Hey guys my youtube friend Nels just finished this awesome series where he ranks all of the best picture winners. I don’t agree with all of his placements but I respect his reasons and I love that he goes over all the nominees of each year. It’s amazing for how young he is how he has seen all of the nominees and has thoughtful opinions about them. They deserve more hits so give them a view and a thumbs up!
Hi guys! So I only have a few moments but wanted to share with you guys my review of the new anime film Boy and the Beast.
This was my first film from Mamoru Hosoda and I was really impressed. It tells the story of a runaway boy Kyutu who wanders into Beast Kingdom- a land of anthropomorphic animals.
Kyutu meets a beast named Kumatetsu who is looking for an apprentice so that he can become Lord of the Village. Kumatetsu is a bit of a curmudgeon but he and Kyutu grow together.
The film follows Kyutu as he grows up and he finds love, learns to read and discovers more about his family. He also confronts an adversary that gorgeously morphs into a whale.
The animation is stunning in Boy and the Beast and I found the story to be moving. I loved the way the camera moved through the crowds and the layers of people. The rendering and martial arts movement was true art and I was captivated.
The villain is a bit underdeveloped and a few of the subplots are unnecessary but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think you will too.
Overall Grade- B+
Have you seen Boy and the Beast? What about other works of Mamoru Hosoda? I’m told his Wolf Children is great. I will definitely be looking it up and watching it soon.
It’s kind of crazy I haven’t done a Disney Canon review since November 7, 2014! Of course last year there was no Disney Canon film so that caused the delay. In return for the delay, we get 2 Canon films this year with Zootopia and Moana. And my friends, I will start the hyperbole early because if Moana is half as good as Zootopia, than I propose 2016 is the greatest year ever for Walt Disney Animated Studios. Yep, I really believe that is true.
Zootopia is a real gem, a special film that lives up to the all the hype.
Now I was not initially sold on Zootopia. I didn’t love the first 2 trailers and then the 3rd trailer I worried showed too much. I was also nervous because the previous anthropomorphic film, Chicken Little, is one of my least favorites- relying too much on puns and a strange combination of 3 stories in 1 with a mean-spirited tone.
Fortunately, I can happily inform all of you my fears were unfounded. I know all film is subjective, but I would be surprised if every last moviegoer doesn’t find something to love about this movie. It just seemed to have it all.
I will only tell you a brief summary so no worry about spoilers
Zootopia exists in an anthropomorphic world where animals have evolved past their original predator and prey natures and live in harmony- particularly in the more evolved big city. Little Judy Hopps grows up in the country and hears the stories of Zootopia a city where ‘anyone can do anything’.
She decides as young bunny to become a police officer and to her parents chagrin get a job on the force under Chief Bogo. Judy is part of an affirmative action type program promoting minorities within the force. You see, all of the other officers are predators (lions, bears, elephants etc). Chief Bogo has no time for this bunny and assigns her to parking duty.
As a meter maid she meets a fox Nick Wilde who is a sly con artist. Through various turn of events her and Nick get involved in a case involving missing mammals. Chief Bogo gives Judy 48 hours to solve the case or it is back to parking duty.
That’s all I will say about the story because I want it to be a surprise. (I will do a full spoiler review later on like I did with Inside Out).
Going into Zootopia, I thought it was going to be a straight on comedy but like The Lego Movie it manages to weave together emotion, humor and beautiful visuals all together in a very entertaining film. But perhaps even more effectively than Lego, is the message at the heart of the film. Zootopia has the potential to change perspectives of children and families.
I certainly can’t think of any other Disney Canon film that tackles such topics as diversity, tolerance, hatred, racism, bullying, fear, and more with so much skill and power. I can imagine families all over the world talking about the way Judy is treated and marginalized and the way people use fear to control and justify hate. It’s really quite remarkable.
Yet the film never becomes preachy. This is not a Fern Gully or even a Fox and the Hound. This is because all of the characters have these fears and prejudices and are also victims of them at different points in the story. This makes great characters without a bad corporate greedy guy villain like in The Lorax (boy what a contrast that movie is with this!).
It also weaves the message within the case and Judy’s journey to never give up on her dreams. It never felt heavy handed or like a message movie to me, which was refreshing.
It’s remarkable how likable and endearing the characters are. I loved Judy Hopps and her underdog spirit so much (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin). Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, is slick, sarcastic but sweet in his own way. They are such a great combo. You can tell that they did voice work together (not common in animation) because the chemistry is there!
The other characters are great. Idris Elba, JK Simmons, Tommy Chong, Octavia Spencer, Jenny Slate and more are used effectively and unlike most say Dreamworks cast do not feel there for only celebrity-sake. Perhaps the only unnecessary star is Shakira as a pop singer Gazelle but she is in the movie very briefly.
While Zootopia wasn’t the uproarious comedy I was expecting, there are some good jokes. I definitely laughed a fair amount. Disney is even willing to poke fun at itself. For example, there are 2 Frozen jokes that made me chuckle.
I was worried the movie might feel too generic with its buddy cop elements but it really doesn’t. The setting is so different with unique worlds like Tundratown, Rain Forrest District and Bunnyburrow that it helps keep it fresh. And to be honest, I don’t really mind a familiar plot if everything else is engaging and working and this was.
It’s hard to compare Zootopia to Frozen and Tangled. I will leave those comparisons for Moana, but I do think it is better than Big Hero 6 and Wreck-it Ralph, despite those being strong films in their own way.
And I don’t want to undersell Zootopia’s stunning visuals. The world building is remarkable and full of surprises. I loved all the character designs and how they kept everything to scale like real animals. Judy is a bunny so of course she is way smaller than the bears and lions. That was brilliant.
It’s funny, sweet, with 2 wonderful lead characters kids and adults will be able to relate with. There are jokes for adults like Godfather references and things like that but nothing too tawdry.
And then it adds to all of those strengths with an amazing message about fear and discrimination that was perfectly executed.
Aside from Shakira not needing to be there, the only ‘negative’ is for kids under 4 there are some scary scenes and moments of peril. But if they can handle scary moments in other Disney titles like Big Hero 6 or even Aladdin they will be fine. Some may find the way the case plays out a little predictable but I enjoyed it. 
Congrats to Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush for a fantastic job. Oh and tremendous score from Michael Giacchino as well. What a great movie. I can’t wait to see it again this weekend!
Overall Grade- Definitely gets an A+
Have you seen Zootopia? What did you think? Put in the comments section below. Thanks!
Here’s my youtube review:
This month I am taking care of my Blindspot entry early. This is the series where we watch a classic we have never seen before and give our thoughts on it. I have already done Blade Runner, Tron and now we look at The Dark Knight Rises. Yes my friends, today I saw Dark Knight Rises for the first time. I’m probably one of the few Americans who can say that!
The reason why I was hesitant to see it was because I didn’t really care for Dark Knight (I know shock. Ah, horrors, I have no taste!). It was too cynical, violent and frankly creepy for me. It was dominated by a mesmerizing villain and I don’t like stories about villains. I like stories about heroes. So I was reticent to see the final installment and then the Colorado Shooting happened and it put me over the edge. You can read my thoughts on that day here.
I quoted my cousin who said:
“How about the very movie that was showing in the theater where the shooting took place?! I know The Dark Knight Rises is the movie of the Summer, but I walked out because of how intensely violent I felt it was and the ruthless killer Bane was dark and evil. After 20 minutes I went back in because I didn’t want to feel left out… (wish i would have chosen differently now.) i know its bold to say, but we cannot keep watching this violence on screen and expect to be exempt from it in real life!”
I admit I have become a bit more immune to these things than back then but the violence in Dark Knight still bothered me when watching it a few weeks ago.
So that’s all kind of background to my viewing experience today. And…
I have to be honest- I liked The Dark Knight Rises a lot more than I thought I would. Why? Well, at its core is a message of hope that a city can rise up and confront evil. In the Dark Knight, on the other hand, the most noble soul turns into the villain. It’s the opposite message. Everyone, even Batman has an angle and isn’t that different from the Joker after all.
That’s not to say it is perfect but I did enjoy the viewing experience a lot more. I know I’m unique in that but I’m not writing these reviews to tell you what you want to hear but what I truly believe.
So basically the plot in Dark Knight Rises is Bruce Wayne is blamed for the death of Harvey Dent, who is looked at as a hero. He goes into hiding for 8 years. Bane, a masked beast of a man, played by Tom Hardy is on a mission to remove corruption from Gotham by removing what he see’s as injustice. Injustice with the government, wealth, commerce and everything else.
Bane is trained by Ra’s al Ghul from Batman Begins (who trained Batman) and he is also on a mission to kill Batman who killed Ra. Bane tricks Catwoman Selina Kyle to get Bruce Wayne’s fingerprints and he stages a takedown of the stock exchange destroying Bruce and Wayne Enterprises.
The plot does get pretty convoluted at that point but Alfred resigns (and is missing most of the movie), Lucius becomes involved, Commissioner Gordon is hunting down Bane as best he can and we get to meet John Blake who is essentially a Robin-type story. There is also Wayne Board Member Miranda Tate played by Marion Cotillard who wants to see a fusion reactor produced for energy but Bruce fears it could get into the hands of people like Bane.
Bane tries to stage a type of Marxist revolution killing off the powerful and rich while manipulating the common people with fear. This is in the end is not effective when many people fight back (literally in a type of battle) and Batman pays the ultimate price. The film leaves us with the message “a hero can be anyone”
One of the things that bothers me about most Batman movies is Batman is always the most boring person in the film. Dark Knight Rises is an interesting situation because he is not really the lead character. The City of Gotham is the lead, and its transformation is what is compelling.So basically Batman Begins is about Bruce becoming Batman. Dark Knight is about the Joker and the power of evil and corruption. Dark Knight Rises is about the City of Gotham and it finding its hope again.
That’s not to say there aren’t problems in the film. Batman is in the film too little and there are probably too many scenes of Bruce watching the action in prison. Also it can be difficult to understand what Tom Hardy is saying with that mask on. There are also other plotholes like his speedy recovery with a leg brace from a debilitating injury but it’s a comic book movie. I guess I expect that kind of heroics in a comic book movie. I don’t watch this genre for gritty realism. And in reality there are plotholes in Dark Knight whether people chose to acknowledge them or not.
I’m not saying Dark Knight Rises is a masterpiece. I don’t know if I feel that way about any superhero movie outside of The Incredibles; although there are many I enjoy. I’m just saying I appreciated the change in tone from the previous installment.
I also loved Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. She was confident, sexy, and smart. Her performance certainly wipes the bad taste out of my mouth from Halle Berry’s Catwoman. That’s for sure! I thought she was really entertaining.
Miranda Tate while fine was more of an average character, and I don’t know that I completely buy her big reveal at the end. It feels a little cheap to me. Nolan didn’t need to make everything in all 3 movies tie up in a perfect bow. We even see Scarecrow in a cameo during the sentencing scene. That wasn’t really needed.
Also many of the other characters are relegated to bit roles. Alfred has very powerful moments but then is missing for most of the movie. Gordon we don’t see enough of , as well as a number of other characters.
As far as Bane goes I found his political motivations to ‘share the wealth’ kind of interesting but like I said he is tough to understand at times and is a little one-note. The fight scenes are intense but perhaps because I wasn’t as creeped out by Bane as Joker they didn’t bother me as much as the violence in Dark Knight.
If I’m honest you do kind of tell this was the B storyline that they had to use with Heath Ledger’s passing but I still think it turned out very well.
Dark Knight Rises feels like a comic book movie and not a crime drama. That said, having seen how the story ends I do appreciate the Dark Knight much more than I did before (it might not sound like it but it is true). I can now see the story as a true trilogy and the hopeful ending does make the middle violence a little more palatable. It is almost better to think of the 3 films as one long movie and not 3 separate stories. 
Of course the direction is well done by Nolan with beautiful cinematography from Wally Pfister and terrific score from Hans Zimmer. I don’t think Nolan has made a technically bad movie yet.
You could definitely make an argument that Dark Knight Rises is self-indulgent at its 165 minute time and there are definitely lags but over all I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Chop this one up to low expectations if you want.
There’s hope for Gotham and that makes me happy!
Overall Grade- B
So we got our first full trailer for Finding Dory today.
I must own I thought the trailer was just ok. I like that girl shark they show. She looks fun and the visuals of the ocean look amazing. I can’t wait to see that! But the story does concern me a bit. Pixar has always had a philosophy of never repeating the original film with their sequels. So far I’m just not seeing what is going to make Finding Dory unique. That concerns me a bit.
What was so great about Finding Nemo is how surprising it was. Things like the AA sharks are hilarious. I still laugh at those scenes. Plus, the dual plotlines of Nemo in the dentist office and Merlin looking for his son were delightful. The ocean was beautifully portrayed and I loved all of the tense, emotional and funny moments. The seagulls- hilarious!
It makes me wonder- how is Finding Dory going to surprise me? As much as people hate Cars 2 I’d rather watch that then a warmed over Cars duplicate. At least they were trying something new and different. I enjoyed it with its flaws. I hope they surprise me and try something new.
But it should also be noted that Pixar isn’t always great with their trailers for some reason. This one had things I liked and am looking forward to but it didn’t wow me.
What about you? What’d you think of the trailer?
There are a few videos I haven’t shared with you guys from my youtube channel that I thought you might like. I’ve been working really hard to improve the quality of my videos and get one posted every day. Some stuff I post simultaneously on this blog and on the channel.
Other things I stagger and other things I post on one or the other. I’ve been doing some really fun stuff on the channel including my weekly Disney Canon Project, Family Movie Night and Obscure Animation Monthly pick. There are other videos but I don’t want to push my luck. Subscribe to the channel and you will get alerts on the daily posts.
Some of my Disney Canon Project reviews are different than my blog reviews. Things can feel different on a rewatch and with my blog reviews I was grading based on Disney films not on films at large. You will find that in general I am a bit more generous in the video grades than on the blog for that very reason. At the end of the day, it’s still Disney animation and there is almost always something to entertain me even in flawed films.
I don’t expect you to watch all of these but if any of them look interesting give them a watch. I’d be so grateful and if you feel so inclined give them a thumbs up.
Also if you have any suggestions for Obscure Animation or Family Movie Night please put them in the comments section. For March we are watching Transformers: The Movie for our Obscure Animation. Admittedly this is more under-appreciated than obscure but I think it still fits. I would love any feedback or comments you can give. Thanks!
Obscure Animation
Family Movie Night Picks
Disney Canon Project
Movies I Saw in February