Cars (2006)

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

Synopsis: Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) a young egotistical hotshot ends up slipping out of his transporter Mack's (John Ratzenberger) trailer while enroute to the most important race of his career. Trying to chase him back down Lightning ends up getting lost and eventually winds up stuck in a forgotten little town called Radiator Springs, it's here he learns that there is more to life than being the best.

The Good:

* I love all the little details that bring the animation to life, such as the squirt of dust when Lightning takes off, the beautiful nighttime reflections and even the detail in the insects which are tiny little Volkswagen Beetles.

* The jokes are all brilliant and provide laughs mostly for the young, but there are a couple good ones for us oldies, especially those that involve Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) who has some really funny one-liners.

* The voice acting is all really solid with Owen Wilson really sounding like he is having a blast as Lightning.

* The messaging about teamwork is nicely done and is perfect for a family movie night, especially if you have any competitive family members.

The Bad:

* The story is really basic and super easy to predict, obviously not a huge problem for kids but some adults might find themselves rolling their eyes.

                        IMDB 7.2/10              Rotten Tomatoes 75%             Me 8/10

Lightning and Mater.

Monsters University (2013)

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Monsters University.

Synopsis: Acting as a prequel to the movie Monsters Inc. we are introduced to Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. "Sully" Sullivan (John Goodman) as they start their first year as students at Monster University or MU for short. Their relationship quickly gets off to a rocky start before an accident forces them to come together with a group of underdogs to prove that they deserve their place at MU, along the way they learn some important lessons about friendship and faith in themselves.

The Good:

* Like all Pixar animated movies, the animation is beautiful, with awesome character designs (the librarian is cool), a well detailed university campus and my favorite bit, backgrounds that often have multiple easter eggs from previous movies.

* The voice acting is of course really well done, Billy Crystal and John Goodman sound as if they are having a lot of fun together while recording their lines, the standout for me though was Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble, she has a relatively quiet voice, but she sounds quite menacing.

* The laughs are quite consistent throughout both for children and adults.

* The messaging about friendship, co-operation and working on your own strengths is nicely done, perfect for family viewing.

The Bad:

* The movie ticks most of the university oriented cliches, such as a group of jocks chasing the best members, to the group of pretty girls that are mean and so forth, making it very predictable for older audiences.

* I felt disappointed with Randal's (Steve Buscemi) character development, we all know he has great enmity towards Sully and Mike in Monsters Inc, but to find out it was caused just because he wanted to be popular just feels wrong.

                          IMDB 7.2/10               Rotten Tomatoes 80%                    Me 8/10

Mike and Sully after their sorority initiation.

Fantastic Planet (1973)

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Fantastic Planet.

Synopsis: On a strange alien world, the giant blue aliens called the Draag keep humanoids called the Om as pets or treat them as vermin, to be exterminated on a schedule. But a saved Om that gets named Terr (Jean Valmont) discovers a way to learn via a Draag device and he uses this knowledge to plot his escape. During his escape he meets another Om and introduces her to the device that helps him learn, so she takes him back to her tribe, where the learning continues. This leads the Om's to embark on an odyssey that will change the dynamic of their planet forever.

The Good:

* The art style throughout really brings to life the strange alien planet inhabited by the Oms and Draag, with my personal favorite being the weirdly, wonderful plants that seem to have an unusual life of their own.

* I like the way that this artistic vision lets you make your own assumptions about the story and meaning, I like to think it is about how education is key to a better life, whereas others may see it as a warning about treating others badly.

* I also quite liked the low-key sci-fi music throughout, it really suited the weird alien world shown on screen and reminded me a lot of Pink Floyd.

The Bad:

* I honestly feel this is more of an art piece, a statement to the world instead of a movie, for one simple reason there is very little entertainment, don't get me wrong, like art it is spectacular, thought provoking and well worth looking at (watching) but I honestly won't be in a rush to do it again.

                      IMDB 7.7/10             Rotten Tomatoes 91%            Me 7/10

Terr (Jean Valmont) the smartest of the Om's.

Robin Hood (1973)

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Robin Hood.

Synopsis: In this animated re-imagining we are introduced to the world of Robin Hood by the rooster minstrel and narrator Allan-a-Dale (Roger Miller), starting with the daylight robbery of Prince John's (Peter Ustinov) carriage by the daring duo of Robin Hood (Brian Bedford) and Little John (Phil Harris). This earns them the ire of Prince John who sets a trap at a tourney, which of course does not go as planned, this drives him to the edge of madness, and he takes it out on the populace of Nottingham with the help of the greedy Sherriff of Nottingham (Pat Buttram). Now it is up to Robim Hood and his band of merry men to put things right, save the people of Nottingham, get rid of Prince John and live happily ever after with Maid Marian (Monica Evans).

The Good:

* I actually quite liked the animation, it is not as colorful as most Disney movies and sometimes the characters aren't that smooth but the long shots and castle scenes, especially during the rain, look absolutely fantastic considering the movie is over 40 years old.

* The voice actors were all really well chosen, Brian Bedford sounds like a debonaire rogue really bringing Robin Hood to life and Peter Ustinov does an amazing job as Prince John as he flits between anger at Robin or thumb sucking worry that he has upset his mother.

* I also really liked the songs, they are fairly short compared to most animated movies, but they fit well. I especially like "Not in Nottingham", it is sung during a prison scene, and it is quite melancholic, but I honestly think it has more feeling than most other animated movies that rely on catchy riffs.

* Some of the jokes are laugh out loud funny, with humor for young and old alike.

The Bad:

* The pacing is a little up and down, with the occasional time skip that I think could have been filled as the movie is not that long.

* While entertaining the story is fairly basic and involves some weird moments, like when Lady Kluck acted like a football star to take down the Rhino guards.

* There are a couple scenes that may worry young children, for example when the Sherriff is fixing the hangman's noose.

                              IMDB 7.5/10                 Rotten Tomatoes 58%               Me 8/10

Robin Hood and Maid Marian going for a stroll.

The Land Before Time (1988)

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of The Land Before Time.

Synopsis: During the time of the dinosaurs a great upheaval forces the herbivores to migrate towards a beautiful land of fresh food and water that they call the Great Valley. Along the way disaster strikes and five baby dinosaurs are separated from their families, slowly they come together as a group and under the leadership of Littlefoot (Gabriel Damon), a melancholy Brontosaurus, they set out for the Great Valley. Along the way they learn important life lesson while fighting to survive.

The Good:

* The animation is all bright and colorful with some really great horizons done in yellows or purples, but it is of course showing its age and depending on where you watch it (older DVDs, VHS), it may appear a bit grainy.

* The voice acting is all really well done and unlike many other animations the cast are actually voiced by children, instead of adults or teens pretending to be children, this leads to a lot of the scenes feeling more natural. This also has the added effect of upping the emotional impact and making moments of comedy more humorous. 

* The best part of the movie for me though is how it introduces various themes and leaves them open for discussion, letting kids ask the questions they want about the emotions that are shown on screen. 

* This is also one of a very few animated movies that actually depicts grief in a realistic way, instead of the character getting over it from one scene to the next you can see the effects all the way through, sure this does make the movie a little bleaker, but I honestly think it is better because of it.

The Bad:

* Some scenes may be a bit too intense or scary for younger children.

* It will make you cry.

* Unfortunately, times change so a lot of the themes presented may not be as welcome (or ignored) by parents as they were 30 years ago.

                          IMDB 7.4/10               Rotten Tomatoes 65%                Me 7/10

Ducky, Petri, Littlefoot, Spike and Cera enjoying a hug.

Ernest & Celestine (2012)

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Ernest & Celestine.

Synopsis: A young dental apprentice mouse, Celestine (Pauline Brunner) and the struggling street musician bear, Ernest (Lambert Wilson) live in a world of deep-seated prejudice, where bears are supposed to stay above ground and mice below. But a series of unique circumstances see Ernest and Celestine working together, which earns them the ire of their respective authorities and forces them to go into hiding together. It is here their friendship blossoms and their talents bloom as their love for each other also grows. The authorities though catch a lucky break and now it's up to Ernest & Celestine to win their freedom and maybe change their world in the process.

The Good:

* The animation appears to be a fairly basic storybook style, but it is so well suited to the story that it takes on an almost dreamlike quality towards the end. I quite enjoyed it and I found that even in times of action everything was clear and easy to see what was happening, there weren't any points the animation became muddied (which sometimes happens with this style of animation).

* The voice acting was really good, I watched it in the original French and found that the musical quality of the speech helped enhance the dreamlike quality of the animation.

* I really enjoyed the story and found it quite heartwarming, without being overly sweet. I especially liked the fact that they were able to take such a heavy subject as prejudice and still make it suitable for all ages.

* The humor was also really well done, there's a little bit of slapstick and some nice subtle tongue in cheek laughs that had me laughing out loud in a few places.

The Bad:

* I think one or two small moments may scare younger children.

                             IMDB 7.8/10             Rotten Tomatoes 98%                 Me 9/10

Celestine and Ernest learning to be friends.

Migration (2023)

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

Synopsis: Mack the Mallard (Kumail Nanjiani) is an overprotective dad who refuses to go anywhere or do anything to put himself or his family in danger. But when another family of ducks visit his families pond, they fire his family's spirit of adventure, but he wants nothing to do with migrating even if it is to tropical Jamaica. The only one on his side is Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito), who agrees with Mack in the worst possible way, which of course inspires Mack to Migrate after all. Their trip to Jamaica isn't all smooth sailing though, they meet some old Heron's, a street-smart pigeon called chump (Awkwafina) and affect a rescue which earns them the ire of a crazy duck obsessed chef. But it's not all about the journey but about the lesson's Mack and his family learn along the way.

The Good:

* Very nice animation that is bright and colorful, with the dark scenes still being perfectly clear, which I really like. I also really like the design of the villainous Chef, who looked like a cross between a Yakuza and a businessman.

* The humor was really well done with some hilarious one-liners delivered by Awkwafina and Danny DeVito, who was the stand-out as Uncle Dan.

* The family messaging about trust and giving things a go was nicely done, nice and subtle, not shoved in your face.

* The voice acting was all really good with voice actors that suited the characters quite nicely.

The Bad:

* There are a few small scenes that may scare younger children.

* There are a few jokes about animals as food and I know some families are sensitive to this so just be warned.

                            IMDB 6.7/10               Rotten Tomatoes 72%            Me 7/10

The Mallard family discovering the surprises the city has.

Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir the Movie (2023)

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir the Movie.

Synopsis: In this slightly re-imagined origin story, Marinette (Cristina Vee Valenzuela) a shy and very clumsy teenager finds herself chosen to wield the power of the Creation Miraculous transforming her into the heroine Ladybug. Meanwhile Adrien (Bryce Papenbrook) is chosen by the Destruction Miraculous, to become the hero Cat Noir. Together these two polar opposites must learn to work together against the villainous Hawk Moth (Keith Silverstein) who is causing chaos in Paris in the hopes of obtaining the Creation and Destruction Miraculous' to bring his lost wife back.

The Good:

* The animation is really smooth, this is very noticeable during fight scenes, during close ups of character face showing incredible expression through their eyes and in the beautiful background recreations of famous Paris landmarks.

* The voice actors from the television series have reprised their roles and they all do a fantastic job bringing their respective characters to life.

* The action scenes are all really well done, even though the camera will often switch between the two heroes not once do you lose track of what is happening. 

* For the most part the underlying love story felt quite natural, and fans of the series will probably be glad to see a resolution, even if everything else isn't exactly like the series.

The Bad:

* The singing, while there is nothing inherently wrong with the songs themselves, but they often don't fit with what is happening on screen (not everything needs to be a power ballad). The worst thing though, they are sung by totally different people, this is extremely noticeable in the case of Ladybug, I honestly can't understand why they did it when Cristina Vee is quite an accomplished singer.

* The story has been condensed so the start jumps forward in places and completely misses the explanation for some things, for example why was Adrien chosen for a Miraculous.

* The sudden shift by Hawk Moth at the end seemed really weird because there just was not enough time spent on fleshing out the characters relationships. I will give it points for being a bit of a tearjerker though.

                        IMDB 6.1/10                 Rotten Tomatoes 50%             Me 6/10

Ladybug (Cristina Venezuela) and Cat Noir (Bryce Papenbrook) sharing a moment.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

 Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

Synopsis: After having been told to avoid Humans their whole life the Turtles just want to get out there, be accepted and lead normal teenage lives. To achieve this goal, they plan on taking down the criminal know as Superfly (Ice Cube), but things don't go exactly as they expect, and they end up having to save all of NY City, while learning an important lesson along the way. The movie also has a new origin story and sets up a villain for the next movie.

The Good:

* The animation is amazing, the hand drawn art was purposefully used to make everything look more real via flaws in character and background design before computer aided effects were added to make things blend together seamlessly. It is a tiny bit jarring at first but by the end of the movie I just loved it.

* The Turtles actually sound like teenagers instead of adults trying to affect a slightly younger tone.

* The overall voice acting is great with special mention to Ice Cube who made Superfly sound cool and menacing, plus Jackie Chan (Splinter) for sounding like the most awesome dad a turtle could have.

* I also really enjoyed the pacing with a very nice blend of action scenes followed by story, not once did it feel slow or boring.

* The mid credits scene actually made me excited for a sequel.

The Bad:

* Long time Turtles fans may not like the new origin story, especially that of Father Splinter.

* Some of the jokes are used far too often and just don't end up funny when the punchline arrives, turtle milking anyone.

* There just far too many references to pop culture, sure they are teenagers and that is what they are interested in, but that often, I don't think so.

* The Turtles didn't really have very distinct personalities, Michaelangelo definitely was not a party dude and the closest Donatello got to a machine was when he held a smartphone.

                              IMDB 7.2/10                Rotten Tomatoes 95%          Me 8/10 

The animation was amazing so many scenes felt like posters come to life.