Chicken Run (2000) review

(9/10)

This movie was a great part of my childhood. The humor is clean and funny, the voice choices are great, the animation is good for its time, and it's very entertaining overall.

PLOT:Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) is a tough, greedy owner of a chicken farm. These chickens have pretty much dedicated their boring lives to laying eggs for Mrs. Tweedy, except for one brave chicken named Ginger (Julia Sawalha), who constantly tries to escape and lead the other chickens to freedom. No attempt has ever been successful, however, because of Mr. Tweedy (Anthony Haygarth) and his dogs constantly watching. Ginger's just about ready to give up when she meets an American circus rooster named Rocky (Mel Gibson), who flew into the farm and hurt his wing. At this moment, Ginger convinces Rocky to stay and teach them to fly. However, there seems to be something fishy about this rooster; not to mention, egg sales are going down so Mrs. Tweedy might have to resort to drastic measures to make a profit off of the chickens. It's a good plot executed greatly.

 

VOICES:The voice acting in this movie is great. Mel Gibson and Julia Sawalha play a great pair as the American rooster, Rocky, and the dedicated rebel, Ginger. Miranda Richardson and Anthony Haygarth also played a couple of great parts as Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy. There really wasn't a bad voice in here. The other shiners would have to be Jane Horrocks as Babs, Lynn Ferguson as Mac, Imelda Staunton as Bunty, Benjamin Whitrow as Fowler, Timothy Spall as Nick, and Phil Daniels as Fetcher.

SCORE:The score was pretty good as well. The score was simple but matched the moods of each situation and reminded me a lot of Aardman's previous works (the Wallace and Gromit shorts). There were also a couple memorable musical numbers, including a rather entertaining scene with "Flip, Flop, Fly".

ANIMATION:The animation in here was really good for its time. The claymation was fun and very cartoonishly detailed. However, compared to today's claymation marvels (Coraline, Corpse Bride, Curse of the Were-Rabbit), it seems a tad outdated. It's not as detailed.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie is just an entertaining treat. There's plenty of charm to go around as well as mostly-clean slapstick humor. It was a lot of fun. This movie has enough charm, humor, action, and slower moments to have the spirit of a great variety show. The only flaw I had with it is that the animation kind of took me out of it. Though memorable and a great part of my childhood, now it just seems outdated. However, I still love the spirit of this movie. They just don't make them like this anymore.

OVERALL,an awesome animated movie with a great plot, great acting, simple yet fun score, memorable animation, good slapstick, plenty of charm, lots of action, and a handful of slower moments to balance it out, but the animation is getting a little outdated and took me out of the experience a little bit.

My Thoughts on the Upcoming Animated Films

There are a lot of interesting animated films coming out later this year and possibly next. I'm only doing the ones which have already had a trailer released. We have more from Pixar in the future and even some stop motion from the likes of Tim Burton. So, without further ado, here's my thoughts on the future animations.

PARANORMAN
Release Date: August 17th
Directed by: Chris Butler

This movie from the creators of Coraline (one of my favorites) is about a boy named Norman. He's always been the weird kid in school, but there's a reason for that. Norman has the spectacular power to see ghosts and the dead. One day when he's warned by one of the dead that something bad's going to happen, he must band with a few unlikely heroes to save the town from an evil witch. This one looks like it's going to be pretty good. The animation looks just as good as it did in Coraline, but it may be better. It looks like it might be a little more juvenile, however. I have high hopes for it, considering the fact I loved Coraline.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
Release Date: September 28
Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky

In this creature-themed movie, we learn that all monsters, from Frankenstein to the Wolfman, all go to one place to rest up and that's Hotel Transylvania, owned by Count Dracula (played by Adam Sandler). On this particular night, it happens to be a celebration for the daugther of Dracula, Mavis's (played by Selena Gomez) 118th birthday. However, the unlikely happens and a human wanders into the castle. To keep things cool, Dracula tries to give the human room and board, as promised. Yet, the human starts to fall in love with Mavis. Obviously, things don't go too well. This looks ok. It really is a great idea, but it looks like a hit-or-miss, especially with Adam Sandler doing the voice of our lead. Along with the two I mention, the other celebrity voice talents are Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Cee-Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Andy Samberg, and David Koechner. If the all-star cast can't make up for the mistakes this might make, than it's obviously doomed. However, I still have some high hopes for this one as well.

FRANKENWEENIE
Release Date: October 5th
Directed by: Tim Burton

Tim Burton decides to revisit his days of animation in this adventure about a young boy who develops a friendship with his dog. However, one day the dog dies, and he's left sad. He gets an idea later on to try a Frankenstein move and bring his dog back to life. He succeeds and now he must keep it secret from his friends and neighbors. Of course, somebody finds out and everything goes wrong. This one looks very retro in its looks, for it's all in black and white and the trailer advertised it as that of a midnight horror movie in the '50s. The voice talents are laced with some of Burton's usuals: Winon Ryder and Catherine O'Hara. However, there are a couple newer faces, such as Martin Landou and Martin Short. The animation brings back the feeling of the Corpse Bride and Nightmare Before Christmas quite well, for Burton's animation is quite distinctive. I believe this one is a true hit-or-miss, but with all the retro-hype surrounding it, and the seemingly-improved animation, I expect it to be loved by a good audience.

WRECK-IT RALPH
Release Date: November 2nd
Directed by: Rich Moore

Disney tries again with their own brand of computer animation with this tale about a classic '80s, video game villain, Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly), getting tired of always being the villain in the game and not being loved by the kids who play these games. So, he sets out game-jumping to find a game he can stay in and be the hero. However, this is not easy with today's games, considering he gets stuck in a kind of war game that's completely new to him. It sounds like a great plot idea, and it looks like it's going to be pretty clever from the trailer. In the trailer, we see villain-cameos from that of Bowser (Super Mario), Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog), and the ghost from Pac-Man as well as others. Besides Reilly, we also have voice talents from Jane Lynch and Sarah Silverman. The animation actually looks pretty good too. I have high hopes for this one, but I'm a little worried about it considering that Disney's last new idea for a new animated film, Mars Needs Moms, fell flat. I still am looking forward to this one greatly.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
Release Date: November 21st
Directed by: William Joyce & Peter Ramsey

In this animated film, the beloved guardians of childhood, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost, and the Sandman, all band together to protect the children of the world from the nightmarish ways of the boogeyman known as Pitch. It's a very good idea for a plot, but it could easily fall flat on its face. However, with voice talents of Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, and Chris Pine and with Guillermo Del Toro producing it, I believe it's going to be quite epic. The trailers are making it out to look epic anyhow. The animation looks pretty stunning just from looking at the trailer, also considering they gave some of the childhood icons a new look. I'm looking forward to it, but who knows how good it's going to be? It's still a DreamWorks movie.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
Release Date: 2013
Directed by: Dan Scanlon

The much-awaited sequel for the 2003 hit, Monsters Inc., has finally arrived. However, it's not in fact a sequel, but a prequel. This movie documents Mike and Sully's college days: how they met, how they became friends, and how they became the top scarers they are today. This one is another true hit-or-miss. I don't think a prequel would've worked as well as a sequel. You had more to do with a sequel than you would with a prequel to the original Monsters. Of course, we still have our two lead voices coming back to reprise their roles as Mike and Sully, Billy Crystal and John Goodman, and we also have Steve Buscemi, Dave Foley, Jennifer Tilly, Frank Oz, and (of course) John Ratzenberger. If they do this right, it could be a pretty good sequel. However, this could suck a lot if they don't put in the right amount of spirit as they did in the last one. Come on, Pixar, let's do this right!

EPIC
Release Date: May 2013
Directed by: Chris Wedge

This is the one I know the least about, for I only saw the trailer in the new Ice Age movie, but from what I've gathered, it's about a herd of bugs that have summoned these small people called Leaf Men to protect them from an evil spider queen. This one, like Rise of the Guardians, was based on a book series written by William Joyce. The animation looks quite dazzling to say the least, but is it going to be good? Well, it's from the makers of Ice Age and Rio, so it's another hit-or-miss. It's really hard to tell how this one's going to be, but I predict that it's going to be quite magical. The voice talents in here are pretty diverse, including Beyonce, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Knoxville, Aziz Ansari, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, and even Steven Tyler. With that voice cast, what could go wrong? Lots, if used wrong.

FINDING NEMO 3D
Release Date: September 14th
Directed by: Andrew Stanton

This one's really not new, I just wanted to include it because I'm also looking forward to it. I saw the 2D version in theaters when I was a little kid and I always wonder what it'd look like in dazzling 3D, with all the colorful reefs, menacing sharks, a sharp-toothed barracuda, and even a scary anglerfish. The animation has and always will be magical, stunning, and brilliant, but in 3D, unless the go all digital wash-out on it, it'll be even better. Those are my hopes, at least.

...And there you have it. Those are my thoughts on the upcoming animated films in this year and early next year. I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on each. Thanks for reading and stayed tuned for reviews!

Shark Tale (2004) review

(4/10)

This is one of DreamWorks' flops that reassures me that Pixar's tons better.

PLOT:Oscar (Will Smith) has been a nobody his whole life: broke, ridiculed, and working at a "Whale Wash", the fish paralell to a car wash. One day, when Oscar's boss, Sykes (Martin Scorsese), tells Oscar he needs five grand that he borrowed within 24-hours, Oscar must get it. With the help of his friend, Angie (Renee Zellweger), he gets it and squanders it, leaving Sykes and his jellyfish minions (Doug E. Doug and  Ziggy Marley) to take drastic measures. Meanwhile, the sharks are at the top of the food chain and rulers of the ocean. The lead shark, Don Lino (Robert De Niro) tells Sykes that he's retiring and leaving his rule to his two sons Frankie and Lenny (Jack Black). The flaw in this is that Lenny is a vegitarian shark that can't kill a fish. Lino then tells Frankie to go out and show Lenny the ropes. Well, these two storylines meet when a fatal mistake klls Frankie and Oscar is blamed. Due to a white lie, he is now known as the shark-slaying savior of the reef. This, of course, can't last with the sharks after him, Lenny on the loose, and the fact that it's all a lie. It's a cleverly-thought plot executed pretty badly.



VOICES:The voice cast is mainly all-star, inlcuding the voices I've listed above along with Angelina Jolie, Michael Imperioli, Peter Falk, Katie Couric, and Bobb'e J. Thompson. However, this experienced cast is squandered; even the most expert voice talents, such as Jack Black, fail and become annoying. The only voices that actually did a pretty great job with their roles were Robert De Niro as Don Lino, Martin Scorsese as Sykes, and Doug E. Doug as Bernie with an honorable mention to Katie Couric as Katie Current (a clever play on words). Renee Zellweger did okay, in my eyes, but she still was pretty annoying, as the others were.

SCORE:The soundtrack is actually pretty upbeat and fun. It includes songs by artists such as Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliot, Ziggy Marley, Sean Paul, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, India.Arie, Pussycat Dolls, D12, and way more. Not to mention, this has one of the most memorable compositions by DreamWorks beloved Hanz Zimmer.

ANIMATION:This is the highlight of the entire movie. If it weren't for the colorful and detailed animation, this movie would have been even more of a drag.



OTHER CONTENT:This is definitely one of the worst DreamWorks movies. It's generic, unfunny, and at times, boring. This does have a few good things, however. There were times when it was clever and a lot of fun, and some jokes actually did inspire a chuckle or two. Still, it's pretty bad.

OVERALL,a not-bad-but-not-good DreamWorks movie with a pretty badly executed plot, squandered voice talents, fun soundtrack, detailed animation, generic style, unfunny jokes, and boring moments, but it can be clever and a lot of fun with its moments.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) review

(8/10)

They were right about this being the best of the series: colorful, funny, and actually touching, but it's still just a cliched kid's movie.

PLOT:In this third installment of the Madagascar series, we follow Marty (Chris Rock), Alex (Ben Stiller), Gloria (Jada Pinkett-Smith), and Melman (David Schwimmer) as they travel to Monte Carlo to reunite with the penguins and chimps (who flew away to gamble in a casino with lots of money). When they get there, of course, their plans fail and they end up on the run from evil, French animal hunter, Chantel Dubois (Frances McDormand). To escape her grasp, they hitch a ride aboard a circus train which the chimps (disguised) were able to buy from the owner. Not only must our heroes run from Dubois, they now notice that they have to train the circus animals to actually do well so they can get travel back home to New York. It's a great plot executed pretty well.



VOICES:The voice acting in here is better polished from the last one. All the original actors from the first two come back to reprise their roles and seem to outdo themselves compared to the last two. The shiners besides the four main characters are Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien, Andy Richter as Mort, Frances McDormand as Chantel Dubois, Martin Short as Stefano, Jessica Chastain as Gia, and Bryan Cranston as Vitaly. The ones with accents put so much detail into them whether they have them or not in real life. Cohen seemed to do better in here than the others for some reason.
SCORE:The score was mainly mood-fitting mixed in with a few well-placed songs, including Katy Perry's "Firework". It was pretty good.

ANIMATION:The animation in here is great! They have definitely improved over the past two movies. The characters are animated in the same manner as the past two, take away the people. There was way more detail in the moves and especially the colors. The colors! They made this movie about as worthwhile as the use of colors in "Toy Story 3".



OTHER CONTENT:This addition to the Madagascar series is definitely the best out of them all. It's more clever, funnier, more meaningful, and is just something pretty much new. However, this movie does fall in a couple areas. Though the humor is better than the past two, it is also somewhat more juvenile. Don't let it fool you, this is pretty much just another kid's movie. The sillier jokes ensure you of that. Also, it seems like DreamWorks threw in all of the cliches it has used in their past works to make the story of this. The story is pretty formulaic and cliched. For example, it uses the cliche of the characters telling a lie to get out of trouble and bonding with the other characters and then them finding out the horrible lie and turning their back on them. It also uses the classic movie-villian cliches. It is a kid's movie at heart, but albiet, it's a good one.

OVERALL,a great kid's movie with a great plot, polished voice acting, pretty good score, colorful animation, more cleverness, funnier jokes, more meaning, and something just plain new, but it's just a silly kid's movie at heart, and it's very cliched.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) review

(9/10)

This sequel is better than the original in just about every aspect of comedy, action, storyline, and animation, but the ending ruined it for me.

PLOT:Po (Jack Black) and the Furious Five are back at it again when an old enemy (Gary Oldman) comes back to retake his rightful place on the throne of all of China using a secret weapon he invented. This should be easy for our panda and clan, but Po is held back when he starts to remember tidbits about his past: his mom, his dad, and the loss of his village. Along with all of this, Po must learn to find his inner peace to defeat the new villain. It's a great plot idea executed epically, for a kid's movie.



VOICES:The voice acting in here was just about the same greatness as in the first. Some roles were better in the last than in here though. Jack Black still dominates his role as Po and ensures his name as the voice of the kung fu panda. The other shiners are Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, Gary Oldman as Lord Shen, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Lucy Liu as Viper, and Victor Garber as Master Thundering Rhino with an honorable mention to Jean-Claude Van Damme as Master Croc. I believe not only that Lucy Liu did a better job of voicing in here than in the first, but I also believe that Angelina Jolie had a better and more leading role.

SCORE:I believe the score in here was better than in the last one though still done by the great Hanz ZIMMER (corrected name). It was still epic, haunting at times, and detailed.

ANIMATION:The animation in here I believed to be better than the last one because of more detail and precision, making it come off as beautifully done.



OTHER CONTENT:This seqeul is one of the rare ones that are better than the first by far. This had better comedy, a stronger storyline, and even more thrilling action. As embarrassing as it is to admit it, this was actually sort of a tearjerker to me because of the stronger storyline. That means something. This could alternate as an animated comedy, a thrilling action movie, and a compelling drama. This is definitely a well-crafted film thanks to the new director. This one also had a more threatening and interesting villain than the last one. I enjoyed that. The only flaw I found in this movie was not that the storyline was familiarly arched (I didn't see it), but that they ruined the ending. Not to spoil it, but they left it open for another one. All loose ends were tied up; they should have just ended it here! It kind of ruined the movie for me.

OVERALL,an awesome animated film with a great plot, similarly great voice acting, better ZIMMER score, beautifully done animation, better humor, thrilling action, a stronger storyline, tearjerking moments, and an interesting new villain, but it left it open when it should have tied off all loose ends.

Kung Fu Panda (2008) review

(8/10)

It's just another DreamWorks movie, but this one actually works.

PLOT:Po (Jack Black) is a fat, lazy panda that works at a noodle shop with his father; he always dreams of being a respected kung fu warrior fighting among the Furious Five. One day, it is declared that it's time to choose the Dragon Warrior. In a crazy chain of events, Po is chosen instead if any of the Furious Five. Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) doesn't believe Po has the potential to be the Dragon Warrior and tries to make him quit, but with Shifu's former student gone bad, Tai Lung (Ian McShane), on the loose, he has to try. It's a good plot executed well, yet a bit formulaic.



VOICES:The voice acting in here was pretty good. Jack Black makes Po, as he does with all of his roles, his own. Black has a certain style which all of his characters seem to follow. The cast was pretty much all-star with those said above, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, and David Cross. The shiners out of this whole bunch are Jack Black as Po (of course), Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, Ian McShane as Tai Lung, Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Seth Rogen as Mantis, David Cross as Crane, and Jackie Chan as Monkey with an honorable mention going to James Hong as Po's father, Mr. Ping. I believe this had to be one of McShane's best voice roles, if he has any more. I like his creepy voice.

SCORE:The score was pretty well composed, as it almost always is by Hans Zimmerman. I liked a good bit of the themes in here.

ANIMATION:The animation in here was very good for a DreamWorks movie. It was very detailed and at times quite beautiful.



OTHER CONTENT:This isn't the best DreamWorks movie out there, but it's pretty good. The jokes were only sometimes funny, the combat sequences were well executed and intense, and the story, though formulaic, came off as pretty epic. The only flaw I noticed besides the formulaic familiarity was that it often stuck to one subject for a long period of time making it tired and monotonous. This movie truly goes to the kids, but if the adults can notice some of the smaller (or bigger) things, it can be an enjoyable film.

OVERALL,a great DreamWorks movie with a well executed plot, a pretty good voice cast, well composed Zimmerman score, detailed and beautiful animation, sometimes funny jokes, well executed combat sequences, and an epic story, but it's overly familiar to the DreamWorks formula and it sticks to one subject at times too much, making it tired and monotonous.

Madagascar (2005) review

(6/10)

To "celebrate" the opening of the new Madagascar sequel, I decide to recap with the original.

PLOT:In this DreamWorks flick, we follow famed Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), paranoid Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer), sassy Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett-Smith), and longing-for-something-new Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock) from the zoo in New York. When Marty's tenth birthday rolls around, he begins to long for the wild. Everyone else thinks he's crazy, until he escapes the zoo to satisfy his need. When his friends find him, they are caught by the humans, put to sleep, and sent on a boat to a wildlife reserve, but they never get there. A mix-up on the boat (which I choose not to spoil) has them end up on the wild island of Madagascar, which is ruled in part by King Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his lemurs. Now the four must try to keep sane and either go home or get used to the wild. It's a simple plot executed decently.



VOICES:The voice acting is pretty well cast. I think Stiller did a stellar job of voicing Alex as did Rock as Marty and Schwimmer as Melman. Each actor seemed to take the role and make it their own by adding his or her own style of acting into it. The only performers that I don't think did as well compared to the others was, surprisingly, Sacha Baren Cohen as King Julien and Cedric the Enetertainer as Maurice. They just seemed to do their jobs with a good voice, but no style whatsoever. Besides the four main performers, the other shiners include Andy Richter as Mort and Chris Knights (?) as Skipper.

SCORE:The score was made up of some pretty well composed themes and a few well-inserted songs; it was decent.

ANIMATION:The animation in here was pretty good. The movements were done precisely and quickly to keep the feeling of the movie going. The character animation was pretty cutesy, but the movements were done very well.



OTHER CONTENT:This isn't one of the better DreamWorks films, but it's not bad either. The humor in here was at times cleverly referenced and actually funny, to more crude and simple. I laughed a couple times, but I didn't appreciate its humor as much as, say "Over the Hedge" or "Shrek". I can only hope this new one has more to offer. The second I didn't seem to care much for.

OVERALL,an ok DreamWorks film with a simple plot, well cast voice acting, decent score, pretty good animation (especially with movements), and some clever jokes, but it was mainly crude and simple anyway.

Over the Hedge (2006) review

(7/10)

This is just one of those movies you can cut loose with.

PLOT:Afer RJ (Bruce Willis), a raccoon, tries to steal bear Vincent's (Nick Nolte) stash of food for the winter and loses it, he is forced to find a group of helpers to help him replace it before his week's time is up and Vincent eats him. The helpers he finds are a group of foragers who are led by a turtle named Verne (Garry Shandling). They have just come out of hibernation and are already on their mission to fill their log to the top with food for next winter, but there seems to be a problem. A large hedge has divided their woods in half with a human-infested seburbia on the other side. Now the creatures must figure out how to forage for their food. These two storylines collide when RJ comes and shows the family of foragers around town, gathering the food in the meantime for Vincent. As the popular vote would guess, this doesn't go completely well. It's a good, children's movie plot executed very well.



VOICES:The voice cast in here is all-star with the above mentioned, Steve Carell, William Shatner, Catherine O'Hara, Avril Lavigne, and even Wanda Sykes. The voice choices are comical, cartoonish, and fit for each character. The shining voices are Bruce Willis as RJ, Nick Nolte as Vincent, Garry Shandling as Verne, Steve Carell as Hammy, William Shatner as Ozzie, and Avril Lavigne as Heather. I thought Wanda Sykes voice was just as normal as usual with cartoons. Nolte's voice was dark and ominous as it should be. Willis actually has a good voice for animation; I think he should do it more often. Shatner was pretty hilarious. Honorable mentions go to Allison Janney as Gladys and Omid Djalili as Tiger.

SCORE:The score was composed of a couple themes by the great Hans Zimmerman and all songs were done cleverly and relaxedly by Ben Folds. I could just drift off to each song he sings easily. I love his style.

ANIMATION:The animation was pretty good for DreamWorks. I've seen much better, but it's not bad at all. The character faces seemed to be the most detailed.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie's just a good, little movie to cut loose and have fun with. It's nothing serious and nothing bad; it's just something to chill out to. Relax. The jokes were at some points clever, and at others stupid, but I do have to admit that that it has a little something for everybody from young child to teenager to adult.

OVERALL,a good DreamWorks movie with a good children's plot, all-star voices, great score by Zimmerman and songs by Folds, good animation, and some clever jokes with something for everything. It's a nice little movie to watch when you want to just cut loose for a little bit and relax.