Kiki's Delivery Service

A Hayao Miyazaki film is always a beautiful thing to watch (or rewatch) on the big screen.

It's a good thing I knew what I was in for, though, or I might have walked out during the super-crappy "GKIDS Mini-Fest" animated shorts that played out before the film.

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Spirited Away: 15th Anniversary

The movie is a masterpiece, of course, and breathtaking when viewed on the large screen.

The "Ghiblies" short features, though, are mostly a waste of time, pretty much just animators fooling around & letting off some steam--but I can't help but think if Disney/Pixar were to allow their staff such leeway, their more recent work would be a whole lot more creative & breathtaking.

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OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2015: ANIMATED

This year's selections were the best they've been in some time; I think my favorite is Me and My Moulton.

Sadly, though, the award may well go to the very pretty but completely uninspired & unoriginal Disney entry, Feast.

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Big Hero 6

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to follow this, as I'd missed the first 5 movies, but I ended up liking it a lot!

The best part of the movie, by far, is the very final minute or so.



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Frozen (late post)

Double the princesses!

Double the merchandi$ing might!



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The Wind Rises

Starts out on such a whimsical, fantasy-rich level, of course I was disappointed as I realized the whole thing could not end well.

While I respect the artist's annual assertions of having just made his last film, I do hope that when he does finally bow out, it's on a note so cute as to make Hello Kitty's teeth hurt.

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Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014: Animation

A bunch of sh!t, and also a Mickey Mouse cartoon.  

Actually, I liked two of them--three, if you count the ostrich & giraffe "hosts" (they would be my second-favorite). 


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The Oscar-Nominated Short Films 2012: Animation

I was eager to see whether there was a film more amazing and award-worthy than "Paperman."

There really wasn't.

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Paperman

In my review of "Wreck-It Ralph," I forgot to mention the absolutely best part of that movie.

It was this amazing, creative, short that aired before the movie, and featured a beautiful classically-animated style!





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Wreck-It Ralph

What was so great about this movie was seeing all of the classic video game characters, and watching for semi-hidden references in the background--it's a shame the pedestrian story ended up getting in the way!

This feature really would have benefited from having its best bits pared down to an eight-minute, star-packed comedy.

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Hotel Transylvania

Not a bad movie--though certainly not a great one--I guess I'm just happy to watch an animated movie that is not yet another Dreamworks or Pixar retread-sequel.

I couldn't tell from listening that Adam Sandler was the lead, so major points for that.

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ParaNorman

A beautiful animated film that adults can enjoy--artistically-crafted, funny, and smart.

Which is fine, I guess, if that's the kind of thing you are into.



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Arjun: The Warrior Prince

The artwork is gorgeous, though the animation is plagued by a total lack of blending between hand-drawn & computer-generated elements, and the images don't always hold up to the proportions of a large movie screen.

The story itself is full of intrigue & action, and is a lot of fun--especially if you don't care whether you always are able to follow what the hell is going on.

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The Oscar-Nominated Short Films 2012: Animation

Some years, I can’t decide which feature I love the most, and which is the most worthy of the Academy Award.




This year, what I can’t figure out why the category even exists if this is the best they’ve got.






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The Secret World of Arrietty

Wait, did I just see a family-friendly movie that had NO FART HUMOR?

What it did have was plenty of suspense, whimsy and action, and I can’t wait for the next movie from Studios Ghibli.

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Beauty and the Beast 3D

I love seeing this great movie back on the big screen, but of course 3D was unnecessary.

In fact, it seems to inflate any flaws that were there—lack o f attention to detail on background characters, for example.

Pokémon the Movie: White — Victini and Zekrom

How exciting-- a brand-new, magical pokémon creature is introduced, and it's a huge fan of macarons.

It's obvious the cartoon version of the cookie is better than most versions I've ever tried.



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Lion King 3D

Yes, I'm a hater of the 3D fad, but this works--and I knew it would.

It's like a great-big View-Master reel.




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Winnie-the-Pooh

I'm sorry this film was made; I really wish the creative people at Disney & Pixar would focus on breaking new ground, rather than the current tread toward sequels & retreads.

That being said, this was an excellent accomplishment.



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Kung Fu Panda 2

While largely enjoyable, the sequel is less fun & more violent than the original, and the slight design changes leave some of the characters looking at times maquette-ish.

The movie's very final moment leaves things wide open for yet another sequel--a very unnecessary sequel.