A Bug's Life (1998) review

(10/10)

A lot of Pixar fans say this is one of the weakest films they made, but the voice acting, clever script, beautiful imagery, and simplicity of the story come together to make it an overall great film.

PLOT:Flik (Dave Foley) is an oddball ant in his colony on Ant Island. He always tries to come up with a new way to gather grain and food faster to reach the ants' annual goal: collect enough food to offer to the grasshoppers, who offer them "protection" while really pushing them around, and then scavenge enough for themselves. However, Flick really screws up with one of his inventions and loses all of the food gathered up for the grasshoppers, causing them to burst into the anthill and demand twice the amount of food by the end of the season. Flik then, to the great disappointment of Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and the rest of the colony, stands before trial to be sentenced. Flik comes up with an idea, though, to go out to the city and find bigger bugs to help them fight the grasshoppers away. Granting Flik his wish in hopes he won't return, the council sends him out to the city where he finds a group of bugs appearing to be tough. However, little does Flik know that they are circus performers. It's a good plot executed very well.



VOICES:The voice acting is done very well and just very well cast overall. Dave Foley plays a great part as the outcast hero, Flik, as does Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the princess-in-training, Princess Atta. Kevin Spacey also plays a very great part as the villain and leader of the grasshoppers, Hopper. There really isn't a bad performance in the whole film. The other shiners would have to be Phyllis Diller as the Queen, Richard Kind as Molt, Hayden Panettiere as Dot, Joe Ranft as Heimlich, David Hyde Pierce as Slim, Jonathan Harris as Manny, Denis Leary as Francis, Madeline Kahn as Gypsy, Michael McShane as Tuck and Roll, Roddy McDowell as Mr. Soil, Bonnie Hunt as Rosie, and John Ratzenberger as P. T. Flea. The cast is nearly all-star as is.

SCORE:The score in this film is light and very well composed by the great Randy Newman, with a unique theme and original song, called "The Time of Your Life".

ANIMATION:The animation in this film is very beautiful and pretty detailed for its time. The animation of the blue sky, green trees and grass, and the many different colors of the bugs are just beautiful, colorful, and detailed overall. If you don't appreciate the movie for its story, you could at least appreciate it for the beautiful, early Pixar animation present.



OTHER CONTENT:This Pixar film is known as one of the weakest because it doesn't go as deep and intricate into its story and lesson as the likes of Wall-E or Ratatouille. However, I believe the pure simplicity of the story and its lesson of making a difference and standing up for yourself is enough to accomplish the simple task of making a great film and entertaining the masses. I will admit, I'm also partial to this film because it was a major part of my childhood and the memories that came with it. However, this Pixar film also has some pretty smart dialogue between the characters to match, played off the characters very well. I honestly don't see that much of a flaw in this film. It's simple, beautiful, and well-acted to say the least.

OVERALL,it's a great animated film with a great plot, very well done voice acting, light and well composed Randy Newman score, beautiful animation, a simple and entertaining story and lesson, and some smart dialogue.

Monsters University (2013) review

(7/10)

This prequel to the popular Pixar favorite was actually a pretty fun ride through the origins of the popular monsters with college humor laid throughout. However, a lot of cliches and borrowed elements were used to make this movie.

PLOT:Ever since he was little, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) has wanted to work as a scarer at Monsters, Inc., the biggest company in their world. So, he goes to the best college in their world for the job, Monsters University. While there, he meets and rooms with a younger and much friendlier Randy Bogg (Steve Buscemi) and forms a rivalry against young Jimmy Sullivan (John Goodman), the slacker with a praised family name in scaring. They enroll in scaring class but due to their weaknesses, Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) kicks them out. Mike is devastated and Sulley's mad, but then Mike gets the idea to enter the Scare Games, the college's most famous event, and prove himself to the Dean that he can be a scarer. However, Mike must deal with Sulley's attitude and turn his loser sorority, Oozma Kappa, into a winning team. It's a good plot executed very well.



VOICES:The voice acting for the most part was about as good as the first movie. Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi all played very great and still-fitting parts of Mike, Sulley, and Randall. The new voices were really good also. Helen Mirren played a great part as the strict Dean Hardscrabble. There really wasn't a bad performance in the movie. The other shiners would be Joel Murray as Don, Sean Hayes as Terri, Dave Foley as Terry, and Charlie Day as Art.

SCORE:The score in this movie is mainly made up of borrowed score from the first Monsters movie. It's still good though, with a few new and cool themes throughout done by the great Randy Newman.

ANIMATION:The animation in this movie is very colorful and pretty detailed for the most part. The animation of the various monsters was pretty cool, especially on the freaky-looking Dean Hardscrabble.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie was a pretty good addition to the Pixar canon of movies and pretty fitting prequel to the older classic, Monsters Inc. This addition added a lot of color, college humor, unique perks, and interesting points as a Pixar movie. I loved some of the dialogue and the big climax near the end; not to mention, the movie was pretty funny by itself. I also enjoyed the references the the first movie this made. However, some of the jokes and plot elements seemed a little cliched at times and it made this seem like just another animated movie at times.

OVERALL,a good Pixar movie with a good plot, good and fitting voice acting, borrowed but good score, colorful and detailed animation, some funny moments, good dialogue and a good climax, but this seems to borrow a lot of familiar cliches and plot elements from past movies.

Brave (2012) review

(9/10)

I didn't expect this to be as good as it really was. Pixar has caught back up with themselves with this film, for it's fantastic, emotional journey through family and fantasy.

PLOT:Young Merida (Kelly MacDonald) is a princess in her clan in Scotland. She hasn't really followed tradition completely, however, and acts more like her father, King Fergus (Billy Connolly), instead of her saintly mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). Merida likes to ride her horse out into the wilderness and shoot her bow. However, things are about to change thanks to the Queen, for the time has come around for Merida's betrothal date, and she must decide out of a competition which son of the three other clans to choose. Merida doesn't want to get married yet and just wants to be free, but her mother won't understand her. So, Merida stands up for herself and runs away, meeting an woodcarving witch along the way, who gives Merida a cake with a spell to make her mother change. The bad thing is that Merida's mother changes in a different and more fatal way than she imagined. It's a great plot executed brilliantly.



VOICES:The voice acting for this film is really, really good. Everyone has to enhance their usual voices by speaking in a Scottish accent, which is hard to do sometimes. The best performance has to go to Kelly MacDonald as Merida, for her voice acting as the main character took the show just as it should have. Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson also did a really good job as King Fergus and Queen Elinor.  The other shiners would be Julie Walters as the wise woman, Robbie Coltrane as Lord Dingwall, and Craig Ferguson as Lord Macintosh.

SCORE:The score in here was also very good. It was done in a Celtic mood to match the Scottish mood of the film with a very contagious couple of songs from Julie Fowlis.

ANIMATION:The animation in here was one of the best aspects of the film itself. This is one thing Pixar has never faltered at in any of their recent films. The animation in here is greatly detailed and very well done. I was impressed, as usual, with the lifelike quality of the animation.



OTHER CONTENT:This film was a really good one. Unlike Pixar's last attempt to move on without Steve Jobs leading (Cars 2), this film actually hit the mark and earned its Oscar for Best Animated Film of 2013 very well. This takes a simple idea for a fairy tale, adds a twist or two, and comes out with an emotional masterpiece with beautiful visuals and a fun trip for the whole family. The jokes and humor, however, seem to fall flat on their face sometimes and seem very directed to the younger age. It picks up near the middle though, when the main twist occurs. I always believed that Pixar never lost its charm, and now I know that it hasn't.

OVERALL,an awesome Pixar film with a great plot, really good voice acting, very good Celtic score, beautiful and detailed animation, and a charming and emotional trip for the family, but some of the humor falters a bit until the middle.

The Incredibles (2004) review

(8/10)

This addition to the Pixar canon is often overlooked, but that doesn't make it just as good as the rest. This action-packed, pulpy adventure is just entertaining overall.

PLOT:Bob Parr a.k.a. Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) is a super-strong former superhero who married Helen a.k.a. Elastagirl (Holly Hunter), who can stretch extremely long distances. Since the supers were forced to keep their secret identities and try to live normal lives a long time ago, these two have tried to settle down and live a normal life with their kids Dash (Spencer Fox) and Violet (Sarah Vowell), along with their neighbor, Lucius a.k.a. Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). However, Bob has been longing to relive the glory days and is finally satisfied when a mysterious source contacts him, asking him to do some specific superhero work. However, this work could lead to the re-lighting of an age-old spark with an enemy. It's great plot executed very well.



VOICES:The voice acting is really good. Craig T. Nelson does a great job of voicing Bob Parr, and Holly Hunter does almost better as Helen Parr. Among these two great leads, Jason Lee does a really good job as the villian, Syndrome. The other shiners would be Sarah Vowell as Violet, Wallace Shawn as Mr. Huph, Brad Bird as Edna Mode a.k.a. E, Elizabeth Pena as Mirage, and John Ratzenberger as The Underminer.

SCORE:The score is really well done. It has a jazzy feel to it from Michael Giacchino that makes everything run more smoothly in the film.

ANIMATION:The animation is pretty good. It was the basic Pixar animation with a lot of action put into it. It was different how they experimented with colors in here though. It seemed as though they silhoutted different colors on the characters' faces to get a certian mood. It could be just me, but it seemed pretty different to me.



OTHER CONTENT:This is a really great but overlooked Pixar film. It does have a few flaws, but it's still a really good film. It's action-packed, entertaining, and is just a good story told overall. However, this is one of the Pixar films that doesn't have as much meaning as some of the others, like Wall-E or Up. There are also some scenes where the execution seems a bit offset. Either way, this one has been worth multiple watches for me. I really like it still.

OVERALL,a great Pixar film with a great plot, really good voice acting, well-done jazzy score, pretty good yet different animation, lots of actiong and entertainment, and a really good story overall, but it doesn't hold as much meaning as some other Pixar films and there are times that things seem to be a bit off-set.

My Most Anticipated Movies of 2013

The year 2013 has come upon us maybe a little quicker than we thought, but nevertheless, there are still a lot of movies to be released this year that we will all want to see. This, my friends, is my most anticipated movie list of 2013, so far.


Title: WARM BODIES
Release Date: Feb. 1
Directed by:Jonathan Levine

As preposterous as a movie about a zombie falling in love with a girl sounds, this has somehow hooked me to see it. It goes against the formula of zombies being unfeeling, undead servants and delving into one zombies mind as if he were a captured soul being controlled by zombie impulses. Could this actually be a decent movie? We'll just have to see because this has me hooked.


Title: BEAUTIFUL CREATURES
Release Date: Feb. 13
Directed by: Richard LaGravenese

All my friends have read or are planning to read this book in school, and from what they've told me about it, it sounds really interesting. It involves some paranormal/mythological stuff mixed in with an interesting love story, as most teenage books nowadays. However, seeing the trailer for this one actually gave me hope that it won't be another generic teenage sleeper. I'll keep open-minded.


Title: OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
Release Date: March 8
Directed by: Sam Raimi

I've always loved the Wizard of Oz and I was thinking about how it could eventually use a re-vamp. Well, I finally got it from none other than the great Sam Raimi of the Evil Dead and Spiderman. I'm sure he'll do good to the near-lost franchise, especially with performances from Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and James Franco. I'm sure this one will be really good, and I can't wait until it comes out.


Title: THE ABC'S OF DEATH
Release Date: March 8
Directed by: Kaare Andrews (mainly)

This one really appeals to the horror fan in me. This horror project is made up of 26 individual chapters done by 26 individual directors. With all of this production, I'm hoping it's as good as it can get.


Title: SCARY MOVIE 5
Release Date: April 12
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee

They've been teasing us about this one for a really long time, but now, they're finally talking about releasing it! I've been a decent fan of the Scary Movie franchise and have been waiting for this one to finally come out. Maybe it won't be as dreadful as some of its predecessors, especially with Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan.


Title: THE EVIL DEAD
Release Date: April 12
Directed by: Frederico Alvarez

The original classic by Sam Raimi is a favorite of mine and my overall favorite horror film, but a remake of it? I don't think it's really necessary, but since they're remaking it, it'll be interesting to see how they do it. At least it still has the original producers, so it can't be that bad....hopefully.


Title: STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS
Release Date: May 17
Directed by: J. J. Abrams

I never really got into the old Star Trek movies as I did with the old series, but I really did like the new movie in 2009, so this should really be interesting to see. It makes me wonder what's going to happen.


Title: THE HANGOVER, PART III
Release Date: May 24th
Directed by: Todd Phillips

I loved the first two Hangovers, and a third one was just inevitable to be made. With all the same actors, I'm sure it'll be somewhat of a riot even if the idea isn't as fresh as it originally was.


Title: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
Release Date: June 21
Directed by: Dan Scanlon

I said something about this one in one of my past blog posts, but I want to bring it up again because it's being released this year. I really liked the first Monsters Inc. movie and I've always wanted a sequel. I still didn't get one, but this is better than nothing, I'd say. I can't wait to see how this one will turn out.


Title: DESPICABLE ME 2
Release Date: July 3
Directed by: Chris Renaud

I really enjoyed the first Despicable Me movie, but I really didn't think they would make a sequel to it. I didn't think it was necessary either. However, the trailer poses a pretty interesting twist mystery that could really set it off, plus it seems to keep some of the same hilarity the original had.


Title: PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS
Release Date: August 16
Directed by: Thor Freudenthal

I actually kind of got into the first Percy Jackson movie, even if it did have a lot of flaws in it. I've actually been waiting for the day they finally turn up a sequel to it. Now the wait is over. Will they improve or not?


Title: THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
Release Date: November 22
Directed by: Francis Lawrence

I really liked the first book and movie of the Hunger Games series and I've been looking forward to the next one ever since. I can't wait until this one comes out, especially now that they gave it a different director. It might actually be a little more well shot this time.


Title: THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
Release Date: December 13
Directed by: Peter Jackson

I really, really enjoyed the latest Hobbit movie in theaters and enjoyed the fantasy Jackson put into it. This title implies this is where a lot of the action occurs, and I hope so. I actually can't wait to gather up my friends and spend another late, three-hour night of watching this in theaters.


Title: THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
Release Date: December 25
Directed by: Ben Stiller

I had to read this short story in school one day and I kind of enjoyed it. I'd like to see a movie adaptation of it in more modern times, especially sporting a cast of Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley McLaine, and Kathryn Hahn. I've heard there was an older adaptation on film, but this ought to be interesting.

There you have it, readers! You've just read my starting list of films I'm looking forward to in 2013.

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!

Up (2009) review

(10/10)

Even the second time through, this is one of Pixar's I can truly call flawless.

PLOT:Carl Fredrickson (Ed Asner) has always been an adventurer. Alongside his best friend Ellie, he explored and conquered lots. Later on they marry and plan to go to Paradise Falls, the land that time forgot in South America. Their inspiration, Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), lives there in his blimp, The Spirit of Adventure. They save up their whole lives to go to Paradise Falls until Carl finally gets enough money to buy tickets there. Unfortunately, something unexpected happens and Ellie passes away. We know this early on in the film, for in present day, Carl is old and retired, living alone in the same old house which is awaiting to be bulldozed. After an accidental attack to save his house, he's almost forced to move to a retirement home. However, his spirit of adventure drives him to fill up a million or so balloons so that he can finally fly to Paradise Falls. A pesky hitchhiker has hitched a ride, however: a pesky, young boy scout by the name of Russel (Jordan Nagai). In an unexpected turn of events, they end up just hours from Paradise Falls and have to walk there with the house, yet the meet some weird characters, such as a giant, colorful bird named Kevin and a talking dog named Doug. This all links together in a creative story we find out later on. It's a very creatively-written plot executed brilliantly.



VOICES:The voice acting in here was pretty well done. Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer both did a great job as Carl and Charles. Jordan didn't do anything special, but he did a good enough job to be considered less than annoying. These are the shiners, with the honorable mentions going to Bob Peterson as Alpha and John Ratzenberger as Construction Foreman Tom.

SCORE:The score was very well done by one of the greats, Michael Giacchino. The theme was very light-hearted and the more intense score fit the moods very well.

ANIMATION:Just as Pixar always does, the animation is simply beautiful. The characters have a bit more realistic detail, however, and the backgrounds and objects seemed way more colorful. This one definitely showed respect to the Pixar name.



OTHER CONTENT:This film would be perfect with or without the animation. The story is unique and creative, the emotional impact was great and brilliantly introduced, and the charm and wit was enough to win any casual moviegoer over. I seriously couldn't find a fault in this film!

OVERALL,an epic Pixar film with a creative and brilliantly-executed plot, well done voice acting, well done and fitting score, beautiful animation, a unique story, a great emotional impact, and plenty of charm and wit.

Toy Story (1995) review

(10/10)

The film that started it all: nostalgic, innovative, and great entertainment for all.

PLOT:Cowboy toy Woody (Tom Hanks) has always been the leader of Andy's Room and all of his toys. One day, Andy gets a Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) spaceman action figure for his birthday and immediately falls in love with him. He starts to play with Buzz more than Woody, making Woody jealous; in turn, all of the other toys start to like Buzz better and start to do more with him than Woody! One day, Woody says that he's had enough and sets in a clever plan, knocking Buzz out the window. Now Woody must get Buzz back to relinquish the shame this deed has brought him and set things back to normal all before the big move. Not to mention Buzz actually believes he's a space ranger instead of a toy. What can come of this? It's a very good plot idea executed excellently.



VOICES:I believe this film contains some of the best voice casting I've seen for an animated film. Every voice did a great job with their role. The ones I want to mention specially are Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, R. Lee Ermey as Sargeant, Jim Varney as Slinky, and Joe Ranft as the binoculars. I believe Hanks and Allen shined very well in here as one of the perfect buddy teams. I actually didn't think Varney didn't go as far out in here as he does the Ernest movies, but that doesn't really matter.

SCORE:The score is composed of songs and pieces by the great Randy Newman. It was all very good, including the memorable songs. My favorite is "Strange Things".

ANIMATION:The animation in here is a milemark in the world of animation, for this was the first computer-animated film the world ever saw. The animation was very simplistic, but today it comes off as nostalgic, bright, fun, and even beautifully executed at times.



OTHER CONTENT:This film made up the obsession and joy of most of my young childhood, considering this came out the same year I was born. It was this and Star Wars that vied for the top spot of my childhood movies, but this was it. I had all the toys, all of the film nostalgia, and knew almost all of the lines. This film brings back not only memories, but creates feelings of childhood whimsy, everlasting freewill, and nostalgic joy. This, though it's a children's film, is one of the most perfect film's I've seen from the plot twists down to the animation. No one can hate this film.

OVERALL,an epic animated film with an excellently executed plot, some of the best voice casting, good Newman score, nostalgic animation, childhood whimsy, the feeling of everlasting freewill, and all the ingredients it needs to be a perfect film.