oscars

Did the Right Film Win? 2008 Animated Oscars

| Rachel's Reviews

Hey guys! My next video in my analysis of the Animated Oscars is up.  This is 2008 and for a lot of you my thoughts won’t be a surprise as I have reviewed both Wall-e and Bolt on this blog.  I went on a little bit in this video but if you like it I’d love a thumbs up.  Thanks!

Overall, I think all 3 of the nominees in 2008 are strong; although, Kung fu Panda was not as strong as I remembered it on the rewatch.  I even gave it 2 chances and it didn’t wow me.  Particularly the humor isn’t my favorite, but it’s fine.  I can see why others love it and it’s not bad.  Just didn’t love it as much as I did when it first came out.

Bolt is an enjoyable film, if a bit forgettable.  The set-up takes too long but the characters are likable and overall it is entertaining.  I think it was a huge step in the right direction for Disney’s CG films and helped give them the confidence to make better films like Wreck-it Ralph, Frozen and Tangled.

Wall-e is Pixar’s most bold and daring film.  It’s beautiful and I actually love both the silent film and science fiction sections.  Unlike Kung fu Panda it’s a movie that I appreciate new things about it each time I watch it.  I love how the Captain’s eyes are opened and he see’s the fuller life he could live.  It’s really quite moving and tense as they fight the computer to live a better life.  And then scenes like the space ballet with Wall-e and Eve is just breathtaking.  I think it is the most beautiful artistry of Pixar’s history and the best CG has given us from any studio.

So in this case I clearly think the right film won.  What about you?

Did the Right Film Win? 2007 Animated Oscars

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi guys!  Happy labor day weekend!  I’ve been having a lot of fun with my sister in town, but I was able to rewatch Persepolis and watch Surf’s Up for the first time.   I just posted my video on the 2007 Oscars and I think all 3 films are very creative.

Ratatouille and Persepolis both made my Top 50 Animated Films Countdown and my Most Artistic Animated Films, so clearly I like both of them a lot.  It’s tough to pick which one deserved to win because they are both so different and I appreciate them for different things.  I went with Ratatouille because I love the ending so much but I can totally see going with Persepolis as well.  It’s a fantastic film that helped introduce many to a whole new ‘adult’ side of animation.

As I said, I had never seen Surf’s Up and I really liked it!  It’s very creative with the way it applies a documentary approach to an animated film.  The humor works.  The ocean and surfing scenes look gorgeous and I liked the message about winning and competition.  It’s a very strong film.

So, all 3 are great but in the end I think the right film won.  What about you?  Which would you pick?

Did the Right Film Win? 2005 Animated Oscars

| Rachel's Reviews

Today we get to one of the hardest years I think I will face in this analysis of the films nominated for Best Animated Academy Award each year.  I love all of the 3 films nominated and can see going with any of them.

Check out my video where I talk about the films and decide- did the right one win?  If you like the video give it a thumbs up.  Thanks!

Picking my favorite was difficult because they are all so strong.  In the end I went with Corpse Bride because I love the Danny Elfman music and being a lover of musicals that will always put a movie over the top.  I particularly like these 2 numbers.

What would you pick? Please put in the comments section. Thanks.  I’ve really loved this discussion on both  my channel and here on the blog from this series so thank you for contributing!

 

Did the Right Film Win? 2004 Animated Oscars

| Rachel's Reviews

Continuing on with my series analyzing the Oscar nominated animated feature films each year I am at 2004.

I’d love if you could take a look at the video and if you like it give it a thumbs up.  It’s a bit longer than any of my other videos but I had lots to say on The Incredibles!

My thoughts on the other films is basically Shark Tale is a complete failure.  I didn’t like the animation. The lead character is a complete jerk.  The world building isn’t good.  They don’t look like fish and there are no bubbles.  Most importantly I didn’t laugh once.  I personally think Home on the Range was a better film that year! I had never seen Shark Tale before last night and I can see why I avoided it.

Shrek 2 I think is the strongest of the series.  It has the most interesting story, more of the jokes work and it has a pretty good villain.  I still have some of the same issues as Shrek and it could have been about 15 minutes tighter but it definitely deserves the nomination.  Oh and I did like the music especially Jennifer Saunders.

What do you think of 2004?  I’m guessing most of my readers will agree with me The Incredibles was the correct winner for the year.

Did the Right Film Win? 2003 Animated Oscars

| Rachel's Reviews

Today I uploaded the next in my Animated Oscars: Did the Right Film Win series.  We are on to 2003 and we get 2 special films and one that I hate.

If you guys follow my blog you know I did not like Brother Bear.  You can read my full review to find out why I felt it made the wrong choice every time and got a rare F from me.

The two worthy nominees are Finding Nemo and The Triplets of Belleville.

Finding Nemo is the wonderful Pixar film about a father fish searching for his son who is in an aquarium miles away.  It is funny, creative, very well paced with beautiful seascapes.

The Triplets of Belleville is not for everyone.  It is challenging 2D animated film from Sylvain Chomet.  The story is about a woman who’s Grandson becomes a cyclist but then is abducted.  She meets a famous vaudville act The Triplets of Belleville who help her find her Grandson and sing a lot of catchy songs along the way.  There is no dialogue for the most part and it is very strange but I like it.  The animation is stunning and the music will make you want to dance.  It made my Most Artistic Animated Films list.

So what do you go with the artistic film with great music or the crowdpleaser with great heart and good jokes?  Watch the video and find out. 🙂

What would you pick? Would love your thoughts on if the right film won in 2003.

Did the Right Film Win? 2002 Animated Oscars

| Rachel's Reviews

Hey guys! Today I finished video 2 in my series on the Animated Oscars.  It is 2002 and so I asked Did the Right Film Win?

For this video I rewatched Ice Age and wasn’t very impressed.  I found the animation to look very amateurish and the story very predictable.  I’ve always felt it was a bit of a Monsters Inc copycat (studios loved doing that to Pixar in those days).  It’s harmless but I was surprised I didn’t enjoy it more on rewatch.

I also saw Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron for the first time and really enjoyed that.  It’s got striking animation and I liked they didn’t have the horse talk like in Bambi or other films.  The narration is all you need.  It’s kind of like Black Beauty in the Old West and I liked it. Definitely one of the better Dreamworks films and great music by Hanz Zimmer.

The rest are less a surprise to my readers.  Lilo and Stitch has really grown on me each time I see it.  Treasure Planet is beautiful but for some reason puts me to sleep. And Spirited Away is a complete masterpeice.

I’d love for you to put your comments on the nominees and winner.  If you watch the video and think it is good give me a thumbs up. Thanks!

Pixar Review 8: Geri’s Game

| Rachel's Reviews

geris gameAfter the release of Knick Knack in 1989 Pixar took a break from their animated shorts to make feature films, Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. This worked because the same crew which had grown up on the early shorts was ready to do longer films.  However, by the end of the 90s they had recruited a lot of new talent who they wanted to test out so they reinstated the animated shorts.

Their first short back is called Geri’s Game and it was designed to push their limits for creating a human being.  Nobody can deny that Geri looks a million times better than the humans in Toy Story who were used minimally so it worked but this is a whole another level.

gerris gaeIt’s a simple silent movie style story like most of the shorts but it is so charming.  It’s about an old man named Geri who is playing chess but with who?  With himself!  The thing that makes it so charming is as he moves from one side of the table to the other the film creates an illusion of 2 players and Geri gives both characters personality.  The player with the black pieces is feisty with a wicked sense of humor, and the other guy is more soft spoken and cowers in fear.

Geris_Game-billboard-02It’s a delightful little short and it is directed very well with neat perspectives where you capture the chess pieces from one angle and Geri from another.  It’s great stuff!

geris-gameGeri’s Game was released in 1997 so it won Best Animated Short in the 97 Oscars but it was shown to most of the public with the release of Bug’s Life.  This would become the 3rd Oscar with their special award for Toy Story and Tin Toy for best short in 1987.

It’s neat that Pixar has found a way to not only entertain us with their shorts but to nurture new talent and it is perhaps that reason that at least to me they haven’t made a terrible film.  You can feel the unique new voices coming out in shorts like Geri’s Game and it is a complete delight.  Also keep your eye open because Geri appears in many a future Pixar feature film including our next review Toy Story 2.

Overall Grade- A+

Pixar Review 4- Tin Toy

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi guys!  I’m back from Georgia and it is time for another Pixar short review and we are getting our baby on with the landmark animated film Tin Toy.

tin toy3Tin Toy was created for SIGGRAPH in 1988. The genesis for the project happened when John Lasseter was watching his niece play with her toys.  She was sucking on, throwing, stomping on them.  The idea occurred to him that to the toys this sweet adorable baby would be seen as a monster.

So they got hard at work and designing an actual baby proved to be a mammoth task and they invented new facial recognition software and was the first computer graphics with bendable joints and a fluid body.

tin toy2The story of Tin Toy is a baby named Billy who has a toy named Tin Toy that is an old school Japanese one man band type toy.  Both the toy and the baby turned out very cute and the sound mixing is perfect.

tin toyWhen the toy see’s Billy sucking and throwing his toys he naturally becomes terrified and flees leading to the big laugh of the movie- All of Billy’s toys are hiding under the sofa shivering in fear from the monster that is Billy.

tin toy 8Each of the animators was given the task of designing one of the toys under the bed and it was this shot that started the idea of Toy Story.  In fact, Disney was so impressed with Tin Toy that they sealed an agreement with Pixar to create their first feature film about toys.

Tin Toy also is of note because it is their first Oscar win for Best Animated Short and the first CG animation to win an Academy Award in 1988.

The great thing about Tin Toy is how many emotions they manage to show in a 4 minute film we get joy, anger, hurt, fear, remorse, envy, desperation and more.  Tin-Toy-Sad-web

When I think of what makes a character like Woody so great he has all those emotions, sometimes very rapidly and who knows if the storytelling would have grown if such robust characters weren’t cultivated in these shorts first.

Here is John Lasseter and Bill Reeves getting their Oscar for Tin Toy.  It helps give you a sense of who they were and the community that built Pixar as we know today.

It’s worthy of the Oscar and is certainly an A+.  A great early short.  (Only 1 more short to go till Toy Story!)