Tag: Animation

IF – Review

After taking us into A QUIET PLACE in two box office hits (with a prequel arriving very soon), actor/director/writer John Krasinski now guides us into a fairy noisy place, namely the inner life and fantasies of children. And going from sci-fi thrills to whimsey is quite the “lane change”, one that could end in disaster if not properly planned. Luckily he’s crafted a story and has enlisted a talented cast in front of the camera and the microphone. Yes, this is perhaps the most ambitious cartoon/live-action feature since the pairing of private eye Eddie Valiant and Roger Rabbit. And since it uses computer-generated “beasties” (rather than the 2-D classic style), Krasinski is touting it as a “live-action Pixar flick” (quite a goal). And he’s really putting those tech wizards to work in showing us the often unseen children’s side-kick, the invisible friend, here shortened to IF.

After a “finger-paint” riff on a familiar studio logo, we’re plunged into the early years (via lots of grainy jittery home video) of Bea. She cavorts and plays with her doting parents until…the scenes shift to a hospital room where mom sports a head scarf. And then it’s her and Dad walking in the park. The scene shifts to the present day as twelve-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming) lugs her suitcase up the steps of the gothic Brooklyn brownstone where her grandmother (Fiona Shaw) lives. It’s not a fun “overnight”, as Bea heads out the next morning to visit her papa (Krasinski) in what appears to be that same hospital, awaiting a “heart procedure” (perhaps a transplant). From there it’s back to Granny, who is really trying to connect. Bea’s restlessness leads to some exploration, and she spots a follows a neighbor from upstairs who seems to be breaking into a house across the street. But it’s no burglary, he’s retrieving a huge furry purple creature named “Blue” (voice of Steve Carell). Observing silently, Bea waits until they’re back home before pounding on an upstairs door. The occupant finally relents and welcomes her to the odd home he shares with Blue and a “bug lady” right out of an old cartoon, Blossom (VO: Phoebe Waller-Bridge). The “human” Cal (Ryan Reynolds) explains that he is charged with matching the IFs (Imaginary Friends) to new kids after their original matches have “grown up” and are unable to see them. Well, since she can see them, Bea offers herself as Cal’s partner. The next day, Cal reluctantly takes her to Coney Island where a secret IF retirement center exists beneath the old carousel. Bea is dazzled by the array of fantastical creatures, from a cloud to a unicorn to a life-size gummy bear. She has a new purpose, but will this adventure ease the anxiety about the possible fate of her only parent? And just why does Bea have this gift?

Ms. Fleming deftly handles a very complex role as the story’s main focus, Bea. Her biggest strength may be the fact that she isn’t afraid to make this heroine a touch abrasive at times, as she tries to push away any “talking down” to her, as Bea almost bypasses tween going straight to sometimes surly teenager. This is especially true when her pop tries to “soft pedal” his health issues and Grandma attempts to comfort her. Happily, her bonding with Cal and the IFs gives her a new zeal for life and brings out her compassion. Reynolds channels his charming persona and gives Cal an infectious adult “pixie” quality with a graceful body language reminiscent of the screen’s dancemen and clowns, combining bits of Gene Kelly and Buster Keaton. Almost as endearing is Krasinski as he tries to put Bea at ease with his infectious grin and wisecracks, shielding her from the situation much like Benigni in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. Shaw is also warm even as she’s frazzled and bewildered as she tries to find a way to bond while yearning for the tot that reached out for “Gammaw”. But Bea does bond with another hospital resident, the delightful Alan Kim as the battered (he seems to have at least three plaster casts), but somehow cheerful Benjamin. As for the vocal crew, Carell conveys a spirit of sweet joy as Blue. Ditto for Waller-Bridge who adds a bit of snark. The standouts of the “all-star” IFs would be the very funny Sebastian Maniscalco as Magician Mouse and the late great Louis Gossett, Jr. As Lewis the wise elder bear who becomes Bea’s trusted advisor and a true creature comfort.

To elaborate on an earlier comment, kudos to Krasinski for diving into the “deep end” of family flicks (he says he wants to make a story for his kids), and still tackling some often somber and somewhat dark subject manner (so despite that “PG” rating the hospital scenes might be too much for the more sensitive tots). Plus he’s gathered together some wonderful artisans to create these fascinating critters, embracing many types of styles. As I mentioned, Blossom could’ve been buzzing around Betty Boop, while Blue is Olaf the Snowman’s bubbly persona melted into the Grimace after he’s been zapped by gamma rays. A few have the look of a child’s scribbling like the bubble or the ice cube. I just wish that they generated more laughs. It’s not the fault of the cast, though this is Awkwafina’s third cartoon role in less than a year, as the script seems to be content for them to just bounce about and get involved in an indulgent dance number that stops the plot in its tracks. Krasinski is trying to celebrate the joy of pretending before the awful “real world” blinds them to the IFs, but he often pummels the heartstrings too much, especially in the maudlin third act that has a twist that’s telegraphed early and grasped by any fan of a late 90s cinema classic. Yet, it’s an interesting premise brought to life by some expert animation and art direction, but another pass at the script to tighten the pace and punch up the humor wouldn’t leave moviegoers wondering what IF.

3 out of 4

IF is now playing in theatres everywhere

MICKEY: THE STORY OF A MOUSE – Review

So there have been some great documentary feature biographies of show biz superstars. This year alone we’ve been given in-depth profiles of Sidney Poitier, Tanya Tucker, and Louis Armstrong. Oh but this one, well he just may be the biggest star in the whole wide world, and for the longest time. So, did I mention that he’s an animated character? Oh, but he’s THE cartoon icon, who’s been entertaining the globe for 95 years. It’s been said that the test of a cartoon design is whether the figure can be identified by its silhouette. He’s got that beat as the shape of his head is immediately recognized, perhaps it’s because of its simplicity. After all, it’s really three connected circles that outline the face of MICKEY: THE STORY OF A MOUSE.


This overview/history/appreciation begins with the mouse meeting his many fans at different venues on the planet. Many of the older ones tell us of their personal connections to him. The film shifts into his creation and his creator Walt Disney and how he came up with the star when he lost his other toon series, We’ve taken to Marceline, MO for a spin around his old family farm and the “Dreaming Tree” that captivated young Walt. Then it’s back to today for the feature’s real “framing device”, ironically the making of a brand-new Mickey short to commemorate his big birthday. It’s spearheaded by animation artist supreme, Eric Goldberg, who actually handles (with white gloves and supervision) the original animation drawings and guides from the 1930s, Mickey’s golden years as the number cartoon short star (until a certain spinach-lovin’ sailor arrived). Naturally, the merchandising would follow (the watch) and we see how the mouse changed over the years from his black dot eyes to full pupils to his personality as he had to be a “nice” role model for the kiddos. Soon he was the studio mascot who became the greeter at the theme parks. We also meet his many voices and witness his entries into different media (his TV club dominated) and new tech (he’s got several streaming CGI programs). There’s even a glimpse of his controversies, from an unauthorized short “Mickey Goes to Vietnam”, to his name as a derogatory adjective (a clip from the GODFATHER films has Pacino barking about a “Mickey Mouse outfit”). And yet the mouse endures and becomes the first cartoon pal for each new generation with no end in sight.

Director Jeff Maimberg has crafted an affectionate look at everybody’s favorite movie mouse without steering clear of his often controversial history. Aside from the aforementioned anti-war short, we get several scenes of Mickey being way too aggressive with Minnie (a bit past Pepe le Pew’s lust) and taking several jabs at minorities. But as many have said (in the video collection disclaimers) it was a different time. It’s amazing to see how theatres devoted so much of their entrances and marquees to the mouse, reminding us of a popular filmgoer’s complaint, “What, no Mickey Mouse”? But much time is spent showing the “taming of the rodent” which helped the career of his cohort, Donald Duck (who could be nasty and mean-spirited). Eventually Mick became a “straight man” in the Pluto shorts until TV revived his “rep”. Aside from the wealth of archival footage, the best moments come from the artists who crafted the magical moments. Goldberg is quite eloquent as he draws a classic pose. Plus, in addition to his collaborators, we’re treated to a visit from the great Floyd Norman (star of his own superb doc feature) who worked with Walt back in the day. But really, how can you not melt a bit as the kids dash to the big mouse for a warm hug (one older fan calls him “pure joy”). Is there a better way to celebrate a superstar who’s quickly approaching the century mark than MICKEY: THE STORY OF A MOUSE? I mean other than a big hunk o’ cheese? And this is far from “cheesy”!

3.5 Out of 4

MICKEY: THE STORY OF A MOUSE is now streaming on Disney+

CHIP ‘N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS – Review

(L-R): Dale (voiced by Andy Samberg) and Chip (voiced by John Mulaney) in Disney’s live-action CHIP ‘N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

School’s almost out for the Summer! Who’s up for a trip? Or at least one through one of your favorite streaming services? Yes, the suitcase can remain in the back of the closet for a bit. But what’s the destination for this virtual excursion.? Well, for many of us, this new film is a nostalgic journey back in time, though it is set in the modern-day. A little over 30 years ago, before most kids’ cartoons were shuttled off to basic cable channels and eventually streaming apps, broadcast TV animation was in the midst of a creative (and ratings) explosion. Yes, Saturday mornings were still hanging on, but the place to be was the late afternoon, from around 3 PM (Central) to 5, as first-run syndicated television entertained kids just home from a hard day at school. And things got really interesting when the biggest of the studios, Disney, arrived on the scene in 1988 to build the “cartoon block” that would eventually be known as the “Disney Afternoon”, Following the smash “Duck Tales” another duo, who had debuted on the big screen in 1943, made the TV plunge with stories of adventure and friendship. And now this new feature tells us of the current exploits of CHIP ‘N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS. And if you want to break out the post-school snacks, well go right ahead…


So it’s 2022, but we’re not in their TV show world. It’s the real world now, though animated actors co-exist with flesh-and-blood human beings. Dale (voiced by Andy Samberg) takes us down memory lane, to his first grade-school exchange with future show-biz partner Chip (John Mulaney), through bit parts until they became huge stars in the early 1990s with their hit TV show. But it couldn’t last. When Dale gets an offer for his own action spy show, the two split. Chip is now a top seller at an insurance company that trudges home to his regular-sized dog in their suburban ranch-style home. Ah but Dale is still reaching for the “brass ring”, having gotten “CGI surgery”, so he looks more “3-D textured”, he goes on auditions, sets up at “autograph shows” and even joins the Chippendale dancers for “side gigs”, Then a desperate call from their former co-star Monterey Jack (Eric Bana) brings them back together. Turns out MJ is hooked on the “hard stuff”, really “stinky” cheese, and he’s in over his head. When henchmen from “Sweet Pete” grab him, Chip ‘N Dale joins the police to find their ole pal. The ‘toon in charge, Captain Putty (J.K. Simmons) offers little hope (seems a lot of “second-string’ cartoons have vanished), but an eager new policewoman, Ellie (played by human KiKi Lyne) wants to help the boys. Can she really protect Chip ‘N Dale when their search for clues sends them to the seedier sidestreets of the animated underground of “Tinsel-town”, or could the re-united Rescue Rangers get “erased”?

Well, as you may have surmised so far, the highest recommendation I can give to animation fans is that this is the closest we’ll probably (never say never) come to the WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT sequel we’ve been clamoring for over the last five decades. The story seems to be set in that same universe (maybe a cameo), but things have changed as the ‘toons are no longer “second class citizens” regulated to living in “Toon Town” when not working at the movie studio or in nightclubs. In the opening scenes, we see them with the human students, though with chairs that match their “scale” (love that Chip lives in a shoe-box-sized “ranch house in between two regular-sized suburban homes, while MJ’s condo complex is about five feet tall). Oh, and it’s not just classic (2D)characters along with CGI critters. As you might guess Captain Putty is a clay stop-motion creation (many think of the Raisins or Wallace & Gromit, while I think his roots are in Gumby), plus there are “superhero” style folks, video game avatars, and even some puppets. It’s a wondrous world you’ll be sad to leave thanks in part to the great voice actors enlisted to inhabit these roles. Mulaney conveys just the right amount of wiseguy snark as Chip that plays well against the eager but dimwitted Dale perfectly voiced by Samberg. A special mention should be made of the bad guys, namely a CGI polar bear rockin’ a holiday sweater vest (hmm) and Seth Rogen who’s a hoot as a badly rendered motion-capture Viking dwarf from a twenty-year-old or so video game (“Yes, I’m looking right at you!”). He’s perhaps the best “insider joke” in a setting full of intentionally “off” computer creations (complete with a nod to a holiday classic). Oh, and like WFRR you’ll want to hover over the pause button to catch all the wonderful cameos and the “knock-offs”. Ah, that’s another great joke as the story explains the cheapo “rip-offs” (called “bootlegs here) that populated the bargain bins at “dollar only” shops (“The Un-aging Pixie-Boy”, etc.).


Now, it’s high time that I lavish some praise on the very clever screenwriting team of Dan Gregor and Doug Hand for somehow delivering a warm nostalgic homage to a beloved show and its fans that’s also a skewering of Hollywood story cliches and the animation industry itself. Like much of the best cartoons, adults may be laughing harder and longer at the satiric barbs than the kids who may only want to see the cute critters. Of course, all this wit wouldn’t work without the top-notch direction of Akiva Schaffer (one of Sandberg’s “Lonely Island” pals), who keeps the story rolling on while knowing went to slow things a tad for the two leads to mend their tattered friendship. And it truly soars thanks to the army of craftspeople who make us believe in this modern fable, from the puppeteers who allow the ‘toons to move real items to those who build the sets to many different scales, to those animators at the computer and those at the “desk/lightbox” who “sweated” every detail (the airbrush-style shadows of WFRR aren’t here, but they even recreate the scratchy early 60s “copy-machine” outline for some of the extras). Though I wasn’t a fan of the original series (I dug the later shows, “The Shnookums & Meat Funny Cartoon Show” and Disney’s only action/adventure offering, “Gargoyles”), I found this “comeback” (as the poster says, “Not a reboot”) surprisingly entertaining and even a tad touching. If you’re in need of someone to save you from the family flick doldrums, then call on (or download) CHIP ‘N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS. Sorry (um, not sorry) Alvin, Simon, and Theodore!

3.5 out of 4

CHIP ‘N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS streams exclusively on Disney+ beginning on Friday, May 20, 2022

FLEE- Review

The following review was originally posted on December 2, 2021

This weekend sees the release of a new documentary concerning a subject that’s been covered extensively in the news over the last several years: the refugee crisis in the Middle East. Yes, it’s been part of the political debate, and countless reports have flooded the news outlets, not to mention feature-length and short-subjects “docs”. And yet this one feels fresh and immediate. Perhaps that’s due of the medium as this is an animated feature (well, about 95% of it), proving that that said medium (it’s not a genre) can be used to tell all sorts of stories (remember Spidey grabbing an Oscar, and the stop-motion drama ANOMALISA). Plus it’s a most intimate tale as it’s a coming of age saga related by a man whose later lifestyle would leave him no choice but to FLEE.


This true story of the now-adult Amin (voice of Riz Ahmed) commences in present-day Copenhagen as he is interviewed by a former classmate and friend Jonas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Amin isn’t eager to share painful childhood memories, as he finishes his education in the US while starting a home with his partner Kaspar. But he indulges his pal with early recollections of growing up in Kabul, during the turbulent 1980s. He romps through the dusty streets while clad in one of his sisters’ dresses, dashing into the kitchen just as his grey-haired mother prepares Dinner. Many of those silver strands came from losing her military pilot husband who was arrested when the new communist regime took power. As the battles crept closer to the city, Amin’s family had no choice but to escape. Luckily his oldest brother, who’s a “cleaner’ in Sweden, meets them in Moscow, the “holding place” until they can join him (he’s trying to get the funds together). Over the next months, the family must hide in the tiny Russian apartment, avoiding the police, as they attempt to leave the country via arduous hiking and a rusted cargo ship all arranged by brutal human traffickers. Through it all, Amin trudges forward while realizing that his sexuality would prevent him from ever returning to his homeland.


Much as with the aforementioned SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, the art of animation is elevated beyond family fables and musicals, to delve deeply into one man’s journey, both geographic and emotional. And though much of the current animated fare is done digitally, this film harkens back to the golden era of hand-drawn, or 2-D, films with the look of a graphic novel brought to vivid life. The main characters are given a simple outline, the thickness resembling a pen point or perhaps a well-worn marker. Basic curved lines and slashes represent the main features like eyes and noses. The colors are natural and subdued, often bathing the characters in a hue to emphasize their moods or the urgency of the sequence (the blues make us feel the cold during a winter trek through the snowy woods to the “escape vessel”). Yet there’s still room for moments of whimsy that might not have worked with live-action (a wink from an 80s action movie star). Early on, we even get a homage to a sketched MTV staple from A-Ha. Best of all, the choices help us focus on Amin and his family, as the bystanders are often rendered with blank faces, while the most harrowing memories are down with a jittery urgency with silhouettes blurring across pale color swatches. And kudos to the sound mixers who place us right in the middle of brutality, then suddenly escort us to the bliss of the countryside. It’s a triumph for the director Jonas Peter Rasmussen who co-wrote the film with its subject Amin Nawabi (their screen voices, Ahmed and Coster-Waldau, are also part of the producing team). My biggest compliment is that it feels like a feature version of the great shorts from the National Film Board of Canada (the highlight of many traveling animation fests). With its distant approach, FLEE. puts us right in the well-worn shoes of this weary world-explorer.

3 Out of 4

FLEE is now playing in select theatres and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

BELLE (2021) – Review

Here in the US movie audiences have embraced animated features based on fairy tales for well over eighty years when Walt Disney gambled on the story of Snow White and her seven forest pals. And how do they travel overseas? Very well indeed as many foreign lands contributed to the wealth of animated fable features. Now comes a new take on a much-beloved story that the “mouse house’ tackled over thirty years ago. No, it’s not another “live-action” retelling as the Disney Studios did in 2015. The master film artisans of Japan have put an interesting high tech “spin” on it, but it’s not a CG effort, like a Pixar flick. This is somewhat futuristic with the same themes of swooning romance between a reviled creature and the beauty known as BELLE.

Before the love story properly commences, we’re given a short prologue, a primer on the virtual community existing online known as the U. Its super-sophisticated system allows members to enter via an earpiece that gathers biometric info on the user to create a unique “avatar” in the U world. The most talked-about character (in all the chat rooms and forums) is the pop music diva, Belle. But who is she in the “real world” (true identities are protected)? She’s a shy high school girl named Suzu (voice of Kaho Nakamura) still dealing with the tragic loss of her mother many years ago. She’s drifting away from her widowed dad but has a few close friends at school. There’s Ruka (Tina Watanabe), who shares her online secret and acts as her agent/guide in the U. Suzu also has a protector in her childhood pal/crush Shinobu (Ryo Narita). But Suzu really lives to become Belle and headline massive concerts in the towering U cities. Then the unthinkable happens, a savage beast disrupts her biggest show, zipping through the crowds while being pursued by an army of “super peace-keepers” led by the handsome Justian (Toshiyuki Morikawa). Belle/Suzu is drawn to the dragon-like beast and locates his hiding place, a massive ornate castle. Unfortunately, Justian and his forces follow her and threaten to “unveil” and destroy the hulking horned creature. His only hope for survival is Suzu, who needs to find out his “real world” identity. But who can it be? Perhaps it’s Shinobu or his canoe-crazy pal Shinjiro (Shota Sometani)? Can she solve the mystery before she suffers another devasting loss?

So, yes this does owe a lot to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, both the original tale and the various film incarnations (including Walt’s), but this clever take from writer/director Mamoru Hosoda expands on the familiar with elements of TRON, THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, and CYRANO. It is of two worlds, the U online and the real, with the emotions running high in both. Suzu and her pals are dramatically expressive, making every day in high school fraught with danger at every corner. Ditto for the U, though the avatars have more fluidity and grace rather than “gangly panic” (no “sweat beads” there). Then there are the visual palette differences. Yes, : reality’ has moments of loveliness with tranquil rippling streams and drifting fluffy clouds. But oh, the online wonders of the U paradise. Rows of skyscrapers form art deco mountain ranges as dazzling multi-hued pixies and critters dance in and out of the canyons. Belle herself is a luminous neon goddess, her long hair dancing about her lithe figure. A stark contrast to the “Beast” a lumbering creation with a warthog/equine face, scowering eyes, a robe to hide its bruises, and dangerous longhorns. His home is a sharp-edged, grim-grey explosion of shapes and lines. Oh, the animation is close to the classic “hand-drawn” 2D style, though computers greatly aided in the airbrush-like character colorings and the eye-popping effects (buildings explode in delicate, shimmering shards of reflecting glass). And though the “real world” is often too melodramatic (lots of static figures with mouths always agape), the U dimension carries constant surprises. It’s a marvel mixing timeless themes with futuristic fantasy. And that’s the true beauty of BELLE.

3 Out of 4

BELLE is now playing in select theatres

SING 2 – Review

So, did you blow out your vocal cords when you went from house to house caroling this holiday season? Would you rather watch somebody else croon some tunes for your entertainment? And if they’re cute and fuzzy, why all the better! After you knock back some hot tea and lemon, head over to the multiplex because an encore concert is about to start. Encore? Yes, can you believe that it’s been five years and a day since a menagerie of cuddly critters warbled dozens of pop tunes and standards. Yes, that long ago! So take a break from the Christmas “crunch” and shuttle the whole family to the moves to tap your toes (but please refrain from joining vocally) along with the cartoon cast of SING 2.

During those years it appears that all’s going well at the New Moon Theatre. The current musical revue based on “Alice in Wonderland” produced by Buster Moon (voice of Matthew McConaughey) is a smash. He’s so confident that he invites a talent scout from The Crystal Tower Theatre in fabulous Redshore City to catch it, with hopes that her boss will pick them up for a residency. Unfortunately, Ms. Suki ( Chelsea Peretti) is unimpressed and heads to the lobby right after the big “Let’s Go Crazy” number. She tells the pleading Buster that they’re just not ready for the “big time”. But he and his troupe are not deterred, so Gunter (Nick Kroll) blurts out an idea for an outer space revue, and they soon pile into a bus for a road trip to Redshore. After a bit of subterfuge, they make it into the plush penthouse office of Mr. Crystal (Bobby Cannavale) himself. But he’s not interested until the cast guarantees that reclusive music superstar Clay Calloway will come out of retirement to be part of the cast. Crystal gives them a “go”, so now Buster and number one Clay fan Ash (Scarlett Johannson) have to convince the “legend” to perform again. And there’s still plenty of backstage drama to deal with. Male lead Johnny (Taron Eggerton) clashes with the impatient dance director Klaus (Adam Buxton), but he learns the “moves’ with help from street dancer Nooshy (Letitia Wright). Then Crystal insists that his talent-challenged daughter Porsha (Halsey) replace the nervous (afraid of heights) Rosita (Reese Witherspoon). Plus the female lead Meena (Tori Kelly)has no chemistry with vain Crystal Theatre star Darius (Eric Andre), as she’d rather spend time with dreamy ice cream vendor Alfonso (Pharrell Williams). Can Buster and his pals possibly pull everything together in order to avoid the wrath (and pointy fangs) of the vicious Mr. Crystal?

As is the case with many film sequels, I can say with confidence that if you enjoyed the first flick, then you’ll probably enjoy this one, too. I must admit that I’m not in that group. Watching a hundred or so minutes of “fuzzies’ and friends doing karaoke just wears thin on me. Now, you got each main character’s “origin” story last time, so this all hinges on the new plot or “show’ and all the new characters introduced. Buster’s got a pretty fearsome villain to butt heads with in Mr. Crystal, a snarling sociopath in the mode of Shere Khan or Scar, with street guy swagger. Kudos to the filmmakers for making him more dangerous than buffoon-ish, even at the risk of spooking the “wee ones”. And I like his daughter Porsha, who’s more dim than deadly, though she often enjoys flaunting her privilege. Plus Halsey and Carnavale do a great job as their respective “pipes”. But the best of the bunch is Clay, a slow-moving stoic silver lion with a surprisingly warm Texas drawl, considering his vocal “source” ( a true rock icon that I won’t spoil, though he’s on the poster). Also visually pleasing is the background design which makes Redshore a bright shiny pastel-colored near-mirror image of a certain gambling/entertainment mecca. Ditto for the forced perspectives of the outer-space show sets and auditorium with the singers and dancing zipping along on wires that dangle them dozens of stories above the adoring throngs. All this tries to make up for another fairly thin story and some tiresome slapstick bits. Recent films like the superb ENCANTO have set the bar very high for animated musical features, as the tunes reveal more info on the characters while pushing the plot forward, rather than stopping everything for a big brassy solo. And this flick’s hero, Buster, is just pleasant to the point of dull banality. Like its predecessor, it may make a good “first film” for toddlers with its tunes and soft colors. But for more discerning viewers, and fans of the talented folks at Illumination Animation, you may get more than a bit “fidgety’, and wish you were seeing another adventure of Gru and his Minions, rather than the simple show-biz shenanigans of SING 2.

1.5 Out of 4

SING 2 opens in theatres everywhere on Wednesday, December 22, 2021

SPIRIT UNTAMED – Review

With the kiddos finally out of school (unless they were still “splitting the time” online and in-person), the studios are actually releasing some “child-friendly” fare right into the gradually re-opening multiplexes. Not a big superhero blockbuster, but an animated adventure arrives this post-holiday weekend. Is it something new from the “mouse house”, or its sister company, the recent Oscar-winner Pixar? Well, this is from one of their biggest rivals, the “studio that SHREK built”, Dreamworks Animation. And it’s not exactly new, but more of an “inspired by” than a sequel or franchise entry. It all goes back to a “2D’ (or “classic cell/drawn”) feature from nearly twenty years ago. That feature spawned a “3D’, or “CGI/computer”, streaming series on Netflix. But things have come full circle (much like a corral) as the property returns to theatres, though still “computer-rendered”, with (cue the whinny) SPIRIT UNTAMED. Giddyup!


Now, jes’ you hold yer’ hosses’! This tale starts with a flashback, sometime in the late 1800s. In the frontier town of Miradero, everyone gathers for the big annual rodeo celebration. The highlight is a performance by the amazing rider/acrobat Milagro Novarro-Prescott. Her biggest fans in the adoring audience are her husband Jim and their toddler daughter that everyone calls “Lucky”.Oh, but luck is not with her that fateful day, as a stunt while perched atop a beautiful showhorse goes horribly wrong. Fortunately Lucky is too little to understand the tragedy, while her papa is consumed with sadness. So sad, that Lucky is sent off to live with his older sister Cora (Julianne Moore) in the Eastern US mansion of her grandpa’. But as Lucky grows into a pre-teen, her mother’s rebellious nature comes to the fore (she wrecks a big political banquet). It’s then decided that Lucky should reunite with her Daddy, so Aunt Cora accompanies her on a west-bound train. It’s there that Lucky first sees the beautiful Spirit, leading a group of wild horses running alongside the locomotive. Unfortunately, the leader of a group of no-good varmits’, the brutal Hendricks (Walton Goggins), also sees the stallion and hatches a plan to capture the herd and sell them to finance their next big “job”.. The father and child reunion is strained when Lucky tells Jim (Jake Gyllenhaal) that she wants to find Spirit. Fearing that she will suffer the same fate as her mama, he forbids it. But when Hendricks snares Spirit and holds him at a local stable, Lucky, with her new pals Pru (Marsai Martin) and Abigal (McKenna Grace), tries to free him and eventually protect all the wild horses from the evil outlaws.


This simple story is elevated by the vocal casting of several screen (big and small) veterans. And there’s even an Oscar winner, though Ms. Moore’s Cora is mainly there for comic relief, an uptight starched shirt that will take a tumble into the water trough (among many indignities). But Moore gives it her best, though she deserves something more interesting than slapstick peacemaker in the household. Gyllenhaal voices the head of the household and brings haunted compassion to the morose man in need of some fun. And that comes in the form of Lucky, played by relative newcomer Isabella Merced who projects a bouncy can-do attitude, adding to her character’s empathy and fearlessness, a young lady who’s much more than a “damsel in distress”. The cause of much of that drama and disaster is the sinister Goggins, who makes Hendricks an often charming rattlesnake (you never turn your back on him) who oozes civility when cozying up to Cora, but shows her true colors to his cronies. Another great vet, though sadly underused here is Andre Braugher as the stable owner, and Pru’s dad, who offers a friendly shoulder, and good advice, to Jim.

Directors Elaine Bogan and Ennio Torresan give this childhood wild west fantasy a nice glossy, candy-colored sheen, ready-made for the retail toy shelves. I can see the rows of Spirits, his caramel coat perfectly balanced with patches of white. And nearby the kid characters with slightly oversized noggins illuminated by wide eyes (the three young girls and annoying, wanna-be comic relief kid brother Snips with tiny donkey). But unlike rival Disney/Pixar, and even the other Dreamworks franchises, there’s just not enough emotional depth or conflict to engage audiences apart from the “pre-K’ set (guessing this may be the first theatre experience for many wee ones). Sure, there are disagreements, but nearly everyone is “nice”, which helps us appreciate the Hendricks gang, their character design filled with sharp angles and beady eyes, a contrast to the smooth, soft Prescotts and company. This is really a “mild” rather than wild west with the town of Miradero more of a pristine theme park (exit through that gift shop, natch’). The story hits all the correct “girl power” buttons, but there’s little for that coveted “all-ages crowd”. At least Spirit doesn’t quickly submit to Lucky, forsaking his “wild side” to hasten the plot. My mind drifted often, thinking about Lisa Simpson sitting in the front row of the Springfield Aztec for multiple showings. Now if she made the trio a quartet, well, then you’d have something. I’m certainly not the target audience, but beginning filmgoers deserve something more engaging than the cotton-candy fluff of SPIRIT UNTAMED. Whoa, dismount!

1.5 Out of 4

SPIRIT UNTAMED is now playing in select theatres everywhere

I LOST MY BODY – Review

Review by Stephen Tronicek.

I Lost My Body, now nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, is a good example of just how far ingenuity can get you. It’s a creative, mind-boggling affair, full of expressionistic animation, yet falls short of its intended heights. Watching it feels profound, beyond that feels muddled. 

I Lost My Body follows two stories: First the story of Naoufel (Hakim Faris/Dev Patel), a young man attempting to find peace and love in the face of his tragic life and second, the story of how a dismembered hand is attempting to find its body. There’s plenty of thematic material to be mined out of how a piece of person is both created and at what point it’s time to let it go…I Lost My Body just never quite gets into that exploration. 

Instead, it opts to use these plots to dance around these themes. The love story, in which Naoufel is attempting to find peace, missteps. It uses flashbacks to Naoufel’s childhood to present setups, but they don’t feel baked in. A fly does influence a pivotal time in Naoufel’s life but seems meaningless in its influence of other parts of the film/storytelling. Sure, that could be part of the point. Different elements of life don’t seem significant until they become significant. Unfortunately, that doesn’t do the storytelling any favors. 

The adventure film aspect fairs much better. Co-writer/director Jeremy Clapin has a brilliant eye for these sequences in both pacing and character. As the hand traverses the bustling world, it encounters intense situations, rendered with the greatest of care. The hand has more personality than most of the humans. Its macabre encounters do too. The eerie nature of all of it reminds one of Hedgehog in the Fog. It is at once scary and sad. 

That being said, that type of resonance can only take the film so far. The climax seems disjointed (no pun intended) from the rest of the film and the resolution feels just as removed. No problem has been necessarily solved. No questions have been answered. It is simply life. 

To restate, this could be the point. If it is, it didn’t work for me. Underneath all of the animated wonder, I Lost My Body isn’t about much. It wears the shell of ingenuity, which it certainly has, but can’t always cover up the lackluster plot underneath. 

2.5 out of 4

I LOST MY BODY opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre. It is also streaming on Netflix.

Oscar-winning animation legend Richard Williams (1933-2019)

Word spread quickly this past Saturday through the world’s animation news outlets, word of the loss of one of the true innovators and greatest masters of the art form. Here’s how Variety reported his passing:


“Renowned animator Richard Williams, best known for his work on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” died Friday at his home in Bristol, England, Variety has confirmed. He was 86.

Williams was a distinguished animator, director, producer, author and teacher whose work has garnered three Oscars and three BAFTA Awards. In addition to his groundbreaking work as the animation director of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” Williams also animated the title sequences for the “Pink Panther” franchise and received critical acclaim for his first film “The Little Island” in 1958 and his animated adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” in 1971, for which he won his first Oscar.”

While many sources called him the creator of Roger Rabbit, a character actually created by novelist Gary K.Wolfe, it was Williams who brought the bungling bunny along with his pals and the population of “Toon Town’ to vivid life in the 1988 box office smash. Though this may be his most popular work, Williams was a most prolific artist in commercials, television, and feature films, making truly dazzling, whimsical title sequences for several 1960s classics beginning with WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT.

His art also extended to more dramatic fare, seen here in the newspaper editorial cartoon-inspired work on the 1968 THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE.

Three years later Williams received his first Oscar for his animated adaptation (seen on ABC-TV in the US) of A CHRISTMAS CAROL in a style evoking the pen and ink illustrations of the late 1800s (and using feature film Scrooge Alistair Sim).

And during the production of these classics, Williams was toiling away (in his spare time and on his “own dime”) on his epic project, a feature based on an Arabian Nights tale, THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER. But to help finance this, Williams returned to feature titles and created a sensation in the first two films the kicked off the revival of the Blake Edwards/Peter Sellers comedy series in 1975’s THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (Looney Tunes icon Friz Freeling had animated the Panther in the first 1960’s entry). Here’s some great movie-themed gags in 1976 follow-up…

Then in 1977 Williams would release his first full-length animated feature, not COBBLER, but the more “kid-friendly” RAGGEDY ANN & ANDY: A MUSICAL ADVENTURE.

Nearly ten years would pass until Steven Spielberg tapped Williams and his London-based studio to create (or re-create) the look of classic 1940s Hollywood Studio animation for the comedy/fantasy hit WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. Mr. Williams even lent his voice to Tex Avery’s MGM superstar Droopy (“Goooing up, sir?”). For his remarkable achievements, he earned another Oscar.

Of course, Williams poured a good chunk of his ROGER earnings into COBBLER, but due to financial conflicts, the not-quite-completed feature would be taken from him, heavily edited, re-dubbed, and combined with, to put it mildly, less polished animation. After a limited release by Miramax pictures as ARABIAN KNIGHT, it would see a home video release in 1993 under its original title. Despite these disappointments, Williams continued to inspire with the acclaimed book “The Animator’s Survival Kit” in 2002, and the shorts CIRCUS DRAWINGS and 2015’s PROLOGUE (which was nominated for an Oscar).

And now Richard Williams joins Walt Disney and his “nine old men”, the Fleischers, and the titans of Looney Tunes’ “Termite Terrace” as one of the medium’s greatest craftsmen and a true animation legend, whose work will be studied and admired forever.

RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR – Review

Last Sunday night during that big award show, between the lack of a host and THAT musical duet, you may have detected a slight tremor or rumbling emanating from “Tinseltown”. That’s because one of the winners may have begun a “sea change” (though an “A change” may be more accurate). we’re talking about the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film going to SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, the first full-length US produced entry in the two decades of the category that was really aimed at an older audience, teens and young adults rather than the toddlers and pre-teens. Aside from some brief flirtations in the ’70s and early ’80s (Ralph Bakshi’s FRITZ THE CAT to his take on THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Hollywood aimed animation at that “all ages” demographic. That’s not the rule overseas, really. Foreign filmmakers have utilized the animation medium to tell all manner of mature stories. Over the years the Orient has produced hours of such “mature-themed” films (and TV shows and home videos). This new release actually comes from a place many, many miles east: Hungary. With a storyline steeped in the art history of Europe, a new talented company of craftspeople looks to the past and future with RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR.

It begins with an idyllic train journey for Brandt (voice of Ivan Kamaras) through the rolling hills of Central Europe. His club car companions are more than a little odd. Then a screeching figure appears at the car’s window. The shift to horror gives way to darkness before Brandt bolts upright, having endured another in a string of “night terrors”. Several countries away, a sultry ‘cat burglar’ named only Mimi (Gabriella Hamori) is escaping the Louvre after “smashing and grabbing” Cleopatra’s hand-fan. Her escape is nearly thwarted by a handsome young freelance insurance investigator (really a fancy P.I. from D.C.) Mike Kowalsky (Zalan Makranczi). Their flirtatious game of “cat and mouse” wrecks havoc on the streets and citizens of Paris, until she tosses the fan and eludes her pursuer (and most of the Surete). Cut to a lush country estate where we meet Brandt in his professional capacity, a celebrated psychotherapist catering to a unique clientele: master criminals. His therapy group is soon joined by Mimi who has compulsion issues (seems she was “hired” to snag a massive diamond, but spotted the fan and couldn’t resist, much to her employers’ anger). When Brandt awakes from another nightmare his patients want to help. He believes that a glance at a famous work of art is a “trigger”. The solution? The group decides that they must steal, er, “collect” these pieces in order to stop these sleepless nights. Thus begins a global “museum caper”. Soon Mike K is on their trails, but so are countless criminals trying to collect a multi-million dollar bounty on the crew. Can Brandt’s burglary brigade triumph? And what is his connection to the mysterious Mike?

As with the aforementioned SPIDER-VERSE, this work truly looks like no other previous animated feature thanks to the superb work from its creator Milorad Krstic. Aside from the confident direction, he co-wrote the screenplay with Radmila Roczkov, co-produced, and was one of the editing and camera teams (talk about having your fingerprints all over “it”). The first thing to notice, as with most animated films, is the visual look. the backgrounds convey endless horizons in the rural locale, while the cities have that hard-edged angular look of man-made concrete caverns. Then there’s the character design that comes from the abstract art movements of the last century. Some supporting players sport three, often four eyes. Others have all their features “bunched up” on the right sight of the face ala’ Picasso. Brandt’s nose takes up most of his face, like a massive palm leaf ending at a point with two bubble nostrils. Mimi is a tribute to early cinema heroines with a Louise Brooks jet-black bob and two feline curled eyes resting just off her seed-shaped face. During her chase with Mike, they dash through several cafes and apartments, zipping past countless figures of intriguing shapes and costumes. Everyone moves with a flowing grace, closer to pencil than the computer (which was probably used for the streamlined vehicles: cars, boats, and that titanic train). Of the main criminal gang, the most whimsical may be the man who is proud to be a “two dimensional” who seeks RB’s help with an editing disorder (he’s not getting thick, but rather he’s too wide to slip under the doors).

As also mentioned earlier, the witty script offers us a wild overview of art history, with many famous pieces reinterpreted through Krstic’s warped lens. The nightmares spring from many different sources from Manet’s “The Olympia” to Andy Warhol’s “Elvis I and II”, with enough looks at other works to fill several galleries. Or frames of film, which figure into a subplot involving subliminal imagery. Speaking of cinema, the story also includes several clever nods to movie genres, other than Mimi’s “look”. The walls of Mike K’s apartment are adorned with weapons, all labeled with their respective film appearances. There’s the knife from FIRST BLOOD, right above a straight razor from THE UNTOUCHABLES. And as he relaxes Mike enjoys a beverage cooled by ice in the shape of Hitchcock’s famous silhouette. The heist sequences are suspenseful and funny (one guy poses as a famous statue), as are the chases with luxury cars defying gravity as others cling to curved mountain roads. An animated film for adults (mostly a touch of nudity and a dash of blood) that’s a fun romp through the story of art and cinema? Yes, RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR is a dazzling dream-like delight for all adventurous film fans.

4.5 Out of 5

RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre