which sound like songs you’d recognize as the classic song style you know and love from the show. Then there’s the villain song, “Open Up Your Eyes”, which should really be considered one of the greatest villain songs period because of how intense it is! Finally, there’s Sia’s song, “Rainbow”, the only song in the movie not written by Daniel Ingram, which feels like it was just thrown in there because they needed a commercial hit to have for the soundtrack (kinda like “Try Everythjng” from Zootopia). Overall, the songs are a lot of fun and get you on your feet, and the movie would not be complete without them! They deserve to be part of the film!
I gotta say, I’m happy to have been a Brony all these years, and it was well worth the wait to see this movie! This movie far exceeded my expectations, and that’s unusual for a movie based on a TV show. Maybe this movie will have a chance at becoming a financial success. Either way, I can definitely rank this as one of the best animated films of the year. If you’re a fan of My Little Pony, you have to see this movie, because it has earned Belchic’s Seal of Approval!
Story: 10/10 Animation: 9/10 Characters: 8/10 Songs: 10/10
Overall: 9/10 = 92.5%
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Hey, guys! Yeah, as you can tell, I did go see the My Little Pony movie. It was well worth the wait, and I know you’re surprised to see I reviewed something before AniMatt did. Well, he’ll be posting his review next Friday, so we’ll just have to wait and see how his thoughts compare to mine. Though most people will more likely listen to him since he’s more of a critic and has a huge fan base on YouTube. But my opinion on this movie still stands. Now, moving on to my next review. I’m no longer going to do the Animation Hat thing. I’m just going to give you a hint as to what my next review will be from now on. I’m planning to do two more reviews this month, and both of them are going to be Halloween movies. The first one is going to be an underrated classic made by a famous animation duo who dominated the world stop-motion Animation in the 60’s and 70’s.
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Post by Belchic on Oct 9, 2017 22:50:13 GMT -5
Mad Monster Party (1967)
Mad Monster Party, a rare claymation movie from the 60’s created by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, the same duo that did many other claymation classic holiday TV specials in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. After the success of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rankin and Bass took a stab at making a feature-length film themed around monsters. The movie just had its 50th anniversary this year, so does it deserve to be a Halloween classic, or should it just remain a buried gem? Let’s find out...
The Story The plot involves Baron Von Frankenstein who has just discovered the secret of total destruction, and he is now ready to retire. He calls many famous monsters from around the world over to his castle for a party to announce his retirement as their leader and turn all his secrets over to his successor, who is his nephew, Felix. There is also a girl named Francesca who is not happy about this decision and wants to get rid of Felix so that she can be the Baron’s successor. Of course, all the other monsters want that as well. The story is a bit cliche, but some of the jokes are very well-made. On the other hand, there are times when the movie feels like it drags on and on with so many pointless scenes that could have easily been cut from the film. It would have been nice if they trimmed down some of those scene and saved the deleted stuff for the director’s cut, but we sadly don’t get that. Overall, the story is hit and miss, but it’s forgivable.
The Animation Claymation is something Rankin and Bass is most known for, and this is a good example of some of their best work! Sure, it is corny and looks cheap, but there are a lot of little moments that are not easy to do with stop motion animation, and considering this is one of their longest pieces, and they were still in the early stages of their career, that is one major hell of an accomplishment! Think about what Walt Disney and his animators accomplished with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 30 years prior. The same thing can be said about the animation in this movie. The animators on this movie certainly worked their hearts out putting this film together!
The Characters While the movie has a very small cast, the character lineup is much bigger, thanks largely to Allan Swift for voicing just about every single male character in the movie! Starting with Boris Karloff‘s character, Baron Von Frankenstein, he’s basically what you’d expect from Boris Karloff, and it’s kind of ironic that he voiced a character who was retiring considering this was one of Karloff’s last roles before he died. Felix is a clumsy yet lovable character and is really fun to watch. Francesca is sort of the anti-love interest of Felix who starts off as a character you love to hate but later becomes more likable. Then there’s Fang, the Baron’s monster, and his mate, played by Phyllis Diller, who gets way more screen time than she should, but that’s just because she’s a big name actress. Then there’s all the classic monsters we all know and love, who are all good in their own right, but some tend to get more screen time than others. The monster who seems to get the most screen time is Dracula, while the one who tends to get the least is the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Although the funniest character in the movie is Yetch. This Peter Lorre characature is lovesick Over Francesca and has a habit of getting into fights with the rest of Frankenstein’s staff, and he’s just impossible to keep a straight face at while watching. So overall, this is a good selection of characters, but it could be tweaked, and maybe having some more voice actors would have made it easier on IMDb, but like I said, kudos to Allen Swift for doing so many different voices.
The Songs Of course, anything Rankin/Bass won’t be complete without songs, and this movie has got some. The opening title song is done in the style of a James Bond theme, which may be stretching it but gives off the impression that this is not a movie we have to take seriously. Then there’s “You’re Different”, which was a pointless number that was only written to give Phyllis Diller a song. “Our Time to Shine” has a catchy melody, but is also a pretty pointless song. “Stay One Step Ahead” is probably the only song in the movie that sounds like something you’d hear in a Rankin/Bass film. Then there’s the lovely love theme, “Never Was a Love Like Ours”, which could have been nominated for an Oscar. However, the absolute worst song in the movie is “Do the Mummy”; I mean, I get that it’s supposed to be like the hip 60’s rock & roll, but it’s super obnoxious, and it just goes on and on and on! While the songs are a bit unnecessary and somewhat annoying, they’re still catchy and entertaining.
Mad Monster Party is far from a masterpiece, but it’s still a fun movie to put on during Halloween time. Sure it may have some annoying and boring parts, but it’s one of those guilty pleasures that’s so fun that it’s great. I recommend this movie to Rankin/Bass fans, fans of the classic movie monsters, and fans of 60’s pop culture. I think it’s an enjoyable enough movie to have in your collection.
Story: 6/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 7/10 Songs: 6/10
Overall: 7/10 = 72%
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So there’s my review on Mad Monster Party. Hope you all enjoyed it. My next review is going to be on another Halloween movie done with the same style of animation but by a completely different director, and while I consider it more of a Halloween movie, it can also get you pumped up and ready for Christmas at the same time!
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Post by Trey_Vore on Oct 10, 2017 14:13:29 GMT -5
Is that going to be The Nightmare Before Christmas?
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Post by Belchic on Oct 16, 2017 13:28:31 GMT -5
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
The Nightmare Before Christmas, one of Tim Burton’s most popular films. A film that overtime launched a franchise and would gain a huge fanbase, especially within the Disney theme parks. It was also Burton’s first Animated feature film. Yes, it is common and in place for him nowadays, and he had previously done Animated short films like “Vincent” and used some of his quirky animation in his Live Action Films like Beetlejuice and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Going back to this groundbreaking film, does it still hold up today like any other holiday classic would, or does it deserve to be buried away in a coffin? Let’s find out...
The Story While the film is based on a picture book that Tim Burton did in the 80’s, The Movie takes it to a whole new level. The story centers around Jack Skellington who is tired of doing the same exact thing every year for Halloween and wants to do something different for once. He discovers Christmas Town and decides to take over the holiday just for one year, but it doesn’t turn out exactly as he imagined. While not the most original story (stealing Christmas from Santa Claus has been done countless times), here, they give a nice twist by showing us where holidays come from and shows what happens when two different ones meet. It’s like if you made a scarier version of The Grinch who loved Christmas and mixed in a bunch of other crazy yet memorable characters. It’s a lot of fun and is a story fan’s of both holidays can easily get behind.
The Animation For stop-motion animation, this animation is just pure genius! This is unlike any stop-motion animation the media has ever seen! Tim Burton takes it to a whole new level with this movie. While there is a lot of darkness in this movie, it is counterbalanced with some bright and colorful moments as well, and everything from the characters to the set designs are 100% eye candy with a very three-dimensional feel. And don’t even get me started on the hand-drawn special effects! It must have taken them over a decade to make this movie seeing how much effort was put into the animation! Of course, being that it’s a Disney movie, that should come as no surprise since they’re always experimenting with innovation, but this animation just blows me away!
The Characters There are a lot of characters in this movie, but most of them are just walk-on parts just to give you something to look at briefly. For the main characters, we’ve got Jack Skellington, the main hero who is a lot of fun to watch with everything he says and does. Zero is Jack’s trusty companion who is very lovable (because everyone loves dogs). Sally is Jack’s love interest who appears to be the only sane person in Halloween Town. Dr. Finkelstein is Sally’s “father” who is cranky and obsessive, but we love to hate him. The mayor of Halloween Town is also fun to watch because of his split personality feature. Santa Claus himself who is what I’d expect Santa to act like if he were in the situation he was in. Lock, Shock and Barrel are comical troublemakers who are also fun to watch. And last but not least, there’s the villain, Oogie Boogie, who while a little gross is just as fun and funny as he is evil; more movies should have fun villains like him! The rest of the characters don’t get much development other than just coming and going at random times, but they are still a lot of fun to watch just like all the major characters. With so many fun characters, it’s easy to tell that we have a great cast for this movie. It’s nearly flawless!
The Songs If there is one thing this movie is truly known for, it’s the musical numbers. Danny Elfman composed such a memorable score and soundtrack for this film with recognizable tunes and songs anyone can easily sing along to. Every song in the film sounds consistent and gives an incredible sound that makes you feel like you’re watching a Broadway musical. Unlike most musical movies that have at least one pointless musical number, every song in this movie feels important, and none of them feel like pointless filler at all. They really need to make this movie into a Broadway musical! It totally deserves it!
It’s no wonder The Nightmare Before Christmas has so many fans! With its unique story, memorable characters, outstanding animation and magnificent songs, it deserves all the praise it gets. I’ve been a fan of this movie since the year it was released in theaters, so I’m sure you already figured out that it gets Belchic’s Seal of Approval!
Story: 9/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Songs: 10/10
Overall: 10/10 = 97.5%
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Hey guys. Just want to let you know that effective now, I’m going to start doing my Animated Film reviews only once a month, so that means my next review will be coming in November. So with that in mind, what shall my next review be? Well, this next movie was a request from someone on Facebook. This is a movie that has gained a little bit of a cult following but is often criticized because a lot of people compare it to Zootopia. I guess you can say it’s what happens when Zootopia tries to be like...American Idol.
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Post by Belchic on Nov 3, 2017 23:18:43 GMT -5
Sing (2016)
Sing, a simple title, a simple idea. It seems 2016 was the year Illumination really wanted to show that they could do more than just Despicable Me, or Minions. They’ve already shown they can do it with The Secret Life of Pets, but then along comes this little flick. The question is will this further prove that Illumination is one of the best animation studios, or is it a sign of them running out of ideas? Let’s find out.
The Story The story is mainly about Buster Moon trying to save his theater from going out of business, so he puts on a benefit concert for amateur singers to help raise funds and save the theater. That plot alone sounds a bit weak and cliche. However, the bigger problem is that there are other characters in the film who each have stories of their own, and when trying to juggle around so many plots, it loses its focus. I understand the film is supposed to be in some ways a satire on reality competition shows like American Idol, but each character has a story so interesting that you want to know more about them. The problem is there’s just too many to try to focus on, and none of them get enough screen time. It’s hard to decide what you want to focus on. That’s not to say the story is bad. It just needed to be executed a little better.
The Animation This animation is far from perfect, but it’s not that bad either. For Illumination’s standards, it’s pretty good, but if you compare it to something far more superior like Zootopia, it feels more generic. Some may consider this movie a knock-off version of Zootopia, but it’s nowhere near THAT bad! While the animals in Zootopia are so detailed and so much like real animals, the animals in Sing are more cartoony. What really shines in the character animation though is the choreography. That just blows my mind! Still, you could make this movie with humans, and it wouldn’t be much different. Still, the animation is above average.
The Characters If there is one thing anyone will truly remember from this film, it’s the characters. The main character, Buster Moon, is supposed to be the main Hero we are supposed to root for because of his mission, but a lot of the time, he comes off as a jerk making him not all that likable. The other performers are really the show-stealers. We’ve got Johnny, the gorilla who tries to decide if he should either follow his dream or make his dad happy. Rosita, the busy mother pig who wants to prove she’s got talent. Ash, the porcupine having to put up with breaking up with her boyfriend. Mike, the egotistical troublemaker mouse who is probably the least likable of the five. Finally, we have Mina, the timid elephant who arguably has the best singing voice but has to learn to overcome her nerves. There are other characters who auditioned to be in Buster Moon’s show who would’ve been interesting to see in the competition so that we could see more of them in the movie, but then again, that would’ve given us more stories to try to focus on, which the story has a hard enough time trying to keep focus on. Overall, these are all good characters with great personalities, but they could have been tweaked a little.
Sing is no masterpiece, but as of right now, it’s one of Illumination’s best films. It may not be one of my favorite animated films, but it’s still a fun little flick that’ll surely appeal to the furries and to fans of music and theater. It was successful enough to earn a sequel, so we’ll just have to wait and see where they go with that.
Story: 6/10 Animation: 7/10 Characters: 8/10
Overall: 7/10 = 70%
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Hey guys. I want to start off by saying that I changed my mind about doing one film review a month. Since I have a lot I plan to do, and the list keeps getting longer and longer, I decided I’m going to do two reviews a month. Remember, if you have an animated movie you want me to review, feel free to request it to me, and I’ll add it to my list. Now, my next review is going to be another request from the same person who had me do this previous one. This is going to be on a Disney movie which Walt was anticipating to be his magnum opus, but it flopped on its first release, but today has gotten a much better reputation and is now considered one of Disney’s essential films. That can be said for several Disney films, but for this one in particular, it’s best to let the music do the talking!
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Post by Belchic on Nov 13, 2017 17:14:00 GMT -5
Fantasia (1940)
Fantasia, a very beloved Disney film that mixes classical music with beautiful animation. It was a flop upon its original release, but as the years went on, it started to gain a much better reputation. The question is does it still maintain that reputation, or is it starting to fade into more of an obscurity? Let’s find out.
The Story There really isn’t much to say about the story. The whole film is basically centered around Leopold Stokowski leading his orchestra, and as the orchestra plays the music, we watch an animated short playing right in sync with the music. To put it in a nutshell, it’s really the music that tells the story in every segment, and you can very easily tell what’s going on with no need for narration or any sort of dialogue. It all just speaks for itself.
The Animation If there is one thing that there is to talk about in Fantasia other than the music, it’s the animation, and considering this was Disney’s third animated feature, it’s easy to tell that this was a HUGE step up from their previous two films. Walt Disney and his team were way ahead of their time, and this movie clearly shows. It shows a great variety of styles like beautiful animation, comical animation, dark animation, abstract animation (which believe it or not was a new thing back then), and let’s not forget the bit where Stokowski and Mickey interact with each other. I find it hard to believe this movie was a flop, though understandably, it was a very expensive film. Disney was a company that always progressed in the animation department, and this film is no exception!
The Characters Like the story, there isn’t much to say about the characters in this film. Since nobody talks, we can’t really determine a personality on any of them or decide if they’re likable or not. Like I said about the story, the music really tells us everything we need to know, and the characters in each segment all fit perfectly in their respective segments.
Fantasia is truly a work of art that you gotta see to believe. I recommend this film to animation fans, classical music enthusiasts, and of course, Disney fans. This movie easily gets Belchic’s Seal of Approval!
Story: 10/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 10/10
Overall: 10/10 = 100%
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Hey guys. I hope you all enjoyed my review on Fantasia. I’m sorry if it was a little short, but there really isn’t much to say about that movie other than it’s just a work of art. The person who requested me to do it wanted me to do it because of the “Nutcracker Suite” segment, which seemed appropriate for this time of year, being that we are entering the Christmas season. That being said, let’s move on to my next review, which is themed around something that a lot of us kids of this generation ask for for Christmas. I guess to simplify things, let’s just say that it is a video game version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
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Post by Belchic on Dec 4, 2017 13:58:03 GMT -5
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Wreck-It Ralph, one of the movies from Disney’s Revival Era That is very much beloved by many Disney fans and video game enthusiasts. Some may call it the video game equivalent to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It’s been five years since this movie was released, and does it still hold up today, or should we just pull the plug on it? Let’s find out...
The Story The story focuses primarily on Ralph, the antagonist of an 80’s arcade game called “Fix-It Felix, Jr.” For 30 years, he’s been the bad guy, and is wanting to be a hero for once, and since the other characters in his game don’t support his desires, he leaves his game to try to find a medal. He accidentally stumbles into a game called “Sugar Rush” where he meets Vanellope, a girl who wants to race in her game, but King Candy says she can’t because she’s a glitch. There is also involvement with a FPS game called “Hero’s Duty”. All three games have to work together to save their games from getting unplugged forever. As complex as the plot may sound, it is very well-made. While the story is loaded with jokes and pop culture references, it shouldn’t distract the fact that there is a lot of heart put into the story of this film. Everything works perfectly. If there is one thing Disney never fails to put into their movies, it’s an amount of emotion.
The Animation Being that this movie takes place in a video game world, there are some mixed elements of animation, most of which were inspired by popular video games. Each game has a different feel like it rightfully should as it puts the audience in the proper mood whenever we are in those games. Then there’s the character animation, which while it mostly feels like your typical run of the mill CGI Animated film, they are still very charming to look at, and honestly, I can’t say anything bad about them. This movie truly is eye candy. No pun intended.
The Characters What would a video game be like without characters? This movie delivers perfectly. For the main characters, we got Ralph, the anti-Hero/anti-villain who has a good heart and just wants to do what he thinks is best for him even though others often misjudge him. Felix is kind of the comical flirt who has mixed emotions most of the time. Calhoun is your typical tough girl with a dramatic backstory. Vanellope is basically your typical adolescent smart-allec girl who has a dream much like Ralph. Taffyta is the typical rival who is more likable than she is annoying. Then, of course, there’s King Candy; I think the best way to describe him without spoiling anything is he’s a character that you would love to hate. Overall, this is a great cast of characters to made this a really fun movie to watch, and mixing in cameos of recognizable video game characters just adds to the fun.
Wreck-It Ralph is not just a movie for gamers. It’s a movie for the whole family to enjoy. Even if you’re not a gamer, I still recommend this movie. With its heartwarming story, indescribable animation, and lovable characters, this movie deserves to be a part of every Disney fan’s collection! This movie is a must watch, and that’s why it gets Belchic’s Seal of Approval!
Story: 10/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 10/10
Overall: 10/10 = 100%
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Happy Holidays, guys! Hope my review of Wreck-It Ralph was a lot of fun to read. Now my next review is one that I feel is appropriate for the holiday season, but it’s not exactly a Christmas movie. This movie stars a famous comedian who wrote a song about another holiday that comes this time of year and performed it on Saturday Night Live, but what happens when he tries to make a movie about that said holiday? We’ll find out next time.
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Post by Belchic on Dec 10, 2017 21:35:20 GMT -5
Eight Crazy Nights (2002)
Eight Crazy Nights. Comedian, Adam Sandler, is famous for being the person who wrote “The Chanukah Song”, which was first performed on a Saturday Night Live Christmas Special in 1994. The song became a huge hit, and Adam Sandler still continues to perform it live today. In fact, he even wrote alternate versions of the song over the years. In 2002, the same year he released the third incarnation of the song, Sandler starred in his first animated film, which is classified as a Hanukkah movie. Now, the question is, was it really a good idea to make this movie, or did it turn out to be a total disaster that would lead to the decline of Sandler’s career? Let’s find out...
The Story To start things off, this movie has little to nothing to do with Hanukkah. It’s focused on an alcoholic named Davey who is trying to change his bad habits with some help from an elderly referee. The plot may sound good on paper, but in this case, it was executed poorly! It’s a movie that looks like it could be made for kids, but it’s loaded with stuff that is not appropriate for kids by any means! I won’t say what these are, but if you’ve seen the movie, you will know what I’m talking about! In fact, that stuff is so bad that they actually overshadow the story! Yes, the jokes are so bad, they will make you forget what this movie is supposed to be about! If a movie fails in the story department, then it fails overall!
The Animation I will say, for an animated film, the animation on this one is pretty decent for the most part. It moves very fluently, and is pretty good for cel animation. This could be a passing point. However, the one thing that kills it is the character animation! The character designs are just ugly! Just looking at the faces of these characters is enough to bring the rating of the animation down from decent to mediocre!
The Characters To be honest, there’s not much to say about these characters. The main character, Davey, is a real jerk who is not likable in any way, shape or form. Whitey is the referee with a dream who I think is supposed to be the comic relief, but he isn’t funny by any means, and what really kills it his his annoying voice, which sounds more annoying than fingernails dragged across a chalkboard! Then we have Eleanore, Whitey’s wife, who’s very one-dimensional; all she ever does pretty much is whine. And that’s pretty much it. Those are the only three characters who get any real development in this movie! And would you believe this? They are all voiced by Adam Sandler! There are other characters in the movie, but they’re so bland that you don’t even realize they are even there! Instead, all we are left with is an unlikable lead, an annoying sidekick, and a one-dimensional partner for the sidekick, all played by the same person! This is the most pathetic roster of characters I have ever seen in any movie!
The Songs Oh, boy! As if this movie wasn’t bad enough, did they really need to make it a musical? These songs are just awful, and not to mention forgettable. I can’t even name these songs they’re so forgettable. Not to mention they feel out of place, like this wannabe classic rock song sung by product-placed hallucinations! (Did I just say that?) Also, did they have to give Whitey a musical number? Let alone two of them? It’s bad enough to hear him talk, but when he sings, he makes Tiny Tim sound like Mariah Carey! If you’re going to make a musical, the songs need to have consistency, and they need to be sung by people who know how to sing! This movie fails in both departments! I’d rather listen to the rapping dog from that Titanic movie than listen to any of this garbage!
Eight Crazy Nights is simply a movie that never should have been made! Adam Sandler probably meant well when he wanted to make a Hanukkah movie for those who don’t celebrate Christmas, but honestly, I don’t think this movie should be viewed by anyone! With its below average animation, a weak story that gets overshadowed by an over abundance of scatological humor, annoying songs with no consistency, and the worst excuse for characters I have ever seen, there is no way I would consider this a holiday classic! Do me a favor and stay away from this movie at all costs! You’d be better off watching the Saturday Night Live skits that focus on Hanukkah than deal with this nightmare, and that’s why I have to give it Belchic’s Seal of Garbage!
Story: 1/10 Animation: 4/10 Characters: 0/10 Songs: 1/10
Overall: 1.5/10 = 15%
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Man! That was not an easy review to do, let me tell you! In case you’re wondering, yes, it was the Nostalgia Critic Who led me to review that one! Well, hopefully, this next review will be a little better. This was another request. I’m going to be going back to Disney to look at a film from...not their most beloved era, but this was one of the few films of that era that gained quite a cult following, and it also ironically starred another famous actor who got his start on Saturday Night Live. I hope you’re ready to take a trip to the Kingdom of the Sun.
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Post by Belchic on Jan 5, 2018 13:42:16 GMT -5
The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) The Emperor’s New Groove. The early to mid 2000’s were not the strongest period for the Disney Animated Features, especially after the incredible Disney Renaissance. Lilo & Stitch was the only one from this time that was a huge success, while the rest could range from meh to just plain horrible. Although a few movies from this time have gotten a surprisingly strong cult following, and this was one of them. With that in mind, is this movie really as good as people claim it to be, or is it just another forgettable Disney film that deserves to be forgotten about? Let’s find out... The StoryThis was during a time when Disney liked to make little twists on well known stories. Here, they take the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes and try to make it hip for the kids. Except this has nothing to do with said fairy tale. The story is about a selfish emperor named Kuzco who plans to build a summer home somewhere in his Kingdom. After he fires his adviser, Yzma, she and her henchman, Kronk make a plan to take over the thrown. Her intent is to kill Kuzco by making him drink poison, but instead, he ends up drinking a potion that turns him into a llama. While in this form, Kuzco teams up with a kind villager named Pacha, and the two go on an adventure to try to change him back and regain his power as ruler. As original as this story sounds, it’s not all that engaging. The pieces don’t all fit together, and it doesn’t act like it knows who its audience is supposed to be because it’s loaded with a lot of random jokes that come out of nowhere, and they kind of get on your nerves. The movie doesn’t take time to take itself seriously. Though I will give them credit for making a decently-crafted story, even if it is kind of a mess The AnimationIn the 90’s, Disney gave us animated films with such beautiful animation that took a lot of time and effort to get it to perfection. Then at the start of the new millennium they gave us this. Don’t get me wrong, the animation is still good, but compared to movies like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King or even Tarzan, this just doesn’t look like big budget animation to me. It feels more like it would qualify as a Saturday morning cartoon than a theatrical animated movie. I know that may sound a little harsh, but I will give them this, it’s still way better than something you’d see on a direct-to-video sequel from Disney! So yeah, overall, the animation is not stupendous, but it’s passable. The CharactersI had a little trouble talking about the story because I wanted to save my talk about what killed the story here. I am talking about the characters. First, you’ve got the star, Kuzco. While I admit David Spade at times can be funny and can deliver quite a performance as this character, but other times, he can be annoying, and not to mention Kuzco himself is not a very likable character because of how selfish and arrogant he is. Then you’ve got Pacha, a kind-hearted villager voiced by John Goodman. At times, he can be lovable, but other times, he’s more of a character that kids won’t really care much for. Then there’s the villain, Yzma, voiced by the late Eartha Kit. She’s a very underrated villain who reminds me a little of Hildy from “The 7D”, and Eartha Kit gives an outstanding performance to this character, even if she doesn’t get her own song. Then we have Yzma’s dim witted sidekick, Kronk, voiced by Patrick Warburton. Kronk is a very lovable yet strange individual that is easily the fan favorite character of this movie; in fact so popular he got his own spinoff (which I never really asked for). The real issue I have with the movie is that the villains are too lovable, and the heroes are not lovable enough. It makes you want to root more for the villains, leaving you with disappointment when they lose at the end. I can’t think of a single Disney movie where the villain wins. Well, there are some, but not very well-known ones. I’m not saying the characters are all bad, but if this is a movie where we are supposed to care about the heroes when we tend to care more about the villains, it just doesn’t make for a very well-balanced cast. I really don’t see why so many people love The Emperor’s New Groove so much. It’s just an okay animated flick with decent animation, inconsistent characters, and annoying random jokes that drag the story too much. If you’re a hardcore Disney fan and are a fan of David Spade or any of the other big name actors in this film, I say go ahead and check it out, but lower your expectations if you’re expecting something on the same level as The Lion King. This movie is no masterpiece, but it’s fun to turn on once in a while. Story: 6/10 Animation: 7/10 Characters: 6/10 Overall: 6/10 = 63% - Hope you guys enjoyed this review. It wasn’t an easy one to do considering I haven’t seen it a lot or in a while. I just hope I didn’t offend any fans of this movie too much. Though maybe my next review will cheer you up. My next review is going to be on another Disney movie from the same era, but some people say it was the start of the Revival Era. This movie is another movie with a cult following, supposedly because it could appeal to fans of “Hannah Montana” and “Grease”, but I think it’s more for people like me, because it is my third favorite of the Disney Animated Features.
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Post by Belchic on Jan 20, 2018 19:14:29 GMT -5
Bolt (2008)
Bolt. A 2008 animated film from Disney that was a huge success upon its release. Some people even debate that this was the start of the Disney Revival. Though despite being praised by critics and audiences alike when it was first released, it doesn’t really get as discussed much today, most likely because later Disney films like Frozen, Zootopia and the live action remakes seem to be getting a lot more attention these days. With that being said, looking back at this classic that is about to celebrate its tenth anniversary, has it really aged well over the years, or should we just pull out a needle and pop all memories of it? Let’s find out...
The Story The film is about a dog named Bolt who is the star of an action TV series along with his owner, Penny. After finishing an episode that ended with a cliffhanger, Bolt gets confused thinking he has to rescue Penny but accidentally gets himself shipped to New York City. Now, he has to travel back to Hollywood to get back to Penny only to discover his superpowers don’t work anymore, and he gets help from a city cat named Mittens, and a hamster named Rhino who is Bolt’s biggest fan. Meanwhile, Penny is worried about Bolt, but at the same time has to go through the responsibilities of being an actress. Both stories work very well, and you feel for both sides. It’s so easy to get engaged with the heartwarming moments, and there isn’t too much slapstick humor to annoy you. The story is heartwarming, engaging, and it also feels very original (as far as I know, it’s not ripping off anything). Disney May have lost some of their momentum in storytelling during the 2000’s, but by the time this movie came along, they hit a home run and got themselves back on top as the Disney I know and love.
The Animation At the time of this movie’s release, I wasn’t a big fan of CGI, but this movie nailed the animation style the way it should be. Everything from the scenery, to the action scenes to the character animation looks solid and fluent. It looks realistic enough to be believable yet cartoony enough not to look too creepy. This movie delivers a perfect balance giving us the best of both worlds. Of course, the best thing about the character animation is how Bolt and Mittens are depicted from the way they move to the detail on their fur, it’s just like a real cat and dog. There’s no denying it, this is how you make a CGI-Animated film!
The Characters So we’ve seen this movie has a great story and great animation, so let’s see if the same can be said about the characters. For the main character, Bolt is a lovable character who acts what I think dogs really would act like if they could talk. In addition to that, John Travolta delivers an amazing performance for this character, and to think this is the same guy who starred in Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Mittens is a posh alley cat who is pretty much the stereotypical cat you see in a lot of cartoons (even her name is cliché), but she acts as a good counterbalance to the panicking Bolt as she serves as the voice of common sense to him, and the two wind up growing closer as friends as the movie progresses. Rhino may come off to some as the Scrappy of this movie, but he’s right at the level where he’s more funny than annoying. Bolt’s owner, Penny, is a very caring girl who loves Bolt with all her heart in the right way as she worried about him when he’s out of commission. I was at first not sure about Miley Cyrus doing her voice since at the time, she was Disney’s biggest star and was everywhere, but here, all I can say is, at least she’s not playing Hannah Montana! I can’t say much about the other characters since they are either but parts or actors on Bolt’s show who don’t get much development. Though one character I can talk about is Penny’s agent; he’s a real jerk that you love to hate. So it looks like we’ve got ourselves a perfectly-assembled cast of characters for this movie!
Bolt is a very underrated Disney Classic That still holds up today. With its astonishing animation, lovable characters, and a story that really grabs you, it is a must watch for every Disney fan! It is definitely worthy of the cult following it has earned over the years, and it is definitely worthy of Belchic’s Seal of Approval!
Story: 10/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 10/10
Overall: 10/10 = 100%
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That concludes my review of Bolt. So what is next on my list? Well, this is yet another Disney Movie. This one is less than a decade old, it is currently the highest-grossing Animated Film of all time, and it has a sequel coming out next year. I hope you’re ready, because this review will surely give you chills!
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Post by Belchic on Feb 6, 2018 16:12:01 GMT -5
Frozen (2013)
Frozen. A movie from the Disney Revival Era that I don’t think anyone was expecting to become such a huge success. It was the first Animated Film to surpass $1 billion at the box office, and was the first film from Walt Disney Animation Studios to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Still to this day, people continue to talk about this film, merchandise is everywhere, and even though it’s only five years old as of today, it has already left behind a legacy to rank it as one of the greatest films of Disney along with “Cinderella”, “Snow White”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King”. Though, is the film really worth all the praise, or is it time for Disney to let it go? Let’s find out...
The Story While the film is supposed to be an adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson book, “The Snow Queen”, the story is definitely something very engaging. I never read the book, so I can’t really compare it, but it’s definitely a story that combines a lot of elements we see in many animated films. It teaches us about the importance of love, how to accept people who may seem like an outcast, how to face your fears, how to forget about your past and move on, and how you should be careful about the decisions you make in life. It may seem like a lot to juggle, but if you look at the complete picture, it actually works perfectly, and it tells it all in a narrative that’s easy to follow with a story where the pieces all fit perfectly together. The humor is also tolerable, so it doesn’t get on your nerves, even with Olaf’s moments. Of course the movie does have a lot of cliche moments you see in almost every Disney movie known to man, but here, it works well.
The Animation This is how you make a CGI Animated film! With beautiful colors, amazing special effects, realistic looking scenery, and perfect character animation, words cannot describe how amazing this animation is! Disney continues to progress in the animation department year after year! I made the right decision going to see this movie in 3D On it’s first theatrical run, because that’s the best way to see this movie! I’m sure they will reissue this film in theaters in the coming years, and when they do, I hope it’s shown in 3D, because that’s the way to see it! This movie shows a definitive example of what I would call perfect animation!
The Characters This movie also has a swell cast of characters that really make the movie what it is! First, we’ve got the main heroine, Anna, who is usually an excitable character, but she still has a strong heart for her sister. Speaking of which, Anna’s sister, Elsa, the queen of Aerendale also loves her sister as much, except she’s more timid and is concerned for her safety due to her ice powers, which she needs to learn to control. Then we have Kristoff, someone who Anna drags along on her quest to get back with her sister who at first only cares about himself and his reindeer, but later develops some bonds with Anna. Sven is Kristoff’s reindeer partner who despite not saying anything is probably the nicest Disney animal sidekick character. Then we have Olaf, a Talking snowman who oddly dreams of summer; he serves as the comic relief, but he’s actually not that annoying...other than the fact that we see him everywhere in places that sell merchandise! Then there’s Prince Hans, a character who starts out as Anna’s love interest, but then later (SPOILER ALERT) decides to become the surprise twist villain. Anyone who watches this movie can easily relate to these characters or know someone they can compare to one of these characters, and they offer a nice mixed blend. It leaves you wanting to see more of these characters.
The Songs Every successful Disney Movie has to have songs, and this movie has A LOT of them! The movie’s opening song, “Frozen Land” is probably the least memorable song in the movie, but it pays a good homage to the Disney Renaissance. “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” is a tear-jerking song that I hear a lot of people sing along to. “For the First Time in Forever” is a triumphant, magnificent piece that pays great homage to the songs sung by the Disney Princesses. “Love is an Open Door” is a fun and catchy duet. “Reindeers are Friendlier Than People” is just filler that barely qualifies as a song. “In Summer” is a nice upbeat song but feels a bit out of place. “Fixer-Upper” serves as another catchy upbeat song that certainly has a Broadway feel to it. And of course, there is the most memorable song in the whole movie: “Let It Go”, with its memorable hook, powerful music, and lyrics with a special meaning, this song is the quintessential anthem to people who should forget about the past. Despite having the ups and downs, the songs in this movie are a lot of fun and are sure to become Disney classics! They deserve a standing ovation!
Frozen May be overrated, but it’s overrated for the right reasons. It’s got a meaningful story, unbelievable animation, lovable and relatable characters, and songs that will bring a tear to your eye! I feel this movie deserves its success, it deserves its praise, it deserves to get a Broadway adaptation, it deserves to be one of the quintessential Disney films, it deserves to be in everyone’s collection of Disney films, and of course, it deserves Belchic’s Seal of Approval!
Story: 10/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Songs: 10/10
Overall: 10/10 = 100%
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Hey all. Hope you enjoyed my review of Frozen. Now my next review is going to be on yet another Disney movie. Although this one is considered part of the animated canon in some parts of the world, but in other parts, it’s not. This is a movie that people rarely talk about because it’s a very forgettable film, but there are people who like to compare it to a certain Don Bluth film.
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Post by Belchic on Feb 19, 2018 15:48:26 GMT -5
Dinosaur (2000)
Dinosaur. Depending on what part of the world you live in, where this movie falls in Disney’s catalog can be debatable. I live in North America, where this movie is considered the first entry of the Disney Animated Features to be fully computer-animated. Other parts of the world say it’s not part of the cannon at all. Either way, this movie is often regarded as one of Disney’s most forgettable, most controversial, and most boring films. However looking back today, does this movie deserve to be an underrated gem that should be unearthed and placed in a museum, or does it deserve to go into extinction? Let’s find out...
The Story Let me tell you the plot and see if this sounds familiar to you: The movie is about an Iguanadon named Aladar who loses his mother and his old home to a meteor shower and is forced to journey to a new home, which is a beautiful valley sanctuary. Along the way, he befriends other dinosaurs, and they work together to find their new home while at the same try to avoid getting caught by a dangerous predator dinosaur. This doesn’t sound at all like a certain Don Bluth film, does it?! Aside from being a complete rip-off of The Land Before Time, The Movie is just so boring with scenes that drag out for too long, bland humor, no heartfelt moments, and historical inaccuracies! I know there really isn’t any historical documentation for famous Dinosaur stories, but come on! Everyone knows lemurs and dinosaurs did not live together at the same time! Granted, The Land Before Time had some historical inaccuracies too, but that movie is forgivable because Dinosaurs are dinosaurs, and kids don’t know about the time periods. This movie however, is unforgiving! Whose idea was it to put lemurs in a movie that takes place in prehistoric times? While we’re at it, why don’t we throw in millennial kids delivering pizza? It’s a complete insult! Kids who watch this movie will be held back a grade!
The Animation If there is one good thing to say about this movie, it would have to be the animation. Considering this was just at the start of the 2000’s, for computer animation, this is pretty incredible! Everything looks so realistic it almost looks like a live action film! Now, I know there was some live action put into this, but it still looks pretty amazing. Although if I was to give one critique, I’d have to say the character animation is pretty ugly. I mean, I know these are dinosaurs, but they could at least try to make them look somewhat more appealing. That, and the lack of color make it pretty dull to look at.
The Characters Now hopefully, the characters will be lovable enough, right? Actually, no. The characters in this movie are just boring and one-dimensional. Aladar is just your typical wisecracker hero that we are supposed to root for. Zini is an annoying lemur who tries to be the comic relief but fails horribly. Suri, who looks like she’s trying to be a good companion to Aladar but just doesn’t fit well. Kron, who is the film’s main antagonist and someone who just isn’t likable at all. Mix that in with a bunch of annoying lemurs, and other dinosaur characters who feel more like cardboard cutouts rather than being helpful to the story. These characters all looked like they had potential to have some good chemistry together, but the writers just ignored them completely. You get more personality out of inanimate objects than you do out of these characters!
I guess it’s pretty obvious why no one ever talks about Dinosaur! With it’s boring story, bland color scheme, one-dimensional characters, historical inaccuracies, invisible humor, and the fact that it obviously rips off The Land Before Time, this movie drove me so insane to the point where I wanted to pull my hair out of my head! While the animation can look pretty amazing sometimes, especially for the time, it’s just not enough for this movie to avoid getting Belchic’s Seal of Garbage! If you’re looking for a good CGI movie about dinosaurs, I recommend looking at Pixar’s film literally called “The Good Dinosaur”. This one, however, I’m going to call it “The Bad Dinosaur”!
Story: 1/10 Animation: 8/10 Characters: 1/10
Overall: 3/10 = 33%
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Well, now that I got that atrocity out of the way, here’s the hint for my next review: This film is made by a well-known director in the animation film industry. It’s not one of his most highly-acclaimed films especially considering when it was released, but it does have quite a cult following with a lot of this director’s fans.
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Post by Belchic on Mar 4, 2018 21:20:08 GMT -5
All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)
All Dogs Go To Heaven. One of Don Bluth’s films that didn’t do so well financially because it was released the same day as Disney’s The Little Mermaid. It’s also been a pretty controversial film for not being very kid-friendly. Regardless of all that, it still has gained a cult following especially with Don Bluth’s fans. However, from a critical standpoint, should this be a gem that deserves a spot in Heaven, or does it deserve to rot in Hell? Let’s find out...
The Story The movie is about Charlie Barkin, a gambling dog who gets murdered by his business partner, Carface and goes to Heaven. Charlie resurrected himself to get revenge on Carface and helps out an orphan girl. The story is your typical revenge story, and despite the type of imagery it shows, it actually does teach a good lesson to kids. Aside from the obvious “Revenge is not sweet”, there is also the aspect of when Charlie goes back to Earth, he is left with the warning: “You can never come back”. I know it’s risky to talk about religion on the Internet, but this teaches kids that God has a plan for everyone, and if you go against His plan, it could result in an eternal punishment. The humor in this movie is hit and miss, and there is a mixture of happy and sad moments in this movie, but that’s something Don Bluth’s films are best known for. This makes the story overall above average.
The Animation Don Bluth’s films are known for their animation style, and you can tell this movie has his name written all over it. It is undeniably classic Don Bluth. There really isn’t anything that stands out, but that’s the charm of Don Bluth is the simplicity that he puts into the animation. My only gripe would have to come into the character animation. The dogs in this movie don’t look like dogs at all. I know this is a cartoon, but if you’re going to make a movie about dogs, let alone one that has “Dogs” in the title, you should at least try to make us believe we are watching dogs! That aside, it’s not bad at all. It’s classic Don Bluth, and I can never deny it.
The Characters The characters are probably the one thing about this movie everyone will remember. The main character, Charlie Barkin, is supposed to be the hero, but he’s not very likable because he’s selfish and stubborn, though Burt Reynolds does give an outstanding performance. Itchy is Charlie’s comic relief sidekick who gives off some pretty hilarious moments once in a while. He’s voiced by Dom DeLuise (and I’m not sure if that’s because he was a Don Bluth regular, or if it was because he and Burt Reynolds had previously played the two leads on Cannonball Run). Carface is your typical animated villain, evil and egotistical. Killer, voiced by Charles Nelson Reilly, is your typical comedic villain sidekick. Annabelle serves as Charlie’s conscience in a way as she does in the rest of the franchise. Then of course, there’s Anne-Marie, the girl who Charlie tries to help, who is cute and innocent but at the same time can always tell if Charlie is doing something good or bad and must remind him from time to time. And yes, I know all about her voice actor; no one needs to remind me! As memorable as these characters are, they’re not very strong. The villains are cliche stereotypes, and the hero is not likable. I’m sorry to say, but this is just an average cast of characters.
The Songs Even though James Horner is known for his work on some of Don Bluth’s most memorable films, the songs in this movie don’t disappoint. “You Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down” is a fun little number you can dance to. “Let Me Be Surprised” has a beautiful, tear-jerking tune. “What’s Mine Is Yours” is a song that delivers a good message to kids about doing good deeds and sharing. “Let’s Make Music Together” is a fun and catchy number, even though it doesn’t progress the story in any way. Finally, “Soon You’ll Come Home”, the movie’s love song, which feels a lot like a throwback to “Somewhere Out There” from An American Tail. This overall is a great assortment of songs. Nothing spectacular, but for an underrated Don Bluth film, it’s pretty impressive.
All Dogs Go To Heaven is not a masterpiece by any means, but it’s still a very enjoyable film. If you’re a fan of Don Bluth’s three films that came before this one, I recommend checking this one out. I also recommend it to dog-lovers and moviegoers who like spotting religious references in movies. It’s definitely not up to par with The Little Mermaid or any of the other Disney Renaissance films, or even Bluth’s prior films. Though Don Bluth fans will definitely get a kick out of this movie and may feel encouraged to check out the rest of the franchise, but if you’re expecting something incredible, lower your expectations a bit.
Story: 7/10 Animation: 8/10 Characters: 6/10 Songs: 9/10
Overall: 7.5/10 = 75%
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And now it is time to reveal the hints to my next animated film review...Oh! This will be a fun one! My next review is going to be on a really colorful Pixar film, one that you will want to “keep in mind”.
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Post by Belchic on Mar 23, 2018 12:11:34 GMT -5
Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out. Whenever moviegoers think of Pixar, they think of a studio that has a reputation of making masterpiece after masterpiece. They revolutionized animation in 1995 with the very first fully-CGI-animated feature, and during the 2000’s, their reputation continued to grow to the point where they were the top animation studio in the world. In fact, a lot of people claim Toy Story 3 to be the Citizen Kane of animated films! However, after that movie was released, they started to have a bit of a downfall, until 2015, when they released this film, which many might consider to be Pixar’s big comeback. With that being said, does this movie deserve to be a core memory for Pixar fans, or does it deserve to be forgotten? Let’s find out.
The Story The story is about a preteen girl named Riley who goes through the challenge of dealing with change in her life. However, the real focus is on what goes on inside her brain. We learn that Riley has emotions that control how she acts. Two of these emotions, Joy and Sadness, get separated from the main control center of her mind and now have to journey back to it before all of Riley’s memories disappear. Now, if there is one thing Pixar has always truly excelled in, it would have to be storytelling. That being said, this is has got to be Pixar’s most brilliant work ever! While the journey back home Plot is a bit cliche, it makes up for it by giving us an idea of how the human mind works. It teaches us what goes on inside the mind of a child as they develop a personality, make memories, have flashbacks, and even how dreams work! Making a movie with a concept like this is interesting if any studio does it, but I don’t think anybody could have done a better job on it than Pixar! They nailed it! It makes perfect sense, and it is perfectly executed!
The Animation Pixar’s films are also known for their brightly-colored visuals and purely-detailed animation, and this film is no exception. This movie is pure eye candy with its colorful characters and detailed scenery. While the real world segments are what you would normally see in a typical CGI film today, the world inside the mind is very whimsical, and as I said, brightly-colorful. The two combined worlds show a nice contrast, and that’s what makes the animation so great.
The Characters As far as characters go, that’s another fun factor in this movie. First, we’ve got Riley herself, who is very much like a real 12-year-old girl, and that’s what Pixar is known for is making things realistic while staying away from stereotypes. The same can be said about Riley’s parents. Then we have the emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust. All of which live up to their names on how they control Riley, and each with a fitting voice actor giving them the personalities they need. These five are all great characters, but the only problem is we don’t see much of Fear, Anger and Disgust to get to know them as much as we do Joy and Sadness since the majority of the film is focused on them and their journey. Still, they are very strong characters: Joy is the leader who always does her best to make sure everything runs smoothly in Riley’s life, while Sadness is the underdog who tends to mess things up and wants to try to better herself. Then finally, we got Bing-Bong, Riley’s imaginary friend, who acts sort of like the comic relief, but is also the heart and soul of the movie. Usually, the comic relief characters can get annoying, but when they are this lovable, you can tell Pixar made one hell of an accomplishment! There are a bunch of other characters too, but they just come and go with no real time to develop them, and that’s really the only other weak part. So yeah, the characters may be the weakest part of this movie, but that’s not saying much.
Inside Out is without question one of Pixar’s most brilliant films! With its intriguing and brilliantly-written plot, brightly-colorful animation with a split contrast, and lovable and relatable characters, Pixar has done it again! If you are a Pixar fan, this is a must watch! It shows a perfect example of how this studio can go above and beyond the call of duty! That is why I am honored to give this movie Belchic’s Seal of Approval!
Story: 10/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 9/10
Overall: 9/10 = 96.6%
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And now it is time to reveal the hints to my next animated film review...Ooh. Well, it looks like I’m going away from Disney for once, unless you count the fact that this movie did air on the Disney Channel. My next review is going to be on a movie based on a toy line from the 80’s, which embarrassingly outgrossed a Disney movie released the same year. So do you have a guess for what it could be? Or do you even care?
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