Sunday, October 30, 2016

Fantasia (1940)

Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Fantasia.

Synopsis: Disney's Fantasia takes some of the best classical music from artist such as Bethoven, Paul Dukas, Bach, Tchaikovsky plus more, all lovingly recreated by the Philadelphia Orchestra lead by Leopold Stokowski and then uses this music to bring fantastical animation to life. All of it a special Disney interpretation of what the song is about, the animation features everything from woodland nymphs, fairy's, fireworks and even Mickey Mouse battling living brooms.

The Good:

* Lovers of classical music will really enjoy this, the music is all brilliantly performed and even though I am not a huge fan of classical a few of the songs demanded more than just one or two listens.
* The animation really showcases what Disney was capable of at the time, sure it does look a bit dated now but back in 1940 this must have seemed like pure magic.


The Bad:

* Some of the animation has flickering wavy lines which gave me a massive migraine so people sensitive to that sort of thing may need to be wary.
* If you are not a fan of classical you may not enjoy it all that much as the animation does not always tell a story.

                    IMDB 7.7/10               Rotten Tomatoes 95%          Me 7/10
The Sorcerer's Apprentice, probably the song most people will remember.





Saturday, October 29, 2016

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of How to Train Your Dragon.

Synopsis: Set in a mythical world of sturdy Vikings and untamed dragons, and inspired by Cressida Cowell's book, this action comedy unfolds the tale of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), a Viking teenager who doesn't quite enjoy his tribe's venerable tradition of heroic dragon slaying. Hiccup's life is upended when he meets a dragon that challenges him and his fellow Vikings to perceive the world from a completely different perspective.

The Good:

* The animation is really slick and shows great facial features on all the characters, but it really shines on the dragon Toothless who is able to show many emotions just with his eyes.
* The story cruises along at a nice pace, mixing action with storytelling elements in such a great way that you don't have time to feel bored at all.
* The comedy in this is really well done, with laughs for adults and children. I can thoroughly recommend watching with kids, their infectious laughter makes a brilliant movie even better, if that's possible.
* It has dragons, enough said really.

The Bad:

* There are a few moments that young children may find frightening, so just be aware of that.

                     IMDB 8.2/10                    Rotten Tomatoes 99%               Me 9.5/10
Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) meeting Toothless.