South Park: The End of Obesity (2024)

Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of South Park: The End of Obesity.

Synopsis : When the new miracle weight loss drugs become available in South Park, Cartman believes his days of being teased are over and he can be the skinny kid he dreams of being. But when he learns that his mother can't afford the drugs and their insurance refuses to pay as he is not Diabetic, he loses hope, and it falls on his friends to help him out.

The Good:

* I honestly really enjoyed the way they were able to spotlight two massive problems in America, the ridiculous American health system plus the inequality when it comes to medicines, without feeling overly preachy.

* I even found myself laughing out loud at a few places, something that I have not done while watching South Park for quite a while.

* I also really like that some of the characters are actually showing personal growth after all these years, Cartman admitting he is not just big boned and Randy Marsh finally putting in some effort to keep his marriage together. I hope they continue this new direction, instead of keeping the characters locked in statis.

* The ridiculous Mad Max styled ending was highly amusing.

The Bad:

* The Cereal characters were mildly annoying, but I suppose it's better than getting sued if they used the actual CEO's of the sugar companies.

* Quite a lot of drug use was shown, some people may not appreciate this, even if it is used to make a political point.

* I honestly don't think a 58 minute run time should count as a movie, although it could just be my Australian streaming service trying to charge a larger rental fee by classing it as a movie.

                IMDB 7.2/10          Rotten Tomatoes 75% (audience score)      Me 7/10

The kids staring at Cartman after he ate a cereal bomb.

Thelma the Unicorn (2024)

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Thelma the Unicorn.

Synopsis: Thelma, a hard-working farm pony spends her spare time playing with her best friends Otis and Reggie in their small rock band called The Rusty Nails, but Thelma dreams of more. When an accident gives her the means to achieve all the fame she desires, she jumps at the chance, but is she willing to give up that which is most precious to her?

The Good.

* The over-the-top zany action and bright colors is bound to keep children glued to the screen for the relatively short 80-minute run time.

* I actually really enjoyed the subtle digs at the social media and entertainment industry, for example the stallion who pretend to be a gross loudmouth for attention but is actually soft spoken and highly intelligent, although I wish they had highlighted these moments more as I think most kids will miss them.

* I also really enjoyed the voice acting in this movie, Brittany Howard as Thelma did a really good job considering this was her first time as a voice actor, I also quite enjoyed Will Forte as Otis due to how relatable he was.

* The underlying message of being true to yourself and not having to change just to impress or gain the favor of others will always be a good thing for kids to see and understand.

The Bad:

* The introduction of the Poolboys via a close up of a wiggling bottom felt a little too sexual for a children's movie and may not be to many parents liking.

* The story is very simple which is not a problem for children, but I feel most adults would find this movie relatively forgettable.

                    IMDB 6.1/10          Rotten Tomatoes 70%               Me 7/10

Otis, Reggie and Thelma, voiced by Will Forte, Jon Heder and Brittany Howard.

Wish (2023)

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Disney's Wish.

Synopsis: Asha (Ariana DeBose), a young woman lives in the city of Rosas, where people give up their fondest wish to the magician King Magnifico (Chris Pine) so that they can live a peaceful life with the chance that their wish may be granted for real. Asha soon discovers that this idyllic lifestyle is not as it seems, so she makes a powerful wish from the heart to the heavens, which is answered by the powerful little creature Star. Together Star, Asha and her faithful goat companion Valentino (Alan Tyduk) set out to confront the king and set right the problems in Rosas.

The Good:

* I really enjoyed every scene with the cute and fluffy animals, they were all quite funny plus Alan Tudyk absolutely steals every scene as the little goat Valentino.

* I loved the classic style animation, it reminded me of other Disney classics like Snow White and Dumbo where it feels like every frame is hand painted.

* I also really liked the message it tried to convey about hopes and dreams, about working together to make them come true instead of relying on a higher power.

The Bad:

* I did not find any of the songs to be very catchy at all and unlike Frozen's "Let It Go" not one of them made me want to sing along, which is what you would expect from an animated Disney movie.

* While Chris Pine did a great job voicing Magnifico he just wasn't all that menacing. While it is great to see a return of the Disney villain it would have been nice to have one that could match the evil of Maleficent.

* The story wasn't very original, while it did have a lot of nods to past Disney classics, I feel this did not really help the story at all.

            IMDB 5.6/10                   Rotten Tomatoes 48%               Me 6/10

Valentino (Alan Tudyk) and Asha (Ariana DeBose) meeting Star.